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Definition

By Mayo Clinic staff

Anxiety happens as a normal part of life. It can even be useful when it alerts you to danger. But for some people, anxiety persistently interferes with daily activities such as work, school or sleep. This type of anxiety can disrupt relationships and enjoyment of life, and over time it can lead to health concerns and other problems.

In some cases, anxiety is a mental health condition that requires treatment. Generalized anxiety disorder, for example, is characterized by persistent worry about major or minor concerns. Other anxiety disorders — such as panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) — have more-specific triggers and symptoms. Sometimes, anxiety results from a medical condition that needs treatment.

Whatever form of anxiety you have, lifestyle changes, counseling or medications — or a combination of these approaches — can help.

Symptoms
References
  1. Anxiety disorders. In: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSM-IV-TR. 4th ed. Arlington, Va.: American Psychiatric Association; 2000. http://www.psychiatryonline.com. Accessed May 17, 2012.
  2. Hales RE, et al. The American Psychiatric Publishing Textbook of Psychiatry. 5th ed. Washington, D.C.: American Psychiatric Publishing; 2008. http://www.psychiatryonline.com/resourceToc.aspx?resourceID=5. Accessed May 17, 2012.
  3. Rakel RE. Textbook of Family Medicine. 8th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2011. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/191205553-4/0/1481/0.html#. Accessed May 18, 2012.
  4. Marx JA, et al. Rosen's Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 7th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Elsevier; 2010. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/about.do?about=true&eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05472-0..X0001-1--TOP&isbn=978-0-323-05472-0&uniqId=230100505-57. Accessed May 18, 2012.
  5. Hicks D, et al. An approach to the patient with anxiety. Medical Clinics of North America. 2010;94:1127.
  6. Roy-Byrne PP, et al. Anxiety disorders and comorbid medical illness. General Hospital Psychiatry. 2008;30:208.
  7. Rakel D. Integrative Medicine. 3rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2012. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/208746819-2/0/1494/0.html. Accessed May 21, 2012.
  8. Lakhan SE, et al. Nutritional and herbal supplements for anxiety and anxiety-related disorders: Systematic review. Nutrition Journal. 2010;9:42.
  9. Natural medicines in the clinical management of anxiety. Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database. http://www.naturaldatabase.com. Accessed May 24, 2012.
  10. Kava linked to liver damage. National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. http://nccam.nih.gov/news/alerts/kava. Accessed May 24, 2012.
  11. Mayo Clinic statement: Recommendations regarding the safety concern with citalopram (Celexa) therapy. Mayo Clinic. http://mayoweb.mayo.edu/mfpfc-cmte/1202citalopramStatement.pdf. Accessed June 5, 2012.
  12. Jacka FN, et al. Association of Western and traditional diets with depression and anxiety in women. American Journal of Psychiatry. 2010;167:305.
  13. Teschke R, et al. Risk of kava hepatotoxicity and the FDA consumer advisory. Journal of the American Medical Association. 2010;304:2174.
  14. Valerian. National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. http://nccam.nih.gov/health/valerian. Accessed June 5, 2012.
  15. Miyasaka LS, et al. Passiflora for anxiety disorder. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD004518.pub2/abstract. Accessed June 5, 2012.
  16. Support & programs. National Alliance on Mental Illness. http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?section=Find_Support. Accessed June 5, 2012.
  17. Getting support. Anxiety and Depression Association of America. http://www.adaa.org/finding-help/getting-support. Accessed June 5, 2012.
DS01187 June 30, 2012

© 1998-2013 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER). All rights reserved. A single copy of these materials may be reprinted for noncommercial personal use only. "Mayo," "Mayo Clinic," "MayoClinic.com," "EmbodyHealth," "Enhance your life," and the triple-shield Mayo Clinic logo are trademarks of Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.

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