Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)Generalized Anxiety Disorder often begins during stressful circumstances, affecting close to 7 million Americans. Unlike other anxiety disorders, GAD is defined by worrying that isn't specifically based on panic attack fears, phobias and embarrassment, which are common in other disorders. The worrying in GAD continues for months on end (usually for more than six months at a time) with job issues and academic performance being the most common catalysts. While we all worry, GAD worriers can't control it and have a great deal of difficulty stopping it, leading to increased sleeping difficulties and bad concentration with headaches and dizziness to go along with it. An example could be someone at a new job and the contributing factors of work stress, a new environment and new co-workers creating a constant sense of worry that doesn't seem to get better when they're off the job. Fortunately, there are treatment options for people dealing with GAD, with some of the most common ones being SSRI (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors) medications (better known as Prozac, Paxil and Lexapro). SSRIs are antidepressants that change brain chemistry by altering how the brain re-absorbs serotonin, a prime factor in moods and anxiety. The idea is that serotonin changes will make us feel less anxious.
A more natural alternative to SSRIs is Kava, a root that offers temporary relaxation without SSRI's potential withdrawal symptoms (sexual dysfunction, diarrhea, etc.). Medication still won't address the fundamental issues of the disorder, which can be addressed through cognitive therapy. The goal of therapy is to replace negative worries with positive thinking and make day-to-day living significantly better.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)Howie Mandel suffers from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, which is commonly associated with intrusive thoughts, obsessions and compulsive activities. Currently, OCD remains under-diagnosed due to stigma and some people's unawareness that they even have it. Even though it reportedly affects about 2% of the U.S. population, the actual number is higher.
OCD cycles begin with irrational and disturbing thoughts that can be fears (like contamination or sexual insecurities) that go beyond the real of common anxiety. OCD sufferers know that their fears are irrational, but they still feel compelled to perform specific actions to try and diffuse these thoughts and ease their stress. An example would be someone who has a fear of germs and then goes to great lengths to avoid shaking hands, which is thought to be the case in Mandel's situation. Like GAD, OCD is also treated frequently with medicine and therapy. We've talked about SSRI medications, but when they are used in OCD cases, they must be taken in higher doses. In addition, medication takes much longer to work (sometimes a few months) and it often doesn't provide total relief for OCD sufferers. On the natural front, a sugar called inositol, found commonly in bran cereals and nuts, is known to affect serotonin and reduce OCD symptoms. For patients choosing the therapy route, they are subjected to activities that will reduce obsessions and rituals, thus breaking the OCD cycle. With the aid of a therapist, they will do things like touch tissues that are "dirty" without washing their hands afterward. With the obsession/ritual cycle broken, the issues can slowly begin to resolve themselves and lessen the effects of the disorder.

Panic DisorderAbout 1.7% of Americans suffer from panic disorder, which begins with a panic attack and continues as a fear of future ones. Believed to be linked to high-stress situations and low body tolerance to anxiety triggers, panic attacks can feel like heart attacks, which reinforce the fear that something is gravely wrong each time they occur.These defining characteristics make panic disorder a very physical experience. A panic attack for the first time is a scary experience. It might be stress-induced or even occur from exercise, but a jump in heartbeat, perspiration and dizziness are usually present. Even though a medical check-up might show no physical damage, the mental damage can be long-lasting and destructive. Panic attacks can vary in occurrence but the fear can remain, causing a negative impact on one's quality of life. For example, panic attack fears can stop people from working and keep them at home. They might think that they are reducing their chances of an attack but they are also avoiding exercise, dietary needs and often work.Keeping panic disorder under control requires treatment through anti-anxiety medications or targeted therapy. The previously-mentioned SSRIs offer long-term aid against panic attacks, but many people opt for short-term anti-anxiety medications that lessen panic symptoms when taken right prior to a high-anxiety situation. However, therapy has shown to be the best method to combat panic disorder, especially when interoceptive exposure is used. The goal of this procedure is to induce panic symptoms to show sufferers that nothing bad will happen. A 1997 European study claims that interoceptive treatment carries up to a 94% success rate for treating panic disorder, making it a viable and encouraging option for those afflicted with it.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)PTSD differs from the other disorders because it is directly related to a specific traumatic incident. Survivors of PTSD can be found as far back as shell-shocked soldiers, but these days, they are primarily violent crime survivors. After the initial incident has occurred, people dealing with PTSD will commonly suffer from re-living, avoidance and an increased arousal. Re-living is the process of having nightmares or daytime visions of the event, often accompanied by panic-like symptoms that match the body's own responses during the event itself. Avoidance comes from avoiding triggers that remind them of events, whether it's certain people, sounds or objects, and they often distance themselves from friends. A deeper stage of avoidance comes from amnesia when victims will force themselves to forget memories that are too painful. Finally, an increased state of arousal keeps PTSD victims on edge by interrupting their sleep, inducing anger easily and causing poor concentration.The important elements for treating PTSD are based on three types of therapy. The first is exposure therapy that gradually allows survivors to re-live the event in small stages while separating and reducing the physical symptoms that accompany the memories. Cognitive therapy is the second, which reduces the harmful thoughts and avoidance that is based on external triggers. Finally, stress inoculation training uses relaxation techniques to re-program the thought process to lower the stress level to help manage anxiety better. It's a long process, but considering what has already occurred, the healing process is important to ultimately resume a healthy lifestyle.