The National Institute of Mental Health has labeled anxiety as a the Nation’s No. 1 mental health problem. What are the symptoms of anxiety? Symptoms vary according to the type of anxiety disorder. Sometimes anxiety occurs because of a specific traumatic incident. Anxiety can also manifest as chronic worry, particularly about career, relationships, health or loss in general. Panic disorder, which is probably the most debilitating of anxiety disorders, is genetically based. Its symptoms include:

These episodes are called panic attacks. Untreated, panic disorder can develop into agoraphobia. Agoraphobia causes one to remain within a close distance from home to avoid experiencing a panic attack.

Sometimes anxiety occurs as the result of a specific medical condition such as asthma or even withdrawal from alcohol or drugs. Anxiety can exist alone or in conjunction with a depressive episode.

Clinical depression affects nearly 11 million Americans each year. Research indicates that, unfortunately, 15 percent of individuals with clinical depression will die by suicide. Clinical depression, like anxiety, is often misunderstood. This is because the symptoms of depression are so pervasive and disabling. Depressive episodes may include the following symptoms:

These symptoms may signify one of several different types of depression. For example, with a situational depression, the individual experiences these symptoms as a reaction to a significant event. In cases of long-standing depression, recurring depressive episode may be unrelated to a specific event. Both situational and long-standing depressions are labeled “unipolar.” Unipolar depression is often accompanied by free floating anxiety. Other types of depression include the following: