Characterised by uncontrollable and unrealistic worries about everyday situations such as school, work, relationships or health, the condition tends to be all-consuming, interfering with one's normal routine and interrupting normal sleep patterns.

GAD may interfere with your ability to enjoy many of the normal aspects of life. It is possible that you might also be more likely to misuse alcohol and drugs as a way to escape or numb overwhelming feelings.

Social Anxiety and Social Phobia

These conditions involve a heightened fear of social or performance situations (such as meeting new people of public speakiing) in which an individual may feel very self-consious and embarrassed. People with social anxiety commonly avoid social situations.

A social anxiety disorder an also be known as a soccial phobia. Social phobia is the fear of being embarrassed and judged in social situations and when talking to other people. If you have a social anxiety disorder, you may experience physical symptoms of anxiety, as well as being fearful of normal social interaction.

Panic disorder

If you suffer from this condition you might experience "panic attacks" - sudden, unpredictable periods of intense fear or extreme anxiety, which can make you feel like you can't breathe of are having a heart attack.

This incidents occur when the "fight or flight" response is triggered in situations where there is no clear and present physical threat. Usually the individual experiences an overwhelming urge to escape from the situation they are in. He or she may develop an apparently irrational desire to avoid similar situations in the future.

Panic attaks often happen without any warning. They may last for a few minutes, or up to half an hour. They are not uncommon: one in five Australians will experience at least one in their lifetime.

Agoraphobia

Characterised by intense anxiety about being in places or situations from which escape might be difficult or embarrassing, agoraphobia usually leads to avoidance of certain places and situations. At its worse, people may stay in their homes, too fearful to venture out.

Somatic Disorders and Hypochondria

These cconditions manifest in an extreme concern or worry about one's health and fears that one is suffering from a serious illnes. This can sometimes be coupled with an irrational reluctance to seek mediccal attention.

People with somatic form disorder have a constant fixation with their bodies and symptoms and are prone to self-examination and self-diagnosis.

These symptoms can cause significant distress or impairment in social, occupational or other areas of functioning. usually there is no diagnosable medical condition that can fully account for the physical symptoms. People with somatofrom disorders are reluctant to accept that psychological or emotional fators may be contrib uting to their physical symptoms.

Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)

An increasingly common condition which is often sadly the cause of public derision, OCD involves unwanted thoughts and impulses (obsessions) and repetitive, routine behaviours or rituals (compulsions), such as constantly checking that you've locked the doors or turned the iron off, or exessive hand-washing or cleaning.

People with OCD may feel that unless they complete apparently bizarre rituals or behaviours, something bad will happen. These compulsive acts may reduce and individual's anxiety, but the relief is only temporary. OCD affects people from all backgrounds, classes, cultures, exes and intelligence levels.

Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

An anxiety disorder triggered by a major traumatic even, such as assault or a significant accident, PTSD is marked by upsetting memories, "blunting" of emotions and sleep problems.

People suffering from PTSD may constantly relive the traumatic event through memories, dreams and flashbacks. More than a quarter of a million Australians experiene PTSD in any one year. A PTSD sufferer will avoid places, people or normal experiences that bring back memories of the triggering event.