If you were to read the DSM-IV manual, you would find a very big section on anxiety related conditions.
While this might be helpful to a medical professional, you don't need to go to such extreme for your own self-diagnosis.
By the way, DSM is short for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
It's an American handbook for mental health professionals; a registered trademark belonging to the American Psychiatric Association.
The manual is currently on fourth-edition.
It's a good starting point to better understand and cope with your mental health problem, if you could have some idea of what type of anxiety you might be categorized as.
The most common types of anxiety are as follow...
1.
Panic Attacks.
It's estimated that over two millions of American suffer from panic attacks.
It's a condition in which a person suddenly feels panicked about his or her life without any apparent reason.
The episodes of panic can happen without any warning and can happen during most times of the day.
He or she will start to sweat, feel totally disconnected from their body, feel dizzy, the heart begins to race and even feel pains in the chest.
This condition is often mistaken as a heart attack.
2.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder.
A typical characteristic of this type of anxiety is that you're feeling anxious all the time.
It's not as intense as a panic attack; you just feel anxious on more days than you feel calm.
The main concern with generalized anxiety disorder is that it may lead to negative responses.
Because you're feeling anxious most of the time, you might try to find ways for relief such as smoking, drinking alcohols, taking drugs, etc.
which could lead to more serious problems.
3.
Depressive Disorders.
When you begin to blame yourself for things that are happening around you, causing you to feel sad and less worthy as a person, this may be the first sign of a depressive disorder.
If not treated, this type of anxiety disorder can lead to feelings of hopelessness, deep depression and often could lead to suicide attempts.
4.
Social Anxiety.
If you always find yourself having troubles in social settings or just talking with other people, you might be suffering from social anxiety.
Some common symptoms you may experience in relation to social anxiety are trembling.
fidgeting, nervousness, dizziness, heart pounding, sweating and problem concentrating.
This is a very common type of anxiety and is often simple to treat and manage.
For example, attending a course on building self-esteem and self-confidence can help a big deal.
But, the problem is that most people won't take that first simple step.
5.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD).
This type of anxiety disorder is a mental illness that causes unwanted thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive behaviors (compulsions).
Examples of repetitive behaviors are counting, checking the stove or doors, handwashing, or cleaning; these actions are repeated over and over again.
Most people with OCD know that these so-called "rituals" make no sense, but they can't ignore or stop them.
This type of anxiety disorder can be passed down through a family.
If you have someone in your family with OCD, you might want to talk to your doctor and consider some treatments.
These are just some common types of anxiety disorders; while you might not be able to get rid of them completely, there are many successful techniques you can learn to effectively manage them.