Types of anxiety disorders
"Anxiety" is not one condition. It is a family of disorders that share a mechanism — a threat response that fires without a threat — but differ in what the fear attaches to. That difference is not academic: it determines which treatment will actually work.
The main types
Generalised anxiety disorder
Persistent, uncontrollable worry across many areas — health, money, family, work — for six months or more. The worry moves from topic to topic and never resolves.
Panic disorder
Recurrent, unexpected panic attacks plus a lasting fear of the next one. The fear of the attack becomes the disorder.
Social anxiety disorder
Intense fear of being judged in social or performance situations, leading to avoidance that steadily shrinks life.
Specific phobias
Disproportionate fear of a specific object or situation — heights, flying, needles, dogs. The most prevalent type, and highly responsive to exposure.
Agoraphobia
Fear of places where escape would be difficult or help unavailable: crowds, public transport, open spaces. It can confine someone to home.
Separation anxiety
Excessive distress at being apart from attachment figures. Recognised in children and, in the DSM-5, in adults too.
OCD
Intrusive obsessions and compulsions performed to neutralise them. Now classified separately, but driven by anxiety throughout.
PTSD
Follows a traumatic event: flashbacks, hypervigilance, avoidance. Classified under trauma-related disorders.
Note: this page is informational and is not a diagnosis. Anxiety disorders frequently overlap, so identifying which you have is a job for a clinician, not a list. If you are in crisis in the US, call or text 988.
Find out what your anxiety attaches to
Balanced Mind gives you check-ins and a journal that make the pattern visible over weeks — which situations, which times, which thoughts. Useful material for an assessment. Free in your browser.
Try it freeFrequently asked questions
Why does the type of anxiety matter?
Because the treatment differs. Exposure therapy for a specific phobia looks nothing like the interoceptive work used in panic disorder or the response prevention used in OCD. Naming the right disorder is what makes the right treatment possible.
Can you have more than one anxiety disorder?
Yes, and it is common. Someone with generalised anxiety may also have social anxiety and panic attacks. Depression frequently accompanies them. This is why a proper assessment matters more than self-diagnosis from a list.
Are OCD and PTSD anxiety disorders?
In older classifications they were grouped with anxiety. The current DSM-5 places them in separate categories — obsessive-compulsive and related disorders, and trauma-related disorders. They remain deeply anxiety-driven, which is why they are usually discussed alongside.
What is the most common anxiety disorder?
Specific phobias are the most prevalent, though many people never seek treatment for them. Among those who do present for help, generalised anxiety disorder and social anxiety disorder are the most frequent.