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Anxiety disorders are a group of mental disorders characterized by significant feelings of anxiety and fear. Anxiety is a worry about future events, while fear is a reaction to current events. These feelings may cause physical symptoms, such as increased heart rate and shakiness. There are several anxiety disorders, including generalized anxiety disorder, specific phobia, social anxiety disorder, separation anxiety disorder, agoraphobia, panic disorder, and selective mutism. The disorder differs by what results in the symptoms. An individual may have more than one anxiety disorder.The cause of anxiety disorders is thought to be a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Risk factors include a history of child abuse, family history of mental disorders, and poverty. Anxiety disorders often occur with other mental disorders, particularly major depressive disorder, personality disorder, and substance use disorder. To be diagnosed, symptoms typically need to be present for at least 6 months, be more than what would be expected for the situation, and decrease a person's ability to function in their daily life. Other problems that may result in similar symptoms include hyperthyroidism; heart disease; caffeine, alcohol, or cannabis use; and withdrawal from certain drugs, among others. Anxiety disorders differ from normal fear or anxiety by being excessive or persisting.Without treatment, anxiety disorders tend to remain. Treatment may include lifestyle changes, counselling, and medications. Cognitive behavioral therapy is one of the most common counselling techniques used in treatment of anxiety disorders. Medications, such as antidepressants, benzodiazepines, or beta blockers, may improve symptoms.About 12% of people are affected by an anxiety disorder in a given year, and between 5% and 30% are affected over a lifetime. They occur in females about twice as often as in males and generally begin before age 25. The most common are specific phobias, which affect nearly 12%, and social anxiety disorder, which affects 10%. Phobias mainly affect people between the ages of 15 and 35, and become less common after age 55. Rates appear to be higher in the United States and Europe than in other parts of the world.

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