Glossary
The words you may hear from a doctor, therapist, or pharmacist, with a short, clear explanation of each and a trusted source behind every section.
Diagnosis and symptoms
Words you may hear when a provider evaluates fear and worry. MedlinePlus · Anxiety
- Anxiety
- A feeling of fear, dread, and uneasiness. It can be a normal reaction to stress and may even help you cope or focus.
- Anxiety disorder
- A condition in which anxiety does not go away and can get worse over time, interfering with daily activities such as job performance, schoolwork, and relationships.
- Stress
- The physical or mental response to an external cause, such as a lot of homework or an illness. Anxiety is the body's reaction to stress and can occur even when there is no current threat.
- National Institute of Mental Health · I'm so stressed out! Fact sheet
- Panic attack
- A one-time or occasional episode of intense fear with physical symptoms such as a pounding heart, sweating, trembling, and difficulty breathing. Panic attacks are not life-threatening, and an isolated attack is not a mental disorder.
- National Institute of Mental Health · Panic disorder
- Phobia
- An ongoing intense fear or anxiety of a certain object, animal, activity, or setting that poses little to no actual danger.
- MedlinePlus · Phobia, simple or specific
- Avoidance
- Staying away from situations that set off fear. It may feel helpful in the short term, but the anxiety is likely to remain without treatment.
- National Institute of Mental Health · Social anxiety disorder
- Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5)
- The American Psychiatric Association (APA) manual of diagnostic criteria for mental disorders. Its anxiety disorders chapter no longer includes obsessive-compulsive disorder or post-traumatic stress disorder.
- American Psychiatric Association · Highlights of changes to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) (PDF)
Types of anxiety disorders
Names for the anxiety disorders described on this site, plus two closely related conditions. Each term links to its source. National Institute of Mental Health · Anxiety disorders
- Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)
- Worry or nervousness about everyday things such as health, money, work, or family that is hard to control and out of proportion to the situation. A diagnosis needs worry on most days for at least 6 months, plus at least three signs such as restlessness, tiredness, trouble concentrating, irritability, muscle tension, or sleep problems.
- National Institute of Mental Health · Generalized anxiety disorder
- Panic disorder
- Repeated, unexpected panic attacks: sudden waves of fear with physical symptoms such as a pounding heart, sweating, trembling, or trouble breathing, plus at least 1 month of worry about more attacks or changing behavior to avoid them.
- National Institute of Mental Health · Panic disorder
- Social anxiety disorder
- Strong fear of situations where a person may be watched or judged, such as speaking in public, meeting new people, or eating in front of others. To be diagnosed, the fear must last at least 6 months and get in the way of work, school, or relationships.
- National Institute of Mental Health · Social anxiety disorder
- Specific phobias
- An ongoing, intense fear of a certain object, animal, activity, or setting that poses little or no real danger, such as flying, heights, enclosed spaces, insects, or blood and injections. Being near it, or even thinking about it, sets off anxiety.
- MedlinePlus · Phobia, simple or specific
- Agoraphobia
- Intense fear of places or situations where escape might be hard, leading a person to avoid things like being outside the home alone, traveling by car, bus, or plane, or being in a crowd.
- National Institute of Mental Health · Agoraphobia statistics
- Separation anxiety disorder
- Fear of being apart from a parent or other attachment figure that goes well beyond a child's normal stage of separation anxiety, which usually ends around age 2. Signs include intense distress at separation, nightmares, refusing school or sleep away from the caregiver, repeated physical complaints, and worry that harm will come to the caregiver.
- MedlinePlus · Separation anxiety in children
- Selective mutism
- A child who speaks at home is unable to speak in certain settings, most often at school or in social situations. It usually starts between ages 3 and 6 and must last at least 1 month, not counting the first month of school.
- MedlinePlus · Selective mutism
- Substance or medication-induced anxiety
- Anxiety or panic brought on by a substance or medicine, or by withdrawal from one. Caffeine, other substances, and certain medicines can make anxiety symptoms worse.
- MedlinePlus · Anxiety
- Anxiety due to another medical condition
- Anxiety linked to a physical health problem. Thyroid problems and an irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia) are examples of conditions tied to anxiety.
- MedlinePlus · Anxiety
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
- A related condition with its own chapter in DSM-5, involving uncontrollable, recurring thoughts (obsessions) and repeated behaviors (compulsions).
- National Institute of Mental Health · Obsessive-compulsive disorder
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- A related condition with its own chapter in DSM-5 that can develop after a shocking, scary, or dangerous event.
- National Institute of Mental Health · Post-traumatic stress disorder
Medicines
Short explanations of the medicine terms used on the Treatments page. National Institute of Mental Health · Mental health medications
- Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI)
- Groups of antidepressants that are also used to treat anxiety. For panic disorder and social anxiety disorder, providers typically start with an SSRI or another antidepressant because they have fewer side effects than other medicines.
- Anti-anxiety medicine
- A medicine that helps reduce symptoms of anxiety, such as panic attacks and extreme fear and worry.
- Benzodiazepine
- A common type of anti-anxiety medicine used for some short-term anxiety symptoms. Long use can lead to tolerance or dependence.
- Beta-blocker
- A heart medicine sometimes prescribed off-label to manage physical anxiety symptoms such as a rapid heart rate, sweating, and tremors.
- Off-label use
- Prescribing a medicine for a purpose it is not approved for.
- Tolerance and dependence
- Tolerance means a medicine has less effect over time. Dependence means the body has adapted to it, so stopping can cause withdrawal symptoms.
- Taper
- Lowering a medicine dose slowly and safely with a provider's help, to give the body time to adjust.
- Monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI)
- An older type of antidepressant. Many anxiety medicines must not be taken with an MAOI or within a set time of stopping one.
- Boxed warning
- A prominent warning near the top of a U.S. prescription label. Antidepressant labels carry one about suicidal thoughts and behaviors in young people, and benzodiazepine labels carry one about abuse, addiction, dependence, and withdrawal.
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration · Boxed Warning updated for benzodiazepines (Sep 23, 2020)
- Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS)
- A drug safety program the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) can require for certain medicines with serious safety concerns, to help make sure the benefits outweigh the risks.
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration · Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS)
Therapy and digital treatment
Non-medicine treatments and the words used to describe them. National Institute of Mental Health · Psychotherapies
- Psychotherapy (talk therapy)
- Treatments that aim to help a person identify and change troubling emotions, thoughts, and behaviors, one-on-one or in a group.
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
- A therapy that teaches different ways of thinking and behaving, which can change how you react to the things that cause fear and anxiety.
- MedlinePlus · Anxiety
- Exposure therapy
- A CBT method that focuses on confronting the fears behind an anxiety disorder, step by step, to help a person do things they have been avoiding.
- National Institute of Mental Health · Social anxiety disorder
- Interoceptive exposure
- A CBT technique for panic disorder that involves experiencing the body sensations of a panic attack in a safe setting.
- National Institute of Mental Health · Panic disorder
- Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)
- A therapy that encourages accepting thoughts and feelings without judging them and committing to meaningful activities, using mindfulness and goal setting.
- National Institute of Mental Health · Generalized anxiety disorder
- Applied relaxation
- A structured relaxation treatment that the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) offers as an alternative to CBT for generalized anxiety disorder.
- National Institute for Health and Care Excellence · Generalised anxiety disorder and panic disorder in adults (CG113) recommendations
- FDA approved and FDA cleared
- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves medicines and the highest-risk devices. Many lower-risk devices, including some therapy apps, are cleared through a 510(k) notice, which shows the device is as safe and effective as a similar device already on the market.
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration · Device approvals, denials, and clearances