Final answer:
The most common anxiety disorder is generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), which involves persistent worry over routine events lasting at least six months. Unlike occasional anxiety, it causes significant distress or impairment. Other anxiety disorders, such as OCD, PTSD, panic disorders, and phobias have their own specific symptoms and triggers.
Step-by-step explanation:
The most common anxiety disorder in the United States is generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Nearly 18 percent of U.S. adults might experience symptoms in any given year, with about 28 percent possibly affected over their lifetime. Anxiety disorders encompass a variety of conditions, including obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), panic disorders, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), social phobias, and specific phobias, each with its own set of symptoms and triggers.
What differentiates these disorders from occasional anxiety is the duration and intensity of the symptoms. Whereas normal anxiety is a response to stress that dissipates, an anxiety disorder involves persistent worry or fear that can affect day-to-day living for months at a time.
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), for instance, involves chronic, exaggerated worry about everyday routine life events and activities, which lasts at least six months and can cause significant distress or impairment.
By contrast, other anxiety disordaers, such as panic disorders, involve sudden and repeated attacks of intense fear; OCD is characterized by unwanted repeated thoughts (obsessions) and/or actions (compulsions); PTSD occurs after experiencing severe trauma; and phobias are persistent, excessive fears of certain objects or situations. Thus, while the symptoms of anxiety disorders overlap, the specific triggers and the nature of the symptoms can vary significantly from one disorder to another.