Sometimes people with normal, mild anxiety face a worrisome situation and may temporarily experience extreme anxiety symptoms, such as panic. But they soon recover, and their life is not disturbed.

On the other hand, if people experience such extreme symptoms chronically, and their lives are disrupted, that is considered an anxiety disorder. These disorders can take many forms.

• When people suffer from agoraphobia, they experience anxiety about public transportation, open spaces, crowds, or being outside the home. Agoraphobics can often become housebound.

• People with generalized anxiety disorder feel persistent, excessive worry about everyday things; this condition continues for months, or longer, and can lead to poor concentration, insomnia, muscle tension, or restlessness.

• Panic disorder causes recurrent and unexpected episodes of intense fear accompanied by rapid heartbeat, sweating, trembling, shortness of breath, and feelings of impending doom.

• People with a phobic disorder suffer from irrational fear about specific objects or situations.

• Social anxiety disorder is characterized by fear of social interaction or performance situations. For people with this disorder, feelings of rejection and/or embarrassment become overwhelming.

Untreated anxiety disorders increase the risk for depression and even suicide. And anxiety-driven physical symptoms increase healthcare costs (e.g. emergency room visits during a panic attack). Untreated anxiety also disrupts personal relationships.

Anxious people often feel misunderstood, which leads to isolation from family and friends.

Lastly, anxiety symptoms can distract patients from completing tasks, leading to problems at work and even significant financial losses.