Most students will experience stress and anxiety as a normal part of college life. Occasionally some will develop more serious symptoms which together could seriously affect their daily living. Below is a brief description of some types of anxiety disorders:

Generalized Anxiety Disorder: Chronic anxiety lasting at least six months in which the individual is anxious and worried constantly.

Panic Disorder: Anxiety occurs in sudden and unpredictable episodes known as panic attacks. Some individuals are so fearful of having recurring panic attacks that they avoid going places where help is not available. This is known as agoraphobia.

Phobias, Specific & Social: Anxiety is the result of irrational fears of things or situations that are avoided. The avoidance of the thing or situation interferes with daily life events. Individuals with specific phobias fear specific situations or things, such as tight places or spiders. People with social phobia feel anxious about social situations. These people may fear talking in front of others, speaking in class, or asking somebody out for a date.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Obsessions, recurrent and persistent thoughts, impulses, or images (e.g., fear of germs), cause anxiety that is often followed by compulsions, repetitive behaviors (e.g., hand washing), which neutralize the anxiety.

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: The anxiety from a traumatic event is reexperienced in the form of intense fear, helplessness, or horror. The traumatic event is reexperienced in the form of intrusive thoughts, dreams, feelings, intense distress, or through physiological reactions to reminders of the event. Symptoms must be present for one month. Stimuli associated with the traumatic event are usually avoided.

Acute Stress Disorder: Similar to Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, yet Acute Stress Disorder is shorter in duration. The disturbance must last at least two days but less than four weeks.