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Health Dictionary

Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.

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Anxiety classification

Introduction

Overview

Overview

Anxiety may be classified according to the DSM V criteria into the following subgroups: Generalized anxiety disorder, panic attack, separation anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, agoraphobia, substance/medication induced anxiety, selective mutism, specific phobia, anxiety due to another medical condition, unspecified anxiety disorder.

Classification

Classification

According to DSM-5 diagnostic criteria, anxiety is classified as follows:[1][2]

Classification Features
Generalized anxiety disorders
  • Excessive wory about multiple life events for a period of atleast six months. The worry is disproportionate compared to the actual stressor.
Separation anxiety disorder
  • More common in children.
  • Recurrent excessive worry when anticipating or experiencing separation from home or major attachment figures.
Panic disorder.
  • Recurrent unexpected panic attacks. Excessive worry about additional panic attack.
Social anxiety disorder.
  • Excessive anxiety about social situations where the individual is worried about scrutiny by others.
Agoraphobia
  • Fear of places or (specific) circumstances, where an individual perceives as difficult to escape.
Substance/medication induced anxiety disorder
Selective mutism
  • Failure to speak in certain situations in which there is an expectation for speaking(e.g., school) but is able to speak at home.
Specific phobia
  • Persistent fear of a certain object or situation (e.g., fear of heights, fear of animals).
Anxiety due to another medical condition
  • Fear is due to direct result of a medical condition.
Unspecified anxiety disorder
  • This classification applies to conditions in which anxiety is predominant but do not meet full criteria for any of the disorders in the DSM-5 classification of anxiety disorders.
References

References

  1. ↑ Kampman O, Viikki M, Leinonen E (2017). “Anxiety Disorders and Temperament-an Update Review”. Curr Psychiatry Rep. 19 (5): 27. doi:10.1007/s11920-017-0779-5. PMID 28417269.
  2. ↑ Craske MG, Stein MB (2016). “Anxiety”. Lancet. 388 (10063): 3048–3059. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(16)30381-6. PMID 27349358.

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1];Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Vindhya BellamKonda, M.B.B.S [2]