Everyone knows what it is like to feel anxious -- butterflies in your stomach before a speech, the tension you feel when you stuck in traffic and late for an appointment, the way you're heart pounds when you're in danger. Anxiety serves a purpose in our life. It can make you study harder for an exam, or it can help you prepare adequately for a presentation. In general, it helps you cope.

But if you have an anxiety disorder, this normally helpful emotion can do just the opposite -- it can disrupt your daily life and prevent you from coping. It isn't just a case of "nerves." It is an illness, and the most common of all the mental disorders. More than 23 million Americans suffer with some form of anxiety disorder and if affects people of all ages. There are several types of anxiety disorders, each with its own distinct features, which are briefly described below.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Those that suffer with this disorder experience chronic and exaggerated worry and tension, even though there is no precipitating factor to provoke it. There is often a persistent fear of disaster, and excessive worrying about health, money, family or work. It is hard to relax, and you often experience trembling, muscle tension, headaches, irritability and sweating. You may often have a feeling of nausea, breathlessness, or a lump in the throat. You startle easily, tend to feel tired, have trouble concentrating and sometimes suffer from depression. It often begins in childhood or adolescence. If you have spent at least 6 months worrying excessively about a number of everyday problems, it is recommended that a mental health profession be consulted. Hypnotherapy and relaxation therapies often alleviate symptoms associated with this disorder.

Panic Disorder

This disorder is characterized by panic attacks. A panic attack affects the mind, body and behavior. It is often experienced as a feeling of terror and physical debilitation that strikes suddenly and repeatedly with no warning and for no identifiable reason at any time and place, even during sleep. There is often physical sensations of profuse sweating, weakness, dizziness, heart palpitations, tingling or numbness, chest pain or smothering sensations, a sense of unreality or fear of impending doom or loss of control. Often people genuinely believe they are having a heart attack or stroke, losing their mind of on the verge of death. They usually last between two and ten minutes, and in between attacks there is persistent, lingering worry, and sometimes intense anxiety that another attack could come any minute. This leads to avoidant behaviors in one third of all people with panic disorder. When one's life becomes so restricted by the disorder, the condition is called agoraphobia. Sometimes people only have one panic attack in a lifetime, others have them recurrently. The disorder usually begins in young adults, but can appear at any age. With proper treatment, between 70 and 90% are helped significantly.

Social Phobia

If you suffer from this disorder, you experience intense fear of becoming humiliated in social situations, specifically of embarrassing yourself in front of other people. You tend to believe that other people are very competent in public and that you are not. Small mistakes you make may seem to you much more exaggerated than they really are. You may fear being with people other than those close to you, or giving a speech, talking to a boss or other figure, or dating. Though it seems similar to shyness, it is not. Shy people, though they may feel uneasy, don't experience the extreme anxiety or avoid circumstances that make them feel self-conscious. In contrast, people with social phobia aren't necessarily shy at all. But the anticipation of particular situations can disrupt normal life and interfere with career or social relationships. For instance, one may turn down a job promotion because of the fear of giving public presentations. Or the dread of a social event can begin weeks in advance, and symptoms can be quite debilitating. Social phobia often begins around early adolescence or even younger. About 80 percent of people find relief from their symptoms when treated.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

People with PTSD have persistent frightening thoughts and memories of their ordeal (a terrifying or life-threatening event, a traumatic incident or series of incidents or witnessing such an incident) and feel emotionally numb. Often those who suffer with this disorder have identifiable symptoms such as nightmares, disturbing recollections during the day, hyper vigilance, sleep problems, depression, feeling detached or numb, being easily startled, irritability, and quickness to anger. Seeing or experiencing reminders of the incident(s) may be very distressing. The disorder is sometimes accompanied by depression, substance abuse or anxiety. It can occur at any age. The onset and length of symptoms varies in relation to the traumatic experience, but if symptoms last more than one month, professional help is recommended. EMDR has been found to be very effective with this particular disorder, as well as Social Phobia.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

This disorder is characterized by anxious thoughts and/or rituals you feel you can't control. It is often experienced as persistent, unwelcome thoughts or images and/or the urgent need to engage in certain rituals. Sometimes, OCD sufferers are obsessed with dirt and germs and wash their hands repeatedly. Other times, there is an excessive preoccupation with doubts, or thoughts of violence and fear that you will harm people close to you accompanied by a persistent need to check things repeatedly. Long periods of time may be spent touching things or counting, preoccupation with symmetry or order. There may be persistent thoughts of performing sexual acts that are repugnant to you; or you may be disturbed by thoughts that are against your religious beliefs. The disturbing thoughts or images are called obsessions, and the rituals to prevent or dispel them are called compulsions. Temporary relief from obsessive discomfort usually result, in the absence of pleasure. OCD can appear in childhood, adolescence, or adulthood, but normally shows up in the teens or early adulthood. The disorder afflicts approximately one in fifty people, and its course is variable --symptoms may come and go, decrease over time, or become progressively worse. It often runs in families. Depression, and other anxiety disorders and eating disorders may accompany OCD. Certain types of medications and behavioral treatments have been found to benefit people with this disorder.

Separation Anxiety Disorder

This is a disorder normally found in children. It is defined as "developmentally inappropriate and excessive anxiety concerning separation from home or from those to whom the child is attached." It is manifested by excessive distress when the child is separated or anticipates separation from home or attached figures, such as a parent or caretaker. Sometimes, the child engages in persistent worry about losing the person, or something happening to them. Often, children with this disorder will refuse to go to school or other places because of their fear of separation. These children can also refuse to go to sleep or sleep away from home. They will at times have nightmares about the separation, and/or complain of headaches, stomachaches, nausea or vomiting when faced with possible separation. Obviously, this type of immobilizing fear can inhibit normal development and interfere with social growth. Therefore, it is important that parents recognize these symptoms and seek professional guidance when appropriate.