Anxiety (Wiki)

Medication wise, anxiety disorders can be treated with beta blockers, bromides, barbiturates, benzodiazepines, sedative antidepressants and, less frequently, sedative antipsychotics.

The term "anxiety" encompasses a wide range of different illnesses and symptoms which range from the trivial to the fundamentally debilitating. As a disorder, it often manifests itself physically and these symptoms in turn can confound the situation yet further. Patients with anxiety related disorders are almost always hypersensitive to the immediate environment, making diagnosis a little difficult - doctors need to strip the paranoia away from the reality and this is no easy task.

"A feeling of dread, fear, or apprehension, often with no clear justification. Anxiety is distinguished from true fear because the latter arises in response to a clear and actual danger, such as one affecting a person's physical safety. Anxiety, by contrast, arises in response to apparently innocuous situations or is the product of subjective, internal emotional conflicts the causes of which may not be apparent to the person himself." - Encyclopædia Britannica

Generalised Anxiety Disorder - A common and seemingly perpetual disorder, this condition affects twice as many women as men and exhibits symptoms that are not focused on any particular event or object. In moderate to severe cases mental symptoms translate into phycial symptoms such as restlessness, insomnia, headaches, dizziness and so on.
Treatment: Psychotherapy is the primary means of treatment for this particular condition, where cognitive behavioural therapy is the most popular at the time of writing. Additionally, psychiatric drugs may be prescribed, typically tranquillisers.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder - A potentially horrific disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder compels patients to perform certain tasks repeatedly until satisfactorily done and can also compel patients to perform certain tasks to correct imperfections (such as carefully arranging the pieces on a chess board to ensure that they are dead centre of their respective squares). These symptoms can translate into physical obsessions, such as a condition known as Globus, whereby the patient is forced to hold their breath until they tap out of perform a certain task or combination.
Treatment: Medications can be a huge help in the treatment of this illness as they can ease feelings of distress stemming from compulsions and further to this can also help suppress said feelings of compulsion. Psychotherapy can also be useful.

Panic Disorder - As opposed to generalised anxiety disorder, panic disorder inflicts short, focused bursts of anxiety on patients of not more than ten minutes in duration, typically known as panic attacks. These attacks can be vicious and can lead to the patient in question shutting down to the outside world, incapable of basic functions for the duration of said attack. Panic attacks can seemingly appear out of nowhere but may also be triggered as a result of stress, exercise or emotional shocks. Patients with panic disorder tend to especially fear situations where they are on the spot or are unable to easily retreat to a "safe" situation.
Treatment: Again, medication can be extremely useful in the treatment of this disorder. Tranquillisers are the most common therapy, although antidepressants and other individual medications (such as trifluoperazine) can also play an important part. Psychotherapy is also important; a combination of the two is most effective.

Phobias - Essentially irrational fears thought to be form within the first three months of ones life, phobias are known by the patient to be absurd or irrational, in contrast with most other anxiety disorders.
Treatment: Psychotherapy is the primary mode of treatment; drug therapy is not all that usual in this case, although it can help in certain situations.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - A condition resulting from severe psychological stress or shocks, such as might be experienced by a tragic accident befouling someone close to one. This traumatic experience is often relived through repetitive nightmares, insomnia, flashbacks and emotional oddities connected to the incident. Symptoms can include severe irritability, unstable mood, memory loss, severe anxiety and/or appetite changes. Usually traumatic ramifications subside in the months following the experience but seemingly chronic symptoms warrant a diagnosis. Interestingly, the illness has the capacity to lurk for years before fully manifesting itself, making treatment and diagnosis somewhat more difficult.
Treatment: Psychotherapy is the primary mode of treatment and counselling and drug therapy can also be useful; a combination can prove to be beneficial.

Social Anxiety Disorder - Essentially, this illness manifests itself as an acute experience of anxiety or panic attacks triggered by intense social situations, usually where one is being scrutinised to any extent. Example situations would include speech making, active pursuits with numerous colleagues and so on. It is often referred to as a social phobia, but differs from phobias in that there is a rational reason behind the fear, albeit one that is distorted.
Treatment: Psychotherapy is, in this case, very important as whilst there is reason behind the illness, it is distorted; cognitive psychotherapy is therefore commonly regarded as the prevalent therapy for this illness. Certain medications (such as SSRI antidepressants and benzodiazepenes) can also help alleviate the symptoms, giving the mind time to repair itself, as so to speak.