We persistently feel some amount of anxiety in response to everyday stresses. Anxiety has protective effects, by forcing us to put more energy and focus into those matters which have impact on our livelihood. But, it becomes a threatening problem when it transforms into the dominant force of a person's everyday life. At this juncture, it potentially has the seriousness to be thought of as a clinical problem by mental health workers. But it is not always apparent when anxiety crosses the threshold from normal to overwhelming, which is the crux of the problem. Indeed, the laymen use of the word anxiety belies its complexity as a whole group of disorders recognized by mental health physicians and classified by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV). Diagnosis of severity range in from mild variants (e.g. generalized anxiety disorder or GAD), to more serious ones (e.g. obsessive compulsive disorder or OCD). Understanding the nature, source and category of anxiety will bring a person much closer to a way of reducing or eliminating powerful anxiety.

Examples of origins of common stress encompass situations such as moving, taking a test or exam, or getting married. Regular levels of anxiety in response to these circumstances are characterized by nervousness, jittery feelings, and extra attention to detail. In contrast, those suffering from an anxiety disorder will feel much more powerful versions of these feelings. Moreover, people with anxiety disorders are also overcome with persistent worry and feelings of dread, to the extent that they also suffer physical symptoms such as fatigue, headaches, shaking and sweating.

A large number of conditions are categorized under the umbrella term "anxiety", as it is listed in the DSM-IV. Three are given here to illustrate the complexity of the condition and the need for sufferers to obtain insight into their disorder. In the first, those with a condition called "panic attack" are prone to sudden onset of panic accompanied by copious sweating and chest pains with apparently no trigger. Unlike "panic attacks", the second example is the condition of OCD, which makes patients feel low-level, persistent fear which compels them to repeat actions in an attempt to dampen the fear. In the third example: people who are afflicted with "social anxiety disorder" cannot interact with others in a normal setting, instead feeling fear and embarrassment when among these people. Such fears typically center on the likelihood of being a target for laughter.

Diagnosis and classification of an anxiety disorder depends on visual inspection, questionnaire answers to questions, and a list of symptoms connected with the disorder. The mental health worker will inquire about particular symptoms, such as nightmares, insomnia, level and persistence of feelings of fear. The list of apparently subjective criteria suggests such a diagnosis is not an easy task. But the sum effect of multiple symptoms can convince the psychiatric health worker the case of and type of anxiety disorder, even though each symptom alone does not signify unequivocal diagnosis of anxiety illness.

Lastly, many will demand for the root reasons for all these anxiety conditions. Our incomplete understanding of the nature and biology of the brain means our understanding of anxiety is likewise unclear, as is true for literally all psychiatric conditions. Three kinds of fundamental causes are frequently cited: environmental, neurochemical, and genetic. The environmental hypothesis finds anxiety to be similar diabetes: prompted by lifestyle and behaviors. Type II diabetes is thought to be caused by living a lifestyle characterized by habits that result in overweightedness. Insulin resistance and hence diabetes are thought to be a reaction of the body to the environs. Similarly, permanently stressful situations can give rise to long term bodilly responses that morph into anxiety disorder. Likewise, some believe that anxiety disorders are rooted in brain chemistry. Stress hormones that inhibit "calm" signals, under tranquil circumstances, are released by neurons. If the release of chemical become dysregulated, the brain may be subjected to continuous stimulation and anxiety levels can blow out of control. Finally, some believe that anxiety disorders arise out of genetic background. Evidence lies in the fact that anxiety seems to run in family relatives. Correct diagnosis can yield a difference in procuring the correct solution for illnesses of this complexity.