Types of Anxiety Disorders
A chronically recurring case of anxiety that has a serious effect on a person's life may be clinically diagnosed as an anxiety disorder. The most common are generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). With panic disorders, a person suffers brief attacks of intense terror and apprehension that cause trembling and shaking, dizziness, and difficulty in breathing.

Phobias are a strong, irrational fear and avoidance of an object or situation. The person knows the fear is irrational, yet the anxiety remains. Phobic disorders differ from generalized anxiety disorders and panic disorders because there is a specific stimulus or situation that elicits a strong fear response.

Obsessive compulsive disorder is a type of anxiety disorder characterized by obsessions and/or compulsions. Obsessions are distressing, repetitive thoughts or images that the individual often realizes are senseless. Compulsions are repetitive behaviors that the person feels forced or compelled into doing, in order to relieve anxiety. One example would be the obsession of extreme cleanliness and fear of contamination, which may lead to the compulsion of having to wash one's hands hundreds of times a day.

Treatment for Anxiety
Mainstream treatment for anxiety consists of the prescription of anxiolytic agents and/or referral to a cognitive-behavioral therapist. There are indications that a combination of the two can be more effective than either one alone. Traditional treatment of anxiety attacks center around either drug therapy and/or psychotherapy.

Drug therapy acknowledges that anxiety attacks are caused by an underlying biochemical imbalance. Unfortunately, medications often fail to treat the underlying cause of anxiety attacks. Anxiety attacks are frequently a comorbid condition of depression. Some drugs do not always seem to treat the underlying biochemical disorder responsible for anxiety attacks.

Psychologically oriented therapists tend assume that anxiety attacks are caused by unreasonable mental associations between a fear response and certain environmental situations or forgotten memories. Psychotherapy, such as Rational Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (RCBT), is assumed to help such person bring this association into consciousness and thus provide him/her with mental control over anxieties.

Of course, if anxiety attacks are primarily the result of an underlying faulty biochemistry, then it is unlikely that talk therapy can cure, what is after all a physical disease.

Alternative Treatments for Anxiety
A variety of over the counter supplements and medications are also used for their alleged anti-anxiety properties, however there is little scientific evidence to back up these claims. Kava Kava is a popular herbal treatment; small doses either taken regularly through the day or when early symptoms are noticed by the patient. Valerian root is also reputed to have anti-anxiety and sedative properties, as are passion fruit, passion flower, St. John's wort, hops, and chamomile.

Popular nutritional supplements for dealing with anxiety include magnesium and B-complex vitamins.

Self help and relaxation techniques also play an important role in relieving anxiety symptoms.