With Separation Anxiety Disorder, Phobias, and Social Anxiety Disorder, we observed that fear and anxiety are associated with specific contexts. However, in Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), excessive anxiety and worry pertain to more general contexts. For children and adolescents, these might include school or sports performance, while for adults, they might include family well-being or personal health.
In this "journey through anxiety," we have noted that anxiety disorders involve exaggerated fear or anxiety relative to the situation. Fear and anxiety are emotions we naturally experience under certain circumstances, but when these emotions are excessive and repetitive, they might fall under the definition of a disorder. Panic is also a form of fear, and to distinguish it from general fear or anxiety, the diagnostic manual (DSM-5) provides specific criteria.
Another way to define Social Anxiety Disorder is Social Phobia. We have already encountered the word "phobia" and have a rough understanding of the concept. A phobia is a disproportionate fear learned in the natural environment around us. However, today, humans also live in an elaborate and complex social environment.
Anxiety disorders include phobias. Can you imagine why? In my introduction to anxiety, I defined it as a form of "anticipatory fear" disproportionate to the situation. Phobias fall under this definition. I'm sure you've heard various names related to phobias. If I had to identify two common phobias, I think of arachnophobia (fear of spiders) or claustrophobia (fear of confined spaces). But how does a phobia develop? I'll try to explain it in my own words.
The first anxiety disorder indicated in the DSM-5 diagnostic manual is Separation Anxiety Disorder. This is a typical problem of childhood and youth, connected to "attachment wounds." But what is attachment?
