Table 1.
Characterisation of human anxiety and stress-related disorders.
| Human anxiety disorder | Core symptoms (DSM-5) | Research domain criteria (RDoC) domain / construct | Average age of onset (years) | Prevalence (%, SE) | Female:male ratio | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Serious | Mod | Mild | |||||
| Panic disorder | • Recurrent unexpected panic attacks. • At least one of: Persistent concern about having additional attacks Worry of the implications or consequences of the attack A significant change in behavior related to the attacks • Absence of agoraphobia/presence of agoraphobia • The panic attacks are not caused by the direct physiological effects of a substance or medical condition. • The panic attacks are not better accounted for by another mental disorder. |
Negative valence systems / potential threat (‘anxiety’), acute threat (‘fear’), sustained threat. | 30.3; 95% CI = 26.09 to 34.59 | 2.7 (0.2) | 44.8 (3.2) | 29.5 (2.7) | 25.7 (2.5) | 2.1 |
| Specific phobia | • Excessive or unreasonable, persistent and
intense fear triggered instantaneously by a
specific object or situation, out of proportion to
the actual danger. • Avoidance or extreme distress. • The phobia significantly impacts school, work or personal life. |
Negative valence systems / potential threat (‘anxiety’), acute threat (‘fear’), sustained threat. | 11.0; 95% CI = 8.25 to 13.65 | 8.7 (0.4) | 21.9 (2.0) | 30.0 (2.0) | 48.1 (2.1) | 1.8 |
| Social anxiety disorder (or social phobia) | • Marked and persistent fear of social or
performance situations and scrutiny that will be
humiliating or embarrassing. • Exposure to the feared social situation provokes anxiety or panic attack. • The person recognises that the fear is excessive or unreasonable. • The feared social or performance situations are avoided or endured with distress. • The avoidance, anxious anticipation or distress interferes with occupational or academic functioning, social activities or relationships, or there is marked distress. • The fear or avoidance is not due to the direct physiological effects of a substance or a general medical condition and is not better accounted for by another mental disorder. |
Negative valence systems / potential threat (‘anxiety’), acute threat (‘fear’), sustained threat. | 14.3; 95% CI = 13.27 to 15.41 | 6.8 (0.3) | 29.9 (2.0) | 38.8 (2.5) | 31.3 (2.4) | 1.6 |
| Generalised anxiety disorder | • Excessive anxiety and worry (apprehensive
expectation) about a number of events or
activities (such as work or school
performance). • The worry is difficult to control. • The anxiety and worry are associated with three (or more) of the following symptoms: Restlessness Being easily fatigued Difficulty concentrating Irritability Muscle tension Sleep disturbance • The focus of the anxiety and worry is not confined to features of another mental disorder. • The anxiety, worry or physical symptoms cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational or other important areas of functioning. • The disturbance is not caused by the direct physiological effects of a substance or a general medical condition. |
Negative valence systems / potential threat (‘anxiety’), acute threat (‘fear’), sustained threat. Cognitive systems / cognitive control. Arousal and regulatory systems / arousal, sleep-wakefulness. | 34.9; 95% CI = 30.88 to 39.01 | 3.1 (0.2) | 32.3 (2.9) | 44.6 (4.0) | 23.1 (2.9) | 1.7 |
| Post-traumatic stress disorder | • Exposure to a traumatic event in which the
person experienced, witnessed or was confronted
with event(s) that involved actual or threatened
death or serious injury to self or
others. • The traumatic event is persistently re-experienced as recurrent and intrusive distressing recollections of the event, including images, thoughts or perceptions. • Persistent avoidance of stimuli associated with the trauma and numbing of general responsiveness. • Persistent symptoms of increased arousal as indicated by two (or more) of: Difficulty falling or staying asleep Irritability or outbursts of anger Difficulty concentrating Hypervigilance Exaggerated startle response |
Negative valence systems / potential threat (‘anxiety’), acute threat (‘fear’), sustained threat. Cognitive systems / attention, working memory. Arousal and regulatory systems / arousal. | 26.6; 95% CI = 22.13 to 31.06 | 3.5 (0.3) | 36.6 (3.5) | 33.1 (2.2) | 30.2 (3.4) | 1.9 |
| Any anxiety disorder | 21.3; 95% CI = 17.46 to 25.07 | 18.1 (0.7) | 22.8 (1.5) | 33.7 (1.4) | 43.5 (2.1) | 1.5 | ||
Demographic and feature domain characteristics of disorders characterised by pathological anxiety. Information obtained from Ditlevsen and Elklit (2012); Kessler et al. (2005a, 2012); Lijster et al. (2017).