Anxiety Disorders: A Psychological Analysis

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The diagnostic tool used by psychologists to classify and distinguish various mental illnesses is the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). In 2013, the the DSM was updated to the DSM-V as many disorders were brought together, while others were scattered into different categories (Barlow et al, 2015). One common category of mental illnesses that are quiet prominent in society are anxiety disorders. Anxiety can be defined as a feeling of worry or being in a negative state. It is characterized by uneasiness, physical tension, and apprehension about the future (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Since the future is uncontrollable and the unknown, individuals may be nervous of not knowing about what may or may not happen,