Pathological and normal anxiety
Disorders that can be called as anxiety can be divided on “pathological anxiety”; disorder not caused by physical illness, and so called “normal” anxiety. There are certain differences between them and there are several of them.
Pathological anxiety intensity is high to certain situations, last longer, it is manifested trough overwhelming, and distressing and incapacitating experience and it can cause long term behavior changes. On the other hand normal anxiety intensity is relatively low to certain circumstances and situations, generally last shorter, it is manifested trough some unpleasant experience, but not long lasting and only temporarily affect behavior. This conceptualization is going through all anxiety components: cognitive, subjective, behavioral and physiological. It may seem easy on paper, but in practice it’s not so easy to draw a clear line between normal and pathological anxiety.
Term anxiety is coming from 1980. Before that anxiety disorders were conceptualized and categorized as neuroses. As further they were categorized as traumatic neurosis, phobic neurosis, anxiety neurosis and obsessive compulsive neurosis. This field of medicine was new and it needed open validation and confirmation. Splitting of anxiety disorders was made in order to bring better distinction and better treatment according. By that time several medications were developed and have proven certain efficiency on some types of anxiety disorders.
Psychological models of anxiety disorders are including cognitive, psychodynamic and behavioral models. Cognitive models are dedicated to certain beliefs of the patient and patient’s ability to deal with them. These models have not been tested enough and treatment based on them is something that some therapists avoid. The psychodynamic models are emphasizing the fact that anxiety shows as a result of inner conflicts between aggressive and sexual urges and rising defenses against them. So resolving of inside conflicts that are unconscious is main stream in these models. Behavioral models are dealing with avoidance behavior toward disorders. These models are simple but yet effective in dealing with anxiety disorders.
