Post Traumatic Stress Disorder vs Generalized Anxiety Disorder Essay

It may be shocking to learn that 21% of American adults suffer from some sort of anxiety disorder(National Institute of Mental Health Statistics). Do you know the differences between the two major types of anxiety disorder? The two major types of anxiety are Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). While many may think PTSD and GAD are one in the same, you may be surprised that they vastly differ in cause and symptoms with their only similarity being their treatment. According to the PTSD Fact Sheet †PTSD was once considered a psychological condition of combat veterans who were â€Å"shocked† by and unable to face their experiences on the battle field† (Fact Sheet Page 1). Over the years with additional research and discoveries PTSD has now become a much more common diagnosis for many anxiety sufferers. According to the National Center for PTSD â€Å"Anyone who has gone through a life-threatening even can develop PTSD. These events can include: combat or military exposure, child sexual or physical abuse, terrorist attacks, sexual or physical assault, serious accidents such as a car wreck, or natural disasters.† (National Center for PTSD). Each individual is different and not everyone who lives through a traumatic event will developed PTSD. Some of the determination factors if an individual will develop PTSD vary based on how intense a trauma was, if the individual lost someone they were close with, how strong the individuals reaction was and how much support the individual received after the event. (National Center for PTSD) Unlike PTSD, Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is not necessarily associated with a particular event and therefore can appear to come from nowhere. Accordi... ...cess rate. Works Cited Greist John H MD, Jefferson James W. MD. â€Å"Generalized Anxiety Disorder.† Merck Manual Professional. Aug 2007. Haby Michelle, Donnelly Maria, Corry Justine, Vos Theo â€Å"Cognitive behavioral therapy for depression, panic disorder and generalized anxiety disorder: a meta-regression of factors that may predict outcome.† Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry. 2006. Print. Pages 9-19. National Center for PTSD. â€Å"What is PTSD?† United States Department of Veterans Affairs†. Web. 01 Jan 2007. Web. 26 June 2011. National Institute of Mental Health Statistics. Web. 26 June, 2011. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Fact Sheet. â€Å"National Institutes of Health†. Oct 2010. Web. 26 June 2011. Van der kolk Bessel A MD, van der Hart Onno PH.D, Burbridge, Jennifer M.A. â€Å"Approaches to the Treatment of PTSD†. Print. 1995.