Anxiety in Response to Specific Issues

CLINICAL DIAGNOSTIC MANUAL

Anxiety in response to specific issues is a condition where worry and fear are directly linked to particular situations or identifiable stressors.

Unlike generalised anxiety disorder, where worry is more diffuse, in this case, anxiety arises from concrete situations such as facing a specific phobia, managing social situations, or recalling traumatic events.

This type of anxiety can significantly impact an individual’s quality of life and daily functioning, and its management requires a personalised approach that addresses both symptoms and underlying causes.

Pathology	Symptoms and Clinical Signs	Suspected Diagnosis	Confirmed Diagnosis
Anorexia nervosa	Food restriction, intense fear of gaining weight, distorted body image	Significant weight loss, restrictive eating behaviour	Clinical evaluation, DSM-5 criteria
Bulimia nervosa	Binge eating episodes, compensatory behaviours (vomiting, excessive exercise), weight concerns	Weight fluctuations, binge-purge episodes	Clinical evaluation, DSM-5 criteria
Dissociative disorder (hysteria)	Amnesia, dissociative fugues, identity disturbance, depersonalisation	Episodes of memory loss or identity confusion, unusual behaviour	Psychological assessment, detailed clinical history
Somatisation disorder (Briquet’s syndrome)	Multiple physical symptoms without clear medical explanation, pain, fatigue	History of various physical symptoms with no identifiable medical cause	Clinical evaluation, DSM-5 criteria
Simple phobia	Intense and disproportionate fear of specific objects or situations	Avoidance behaviour towards specific stimuli	Clinical evaluation, specific phobia questionnaires
Social phobia	Intense fear of social situations, worry about negative evaluation	Avoidance of social interactions, distress in performance situations	Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale, DSM-5 criteria
Agoraphobia	Fear of places or situations where escape may be difficult, avoidance of going out alone	Avoidance of public spaces, reliance on companions	Clinical evaluation, DSM-5 criteria
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)	Flashbacks to trauma, avoidance of related stimuli, hyperarousal	History of exposure to traumatic events, persistent symptoms	Clinical interview, PTSD Diagnostic Questionnaire (CAPS)