Drug Abuse—Anxiety

Fear and anxiety are part of life. You may feel anxious before you take a test or walk down a dark street. This kind of anxiety is useful – it can make you more alert or careful. It usually ends soon after you are out of the situation that caused it. But for millions of people in the United States, the anxiety does not go away, and gets worse over time. They may have chest pains or nightmares. They may even be afraid to leave home. These people have anxiety disorders. Types include

• Panic disorder
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder
• Post-traumatic stress disorder
• Phobias
• Generalized anxiety disorder

Treatment can involve medicines, therapy or both.

NIH: National Institute of Mental Health

• Generalized anxiety disorder (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD): When Worry Gets Out of Control – NIH – Easy-to-Read (National Institute of Mental Health) – PDF
• Generalized anxiety disorder – children (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Generalized anxiety disorder — self-care (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Palliative care – fear and anxiety (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Separation anxiety in children (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Stress and your health (Medical Encyclopedia)

Also called: Substance abuse

Drug abuse is a serious public health problem that affects almost every community and family in some way. Each year drug abuse causes millions of serious illnesses or injuries among Americans. Abused drugs include

• Methamphetamine
• Anabolic steroids
• Club drugs
• Cocaine
• Heroin
• Inhalants
• Marijuana
• Prescription drugs, including opioids

Drug abuse also plays a role in many major social problems, such as drugged driving, violence, stress, and child abuse. Drug abuse can lead to homelessness, crime, and missed work or problems with keeping a job. It harms unborn babies and destroys families. There are different types of treatment for drug abuse. But the best is to prevent drug abuse in the first place.

NIH: National Institute on Drug Abuse

• Drug abuse (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Drug dependence (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Toxicology screen (Medical Encyclopedia)