Everyone periodically can experiences fear and anxiety. Fear is an emotional, physical, and behavioral response to an immediately recognizable external threat (eg, an intruder, a runaway car). Anxiety is a distressing, unpleasant emotional state of nervousness and uneasiness; its causes are less clear. Anxiety is less tied to the exact timing of a threat; it can be anticipatory before a threat, or it can persist after a threat has passed or occur without an identifiable threat. Anxiety is often accompanied by physical changes and behaviors similar to those caused by fear.

Further details [260 KB]