General diagnostic criteria for a Anxiety Disorders
Anxiety v. Stress

Diagnostic criteria for 300.02 Generalized Anxiety Disorder
(DSM IV - TR)
(cautionary statement)
A. Excessive anxiety and worry (apprehensive expectation), occurring more days than not for at least 6 months, about a number of events or activities (such as work or school performance). 
B. The person finds it difficult to control the worry. 
C. The anxiety and worry are associated with three (or more) of the following six symptoms (with at least some symptoms present for more days than not for the past 6 months). Note: Only one item is required in children. 
(1) restlessness or feeling keyed up or on edge 
(2) being easily fatigued 
(3) difficulty concentrating or mind going blank 
(4) irritability 
(5) muscle tension 
(6) sleep disturbance (difficulty falling or staying asleep, or restless unsatisfying sleep) 
D. The focus of the anxiety and worry is not confined to features of an Axis I disorder, e.g., the anxiety or worry is not about having a Panic Attack (as in Panic Disorder), being embarrassed in public (as in Social Phobia), being contaminated (as in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder), being away from home or close relatives (as in Separation Anxiety Disorder), gaining weight (as in Anorexia Nervosa), having multiple physical complaints (as in Somatization Disorder), or having a serious illness (as in Hypochondriasis), and the anxiety and worry do not occur exclusively during Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. 
E. The anxiety, worry, or physical symptoms cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning. 
F. The disturbance is not due to the direct physiological effects of a substance (e.g., a drug of abuse, a medication) or a general medical condition (e.g., hyperthyroidism) and does not occur exclusively during a Mood Disorder, a Psychotic Disorder, or a Pervasive Developmental Disorder.
Reprinted with permission from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision. Copyright 2000 American Psychiatric Association
Panic Attack Specifier – DSM - 5
An abrupt surge of intense fear or intense discomfort that reaches a peak within 10 minutes, and during which time four (or more) of the following symptoms occur:
1.	palpitations, pounding heart, or accelerated heart rate
2.	sweating
3.	trembling or shaking
4.	sensations of shortness of breath or smothering
5.	feeling of choking
6.	chest pain or discomfort
7.	nausea or abdominal distress
8.	feeling dizzy, unsteady, lightheaded, or faint
9.	chills or hot flushes
10.	paresthesias (numbness or tingling sensations)
11.	derealization (feelings of unreality) or depersonalization (being detached from oneself)
12.	fear of losing control or going crazy
13.	fear of dying

Diagnostic criteria for 300.29 Specific Phobia 
(DSM IV - TR)
(cautionary statement)
A. Marked and persistent fear that is excessive or unreasonable, cued by the presence or anticipation of a specific object or situation (e.g., flying, heights, animals, receiving an injection, seeing blood). 
B. Exposure to the phobic stimulus almost invariably provokes an immediate anxiety response, which may take the form of a situationally bound or situationally predisposed Panic Attack. 
Note: In children, the anxiety may be expressed by crying, tantrums, freezing, or clinging. 
C. The person recognizes that the fear is excessive or unreasonable. Note: In children, this feature may be absent. 
D. The phobic situation(s) is avoided or else is endured with intense anxiety or distress. 
E. The avoidance, anxious anticipation, or distress in the feared situation(s) interferes significantly with the person's normal routine, occupational (or academic) functioning, or social activities or relationships, or there is marked distress about having the phobia. 
F. In individuals under age 18 years, the duration is at least 6 months. 
G. The anxiety, Panic Attacks, or phobic avoidance associated with the specific object or situation are not better accounted for by another mental disorder, such as Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (e.g., fear of dirt in someone with an obsession about contamination), Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (e.g., avoidance of stimuli associated with a severe stressor),Separation Anxiety Disorder (e.g., avoidance of school), Social Phobia (e.g., avoidance of social situations because of fear of embarrassment), Panic Disorder with Agoraphobia, or Agoraphobia Without History of Panic Disorder. 
Specify type:
Animal Type 
Natural Environment Type (e.g., heights, storms, water) 
Blood-Injection-Injury Type 
Situational Type (e.g., airplanes, elevators, enclosed places) 
Other Type (e.g., phobic avoidance of situations that may lead to choking, vomiting, or contracting an illness; in children, avoidance of loud sounds or costumed characters)
Reprinted with permission from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision. Copyright 2000 American Psychiatric Association
Diagnostic criteria for 300.23 Social Phobia (Anxiety Disorder)
(DSM IV - TR)
(cautionary statement)
A. A marked and persistent fear of one or more social or performance situations in which the person is exposed to unfamiliar people or to possible scrutiny by others. The individual fears that he or she will act in a way (or show anxiety symptoms) that will be humiliating or embarrassing. 
Note: In children, there must be evidence of the capacity for age-appropriate social relationships with familiar people and the anxiety must occur in peer settings, not just in interactions with adults. 
B. Exposure to the feared social situation almost invariably provokes anxiety, which may take the form of a situationally bound or situationally predisposedPanic Attack. Note: In children, the anxiety may be expressed by crying, tantrums, freezing, or shrinking from social situations with unfamiliar people. 
C. The person recognizes that the fear is excessive or unreasonable. Note: In children, this feature may be absent. - removed
D. The feared social or performance situations are avoided or else are endured with intense anxiety or distress. 
E. The avoidance, anxious anticipation, or distress in the feared social or performance situation(s) interferes significantly with the person's normal routine, occupational (academic) functioning, or social activities or relationships, or there is marked distress about having the phobia. 
F. In individuals under age 18 years, the duration is at least 6 months. 
G. The fear or avoidance is not due to the direct physiological effects of asubstance (e.g., a drug of abuse, a medication) or a general medical condition and is not better accounted for by another mental disorder (e.g., Panic Disorder With or Without Agoraphobia, Separation Anxiety Disorder, Body Dysmorphic Disorder, a Pervasive Developmental Disorder, or Schizoid Personality Disorder). 
H. If a general medical condition or another mental disorder is present, the fear in Criterion A is unrelated to it, e.g., the fear is not of Stuttering, trembling inParkinson's dsease, or exhibiting abnormal eating behavior in Anorexia Nervosa or Bulimia Nervosa. 
Specify if: Generalized: if the fears include most social situations (also consider the additional diagnosis of Avoidant Personality Disorder)
Reprinted with permission from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision. Copyright 2000 American Psychiatric Association
Diagnostic criteria for 300.21 Panic Disorder With Agoraphobia
(DSM IV - TR)
(cautionary statement)
A. Both (1) and (2): 
(1) recurrent unexpected Panic Attacks 
(2) at least one of the attacks has been followed by 1 month (or more) of one (or more) of the following: 
(a) persistent concern about having additional attacks 
(b) worry about the implications of the attack or its consequences (e.g., losing control, having a heart attack, "going crazy") 
(c) a significant change in behavior related to the attacks 
B. The presence of Agoraphobia. 
C. The Panic Attacks are not due to the direct physiological effects of asubstance (e.g., a drug of abuse, a medication) or a general medical condition (e.g., hyperthyroidism). 
D. The Panic Attacks are not better accounted for by another mental disorder, such as Social Phobia (e.g., occurring on exposure to feared social situations),Specific Phobia (e.g., on exposure to a specific phobic situation), Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (e.g., on exposure to dirt in someone with an obsession about contamination), Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (e.g., in response to stimuli associated with a severe stressor), or Separation Anxiety Disorder(e.g., in response to being away from home or close relatives).
Reprinted with permission from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision. Copyright 2000 American Psychiatric Association
Diagnostic criteria for 300.01 Panic Disorder Without Agoraphobia
(DSM IV - TR)
(cautionary statement)
A. Both (1) and (2): 
(1) recurrent unexpected Panic Attacks 
(2) at least one of the attacks has been followed by 1 month (or more) of one (or more) of the following: 
(a) persistent concern about having additional attacks 
(b) worry about the implications of the attack or its consequences (e.g., losing control, having a heart attack, "going crazy") 
(c) a significant change in behavior related to the attacks 
B. Absence of Agoraphobia. 
C. The Panic Attacks are not due to the direct physiological effects of asubstance (e.g., a drug of abuse, a medication) or a general medical condition (e.g., hyperthyroidism). 
D. The Panic Attacks are not better accounted for by another mental disorder, such as Social Phobia (e.g., occurring on exposure to feared social situations),Specific Phobia (e.g., on exposure to a specific phobic situation), Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (e.g., on exposure to dirt in someone with an obsession about contamination), Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (e.g., in response to stimuli associated with a severe stressor), or Separation Anxiety Disorder(e.g., in response to being away from home or close relatives).
Reprinted with permission from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision. Copyright 2000 American Psychiatric Association
                                                      Trigger
                                            Perceived Threat
                   Misinterpretation                      Worry about a PA
                                             Bodily Sensations

Diagnostic criteria for 300.3 Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder 
(DSM IV - TR)
(cautionary statement)
A. Either obsessions or compulsions: 
Obsessions as defined by (1), (2), (3), and (4): 
(1) recurrent and persistent thoughts, impulses, or images that are experienced, at some time during the disturbance, as intrusive and inappropriate and that cause marked anxiety or distress 
(2) the thoughts, impulses, or images are not simply excessive worries about real-life problems 
(3) the person attempts to ignore or suppress such thoughts, impulses, or images, or to neutralize them with some other thought or action 
(4) the person recognizes that the obsessional thoughts, impulses, or images are a product of his or her own mind (not imposed from without as in thought insertion) 
Compulsions as defined by (1) and (2): 
(1) repetitive behaviors (e.g., hand washing, ordering, checking) or mental acts (e.g., praying, counting, repeating words silently) that the person feels driven to perform in response to an obsession, or according to rules that must be applied rigidly 
(2) the behaviors or mental acts are aimed at preventing or reducing distress or preventing some dreaded event or situation; however, these behaviors or mental acts either are not connected in a realistic way with what they are designed to neutralize or prevent or are clearly excessive 
B. At some point during the course of the disorder, the person has recognized that the obsessions or compulsions are excessive or unreasonable. Note: This does not apply to children. 
C. The obsessions or compulsions cause marked distress, are time consuming (take more than 1 hour a day), or significantly interfere with the person's normal routine, occupational (or academic) functioning, or usual social activities or relationships. 
D. If another Axis I disorder is present, the content of the obsessions or compulsions is not restricted to it (e.g., preoccupation with food in the presence of an Eating Disorders; hair pulling in the presence of Trichotillomania; concern with appearance in the presence of Body Dysmorphic Disorder; preoccupation with drugs in the presence of a Substance Use Disorder; preoccupation with having a serious illness in the presence of Hypochondriasis; preoccupation with sexual urges or fantasies in the presence of a Paraphilia; or guilty ruminations in the presence of Major Depressive Disorder). 
E. The disturbance is not due to the direct physiological effects of a substance(e.g., a drug of abuse, a medication) or a general medical condition. 
Specify if: 
With Poor Insight: if, for most of the time during the current episode the person does not recognize that the obsessions and compulsions are excessive or unreasonable
Reprinted with permission from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision. Copyright 2000 American Psychiatric Association