Read the text and answer the following questions
A person Y constantly complains of experiencing sudden intense fears. He says that many a times, these fears get at such a peak that he feels like he is going crazy, has shortness of breath, feels losing control or dying. Other clinical features reported are dizziness, trembling, palpitation, chest pain, choking and nausea. He was assured that he would recover, but he was unable to accept it, which caused more trouble for him. His family and friends got very concerned as his overall functioning in all the spheres of his life are being severely affected. While taking case history of person Y, it was found that his younger brother has difficulty being in a room by himself, going to school alone and clings to and shadows his parent’s every move.
Which of the following disorders is not included under anxiety disorders?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Depression
Option (1) Phobia — An anxiety disorder (Incorrect). Phobias are irrational fears of specific objects, people or situations, such as specific phobias, social phobias and agoraphobia.
Option (2) Depression — Not an anxiety disorder (Correct). It falls under depressive disorders: major depressive disorder is a period of depressed mood and/or loss of interest or pleasure in most activities. Its core is low mood, not fear or apprehension.
Option (3) Panic disorder — An anxiety disorder (Incorrect). It is made up of recurrent anxiety attacks of intense terror.
Option (4) Separation anxiety disorder — An anxiety disorder (Incorrect). It is fear and anxiety about separation from attachment figures, beyond what is right for the person’s age.
NCERT (2025-26): “Anxiety Disorders … There are many types of anxiety disorders (see Table 4.1). They include generalised anxiety disorder, which consists of prolonged, vague, unexplained and intense fears that are not attached to any particular object. The symptoms include worry and apprehensive feelings about the future; hypervigilance, which involves constantly scanning the environment for dangers. It is marked by motor tension, as a result of which the person is unable to relax, is restless, and visibly shaky and tense. Another type of anxiety disorder is panic disorder, which consists of recurrent anxiety attacks in which the person experiences intense terror. A panic attack denotes an abrupt surge of intense anxiety rising to a peak when thoughts of a particular stimuli are present. Such thoughts occur in an unpredictable manner. The clinical features include shortness of breath, dizziness, trembling, palpitations, choking, nausea, chest pain or discomfort, fear of going crazy, losing control or dying.…” “…People who have phobias have irrational fears related to specific objects, people, or situations.…” “…Separation anxiety disorder (SAD) is another type of anxiety disorder. Individuals with separation anxiety disorder are fearful and anxious about separation from attachment figures to an extent that is developmentally not appropriate.…” “Depressive Disorders … One of the most widely prevalent and recognised of all mental disorders is depression. Depression covers a variety of negative moods and behavioural changes. Depression can refer to a symptom or a disorder. In day-to-day life, we often use the term depression to refer to normal feelings after a significant loss, such as the break-up of a relationship, or the failure to attain a significant goal. Major depressive disorder is defined as a period of depressed mood and/or loss of interest or pleasure in most activities,…”
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