Medical Surveillance Monthly Report. Volume 20, Number 10

Anxiety is a normal reaction to stress however, in individuals with anxiety disorder, the anxiety becomes chronic and exaggerated, and affects the physical and psychological health of the individual. Th e main types of anxiety disorders are generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder PTSD, phobias, and obsessive-compulsive disorder OCD. Incident diagnoses of anxiety disorders among active component service members steadily increased from 2000 to 2012. A majority of incident anxiety disorder diagnoses were non-specific anxiety disorders ICD-9-CM codes 300.0, 300.00, or 300.09 and over 75 percent of service members diagnosed with non-specific anxiety disorders did not have a more specific anxiety disorder diagnosis during subsequent medical encounters. Incidence rates of anxiety disorders were highest among females, white, non-Hispanics, in the youngest age groups, and among recruits and junior enlisted service members. About one-third of anxiety disorder cases also had a co-occurring diagnosis of either adjustment or depressive disorder within one year before or aft er the incident anxiety disorder encounter.