An estimated 19.1% of U.S. adults experienced an anxiety disorder in the past year, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. But there's a difference between situational anxiety and generalized anxiety. Keep reading to learn this difference, the signs and symptoms of situational anxiety and how to treat it. 

Types of situational anxiety

"Situational anxiety is a type of anxiety tied to a specific situation or object," says child and adolescent psychiatrist Soonjo Hwang, MD. Although it's not an official diagnosis, it's related to other diagnoses, including:

• Phobias.
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
• Social anxiety disorder. 

On the other hand, generalized anxiety disorder doesn't coincide to any distinct situation, experience or object. "Those with generalized anxiety disorder tend to worry about a majority of day-to-day life events and activities," says Dr. Hwang. 

Signs and symptoms of situational anxiety

If a person—especially a child—completely avoids a particular situation, it's a sign of situational anxiety. Everyone has some anxiety about a given situation—it's a survival mechanism that helps us navigate potential dangers. "In this way, anxiety is a useful skill set to help you navigate through a potentially dangerous environment," says Dr. Hwang. "But if it's interfering with your day-to-day activities, it's called functional impairment and needs to be addressed."

For example, if a child’s separation anxiety is so severe they can’t attend school or daycare, it may be an anxiety disorder. Every mental health diagnosis requires some level of functional impairment, Dr. Hwang emphasizes, because almost everyone has a certain degree of anxiety. 

Addressing situational anxiety

The first treatment for situational anxiety is cognitive behavioral therapy. "The idea is that by training your thoughts and behavior, you can impact your feelings," says Dr. Hwang. In this case, it's about impacting your feelings of anxiety. If you have anxiety for long enough, you will develop negative cognitive patterns. 

One such negative pattern is catastrophizing, meaning you'll push every thought to the extreme. For example, if you have a phobia about needles, you'll think getting a shot will result in you fainting and embarrassing yourself or even dying. "Cognitive therapies work on correcting your cognitive assumptions and then addressing your behavioral pattern to impact your anxiety positively," says Dr. Hwang. 

Another part of cognitive behavioral therapy is exposure therapy. Avoiding a situation may offer short-term relief, but it often makes anxiety worse in the long run. So, if a person has anxiety about going to school, allowing them to stay home will only reinforces the fear. 

Instead, a gradual return is best—perhaps starting with an hour or two at school, then slowly increasing.  "But you always want a safety plan in place with exposure therapy," says Dr. Hwang. "That way, if your anxiety gets out of control, you have somewhere you can go to calm down your anxiety."

Finally, coping skills like breathing, relaxation techniques and mental imagery can help you reduce your anxiety in the moment. You can apply these techniques as you're wading through the anxiety-provoking situation and achieve a sense of overcoming it instead of surrendering to it and running away. "These skills are critical when treating anxiety in behavior intervention," says Dr. Hwang. 

When are medications appropriate?

Medications can also play a role, depending on the situation or anxiety you're dealing with. The majority of medicines for anxiety, such as SSRIs, work by reshaping brain function—but they typically need to be taken daily over time to be effective.  

Still, there are some medicines you can use as needed. For example, propranolol can help with public speaking, or a small dose of benzodiazepines can address high levels of anxiety that reach the level of a panic attack. Regardless of the type of medicine you use, it's critical to establish a clear goal and understand how and when to use it. "Consulting with an expert about these medications is important," says Dr. Hwang. 

Treating situational anxiety

Because anxiety isn’t always visible, it can be misunderstood. Some tend to think people use it, or other mental health issues, as an excuse. Consequently, they may interpret anxiety-inducing situations as that person avoiding something they don't want to do. That's why it's vital to think about situational anxiety as a genuine pathology you need to address safely. 

"While it's important to face the situation that causes you anxiety, you don't want to be flooded or even traumatized by it," says Dr. Hwang. So, throwing someone in the proverbial deep end and seeing if they swim is counterproductive and could cause further harm. 

"It's important to think about careful exposure to the anxiety-provoking situation or object," says Dr. Hwang. "You must do it safely, gradually and systematically, working with an expert to develop a reasonable and secure plan."