In Support of Freud's Syndrome of "Actual" Anxiety Neurosis1

Anxiety neurosis represents a distinct generic entity meriting an equal nosological place with psychoneurosis and psychosis. Its symptomatology consists of primary 'actual' anxiety manifestations in contrast to that of the psychoneuroses and psychoses which is made up of secondary psychologic derivations of anxiety. Anxiety neuroses may occur alone or in combination with psychoneuroses and psychoses. Neurocirculatory asthenia, terror neuroses, combat fatigue and operational fatigue are examples of anxiety neuroses of war. The childhood behaviour disorders, psychosomatic disorders, decompensated psychoneuroses and psychoses, and experimental neuroses are essentially special types of anxiety neurosis.

The etiology of anxiety neurosis is explained by our modern understanding of anxiety as a defence reaction to a threat. It may arise on one hand from environmental provocations, as illustrated in the terror neuroses as well as in the many anxiety states of people faced with reality troubles; or, on the other hand, from personality inadequacies, generally a neurotic character, reacting to lesser environmental disturbances. Anxiety neurosis represents essentially an imbalance in the individual's capacity to handle a prolonged threat from the environment.