Do I have an anxiety disorder?

possibly i hav an anxiety disorder but i also hv suffered from depression in the past and for me my symptons were: insomia and nightmares lightheadness i always felt like something was missing but never figured wat it was shyness panic attacks etc

It seems like you are suffering from some kind of a panic attack. If you feel like this a significant amount, and if affects your day to day life, then see your GP and just explain that you have these symptoms and they could refer you to counselling or prescribe you beta blockers or other anxiety medication. They will be able to decide what it best. It really is worth seeing a professional as this is a common problem people have and can be helped so much if you just get diagnosed and have some form of treatment. Good luck :)

Perhaps. But there are a lot of types of anxiety disorders. For example, OCD is an anxiety disorder. Which is very different from PTSD. So to say one has an anxiety disorder means very little. As has already been stated, you need to go see a mental health professional (counselor, psychologist, psychiatrist) to get diagnosed.

Since your mom and cousin have anxiety disorders, you are genetically more vulnarable to have this disorder too. The symptoms you discribe sound like the symptoms of a panick attack which is associated with Anxiety. Here is the DSM-IV criteria for a panick attack: The predominant complaint is a discrete period of intense fear or discomfort in which at least four (or more) of the following symptoms developed abruptly and reached a peak within 10 minutes:

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, light headed, or faint.
9. Derealization (feelings of unreality) or depersonalization (being detached form oneself)
10. Fear of loosing control or going crazy.
11. Fear of dying.
12. Paresthesias (numbness or tingling sensations)
13. Chills or hot flushes.

If you have four or moer of these symptoms during an attack, you might be getting panick attacks and thus you might have anxiety disorder. To make sure go see a psycholohgist or psyciatrist.