The hallmarks of anxiety are the dry mouth, intrusive thoughts, and fluttering heart and stomach. These responses can be helpful in certain situations, sharpening the mind and sending blood to where it is needed faster.
When a concern has passed, stress usually resolves, but anxiety persists and is often disproportionate to the challenge faced. An anxiety disorder can be diagnosed if it continues for months and starts interfering with everyday activities.
An estimated five in every 100 people in England were experiencing regular or uncontrollable worries about multiple things in their lives before the Covid-19 pandemic.
The introduction of the first UK lockdown in March 2020 saw the prevalence of generalised anxiety soar to 31% according to a recent study, as a consequence of social isolation, uncertainty about the future and the perceived threat of illness or death many people felt. According to the study, this is a challenge that cannot be undone overnight. A study conducted in the summer of 2021, found that a fifth of participants continued to suffer from anxiety issues.
A patient's symptoms and how long they've had them are used to make a diagnosis of anxiety. Diagnostic criteria for GAD include at least six months of excessive worry about everyday issues that aredisproportionate to any inherent risk and cause distress or impairment to everyday life. Most of the time, the symptoms include fatigue, muscle tension, and sleep problems. anxiety is a general umbrella term that can describe a number of different anxiety disorders, including some less common conditions.
One group of anxiety disorders is characterized by repetitive thoughts or compulsions, which is what obsessive-compulsive disorder is. About 1 in 50 people suffer from OCD at some point in their lives, and unlike GAD, which is twice as common in women as in men, it affects men and women equally. Those affected often experience unwanted thoughts, images, urges, worries, and doubts that can make them feel anxious or uncomfortable. They engage in repetitive activities to reduce their anxiety, such as checking medical symptoms on the internet, or whether a door is locked.
There are disorders where people experience obsessions and compulsions related to illness, or body dysmorphic disorder, with obsessions and compulsions related to their physical appearance.
Dogs, flying clowns, and injections are some of the things that can cause phobias. Ten million people in the UK have a fear of heights. Simple phobias, such as a fear of heights or spiders, usually start during childhood, whereas complex phobias start later in life. Social anxiety disorder, also known as socialphobia, can begin during puberty, and is associated with intense fear or worry in social situations, including before or after a social event has happened.
Agoraphobia tends to first strike in a person's late teens to early 20s, although complex phobias may continue for many years. Agoraphobia is more than just a fear of open spaces; those affected may feel anxious about being in places or situations that could be difficult to get out of, or where they may not be able to get help if they have a panic attack.
If someone regularly has panic attacks that are out of the blue, they may be diagnosed with panic disorder. It often coexists with agoraphobia, and in some cases, the fear of having a panic attack cantrigger an attack. The prevalence of panic disorder with or without agoraphobia is estimated to be 1.7% in the UK.
Post-traumatic stress disorder is a type of anxiety disorder that strikes after a traumatic event or injury. Roughly 50% of people will experience a trauma at some point in their lives, but only a fifth will go on to develop post traumatic stress disorder. Symptoms usually begin within three months of the traumatic event, but in some cases they begin years afterwards, and can feel like you are reliving the fear and anxiety you experienced at the time. Like other anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder can impair a person's ability to function in social or family life, sometimes resulting in relationship problems or job instability.
It is important to seek help for anxiety disorders because effective treatments exist.
If you think that your friend or family member is having a hard time dealing with anxiety, you can seek help from a GP, who may be able to provide treatment and/or a referral to a therapist through the National Health Service. Private therapy can be expensive.
Mind, Anxiety UK and Rethink Mental Illness are just a few of the charities and community groups that run peer support groups.
Mind 0300 123 3393.
There is anxiety in the UK.
No panic 0300 772 9844
SANE UK is located in the UK.
The Samaritans of the UK.
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