Your health: Anxiety Disorders

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While everyone feels anxious from time to time, some people experience these feelings so often or so strongly that it can affect their everyday lives.

9 - 15 October, National Mental Health Week, is a good time to focus on anxiety disorders, the most common mental disorder in Australia, with one in four people experiencing an anxiety disorder at some stage of their lives.

The symptoms of anxiety disorders may sometimes be ignored, as they often develop gradually over time. Given that we all experience some anxiety it can sometimes be hard to know how much is too much.

Often people confuse anxiety disorders with stress. Stress is a normal reaction to a situation where a person feels under pressure. For example, it's common for people to feel stressed or uptight when meeting work deadlines, sitting exams or speaking in front of a group of people.

However, with anxiety disorders these feelings can happen for no apparent reason or continue after the stressful event has passed. They are characterised by persistent feelings of acute anxiety, panic, excessive fears, uncontrollable worries or excessive physical tension.

There are many types of anxiety disorders and people will often have symptoms of more than one. Common anxiety disorders include:

• Generalised Anxiety Disorder – an irrational worry accompanied by constant, and often unnecessary, concern about anything or everything
• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder – constant and unwanted thoughts which often result in elaborate rituals in an attempt to control or banish the thoughts. For example some people can be obsessed with tidying, cleanliness or washing hands
• Post Traumatic Stress Disorder – experienced after a major trauma such as war, torture, child abuse or abandonment, car accidents or violence. Often experienced as nightmares or vivid flashbacks, even many years after the event
• Panic Disorder - a panic attack is an intense feeling of anxiety that seems like it cannot be brought under control. Some of the physical symptoms of a panic attack include high anxiety, feeling that something bad is going to happen, shortness of breath, light-headedness, nausea, tingles, chills, trembling and feeling tight in the chest. If a person has a panic attack more than four times in a month, they may be diagnosed as having a panic disorder. About 30% of the population will experience at least one panic attack at some point in their lives and around three per cent has a panic disorder
• Phobias such as:
  • Social Phobia – a fear that others will judge everything you do in a negative way
  • Agoraphobia - a fear of being in places or situations where it may be difficult or embarrassing to get away or where help may not be available if needed
  • Specific Phobia – usually involves acute anxiety about particular objects or situations such as a fear of flying, illness, dying or spiders

To help relieve mild anxiety you may find it helps talking to someone about your feelings, eating a balanced diet, exercising and relaxing. However, it is important to be aware that anxiety can be a big issue for many people and that there are effective treatments and assistance available. For more information and support for anxiety disorders you should contact your GP, the Beyondblue Info-line 1300 22 4636 or www.beyondblue.com.au.

Media contact: Debbie Eldridge - 02 9477 9155 or 0404 020330

Printable version

Related links:

• Printable version
• Adult mental health services
• Child & adolescent mental health
• Hornsby GP Unit
• Fact sheets