There are a number of classifications of anxiety. These include generalized anxiety, social anxiety, and separation anxiety, along with other important manifestations of anxiety, such as panic attacks, phobias, PTSD, and OCD. About 40 million people in the U.S.A. experience an anxiety disorder in any given year. Around 10% of children and teenagers experience an anxiety disorder, with most people getting a diagnosis before age 21. Only about one third of the people suffering from an anxiety disorder get treatment for it, although it is highly treatable. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), one in thirteen people globally suffer from anxiety. In fact, the WHO reports that anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness, with specific phobia and social phobia being the two most common anxiety disorders. People with anxiety disorders are 300-500% more likely to go the doctor and 600% more likely to be hospitalized for psychiatric disorders, including anxiety, compared to those who do not suffer from anxiety disorders.
Anxiety disorders develop from a complex set of risks factors, including genetics, brain chemistry, personality, and life events. It’s very common for a person with an anxiety disorder to also suffer from depression, or even vice-versa. Generalized anxiety disorder effects about 7 million adults, which is about 3% of the U.S. population, yet only around 43% of these people will get treatment. Women are twice as likely to be affected as men. Panic disorder affects about 6 million people in the U.S. Women are twice as likely to be affected as men. Social anxiety disorder affects about 15 million adults. It’s equally common among men and women and typically starts at around the age of 13. According to a 2007 survey, just over one-third of people with social anxiety disorder reported experiencing symptoms for ten years or more. Specific phobias can include fear of such things as heights, spiders, tests, or public speaking. Phobias impact about twenty million adults. Women are twice as likely to be affected as men. The average onset of specific phobias is around seven years of age.
How do you know if you have anxiety? Anxiety disorders can involve excessive anxiety and worry occurring most of the time. The worry can be about a number of events, with examples including work, school, or relationships. Everybody worries to some degree, but to suffer from anxiety to the extent that it be deemed a disorder, it must be impossible or at minimum extremely difficult for the worry to be controlled. Restlessness or feeling on edge, being easily fatigued, having a hard time focusing, irritability, muscle tension, and sleep disturbances are also symptoms of generalized anxiety. Social anxiety is characterized by worry that is disproportionate to social/relational circumstances. It may involve overthinking about what others may be thinking of you, feeling preoccupied that others are judging you, being highly concerned that you are offending people, and even avoiding situations in which you might potentially have to face those fears. Separation anxiety is most notably tied to children, but can also extend to adults. Other anxiety disorders include obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Very heightened levels of anxiety can conribute to panic attacks.
OCD and PTSD are very closely related to anxiety disorders and also may co-occur with depression. OCD affects about 2.5 million adults. It’s equal among men and women. The average age of onset of OCD is around 19 with about a fourth of these cases occurring by age 14. PTSD affects around 8 million adults. Women are more likely to be affected by men. PTSD can be an extremely difficult diagnoses to live with, as it has far-reaching implications.
PTSD can confront patients on many fronts. Typically sourced by exposure to a traumatic event, it can cause difficulty focusing, as well as emotional impairment that has a bearing on functioning. For example, a patient suffering from PTSD might be afraid of people, of being outside, of loud noises, or may have a heightened startled response. Someone with PTSD may have flashbacks, intrusive painful memories, or nightmares. The hallmark of PTSD is avoidance. Patients feel the need to avoid the potentially activating trigger, or the stimuli that underlie the problem. A person with PTSD may employ a wide variety of means to avoid the emotional pain, including substance use, engaging in reckless behavior, or even committing suicide. Complex-PTSD (c-PTSD) is a subtype of PTSD that has a good deal of overlap with regular PTSD, but patients may have experienced numerous traumas over the course of their life. These may include emotional traumas that are discovered over time, yet that, once revealed, can contribute to a new sense of freedom and self-control. Patients who suffer from c-PTSD additionally suffer with notable difficulty regulating their feelings and commonly struggle in relationships or with other obligations. Ascher Medical Group offers a trauma-informed approach in guiding patients through their struggles.
When untreated, severe anxiety and related disorders can lead to impairments in functioning, such as an inability to leave the house, struggles with hygiene, problematic eating, and not fulfilling professional or social responsibilities. Untreated trauma can contribute to a highly negative view of the world and profound emotional isolation. You may wonder if you or someone you love needs medication, talk therapy, or both. Ascher Medical Group would be happy to answer any of your questions.
