About anxiety
Anxiety is a common mental health condition involving intense feelings of worry or distress that are difficult to control. Anxiety can present in various forms, which can significantly compromise a person’s quality of life, including their ability to work, socialise, and maintain relationships. Anxiety often co-exists with other mental health issues, such as depression.
The different forms of anxiety disorder include:
Generalised anxiety disorder presents as excessive, uncontrollable worry about everyday issues, such as health, work or finances.
Panic disorder involves regular panic attacks – sudden, intense episodes of fear, worrying about more attacks, and avoiding situations where panic attacks may occur.
Social anxiety disorder or social phobia involves avoidance of social interaction or performance situations due to fear of embarrassment or rejection.
Agoraphobia is often associated with panic disorders and involves the avoidance of certain situations due to fear of experiencing panic attacks.
Specific phobias are fears that apply only to one particular situation, such as fear of animals, insects, places or people.
Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is a common anxiety disorder that causes unwanted, irrational, and often disturbing thoughts (obsessions), impulses, fears and worries. A person with OCD tries to manage or cope with these thoughts through rituals.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) occurs after experiencing a traumatic life event. PTSD involves anxiety, upsetting memories, flashbacks, nightmares and difficulties sleeping.
Prevalence of anxiety
- Mental illness is common in Australia – more than two in five (43 per cent) people aged 16 – 85 years experience a mental illness at some stage in their lives, with anxiety representing the most common mental health disorder.
- Around one in six Australians (17.2 per cent) aged 16 – 85 years experience an anxiety disorder in any given year.
- The prevalence of anxiety varies by gender and is higher in women, with one in five (21 per cent) Australian women compared to just over one in 10 Australian men (13 per cent) diagnosed with a 12-month anxiety disorder.
- Many Australians living with a mental health disorder do not seek help, with less than one in two (45.1 per cent) visiting a health professional.
Signs and symptoms
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- Physical symptoms include increased heart rate, hot and cold flushes, tightening of the chest, shortness of breath, pins and needles, trembling, and problems sleeping.
- Emotional symptoms include feelings of excessive fear, restlessness, tension, worrying about the future, and having difficulty calming down.
- Cognitive symptoms involve worrying, obsessive thinking and catastrophising.
- Behavioural symptoms can entail avoiding various situations which can compromise everyday activities, such as study, work and relationships.
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Causes and risk factors
Although the exact cause of anxiety is not fully known, a combination of factors are potential contributors, including:
- Genetics
- Brain chemistry
- Environmental factors
- Medical conditions
- Lifestyle factors
- Personality traits