Who suffers from Anxiety?

Everyone experiences short bursts of anxiety throughout their lives.

Anxiety disorders are indiscriminate; they can be experienced by anyone of any age or sex. Anxiety disorders affect approximately 1 in 4 people worldwide at some point in their lives. Anxiety affects twice as many women as men.

Is Anxiety Genetic?

No, anxiety is not genetic; however, because anxiety is a 'behavioural' condition, the anxious behaviour that a sufferer displays can be adopted by other people, especially those who are in close contact with the anxiety sufferer.

Many clients who are diagnosed with depression are actually suffering from an anxiety disorder. Doctors tend to 'pigeon hole' their patients and most who suffer with anxiety are conveniently positioned in the 'depression' pigeon hole. This is further reinforced for the clients when they notice that their medication is an anti-depressant and not an 'anti-anxiety medication' per-se.

Those who have been diagnosed with depression but who experience anxiety should ask themselves this question: What came first, the anxiety or the depression? If you answer that you experienced the depressive thoughts and sensations first, then you are probably suffering from true clinical depression; however, if you answer that you experienced anxiety initially, your depressive symptoms could simply be your response to living with the troubling symptoms of an anxiety disorder.

Those who have true clinical depression with anxiety will find that by undermining the anxiety element they experience, their depression is also alleviated. Anxiety can create many symptoms which are unpleasant and sometimes frightening, however, none of the anxiety symptoms you experience are harmful in any way.