Anxiety

Anxiety and depression have been the number one reason for visiting a doctor in Scotland since 2004. Currently, at least 1 in 7 people in Scotland suffer from either condition and it is estimated that 1 in 4 people will suffer one or both of these conditions in their lifetime. Until recently, people have wrongly concluded that depression and anxiety were restricted to people who are weak willed, had a bad attitude or a challenging life. The truth is, anxiety and depression are medical conditions that are widespread, rapidly increasing and can affect absolutely anyone.

Anxiety is a normal response to threat or danger and part of the usual human experience, but it can become a mental health problem if the response is exaggerated, lasts more than three weeks and interferes with daily life. Anxiety is characterised by worry and agitation, often accompanied by physical symptoms such as rapid breathing and a fast heartbeat or hot and cold sweats. ‘Stress’ is not considered a mental health problem in its own right, but long-term stress may be associated with anxiety or depression.•Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) is diagnosed after a person has on most days for at least six months experienced extreme tension (increased fatigue, trembling, restlessness, muscle tension), worry, and feelings of apprehension about everyday problems. The person is anxious in most situations, and there is no particular trigger for anxiety. People who experience anxiety usually have symptoms that fit into more than one category of anxiety disorder, and are usually diagnosed with at least one other mental disorder, most commonly depression.

Obsessive compulsive disorder is a common form of anxiety characterised by obsessive thinking and compulsive behaviour. Obsessions are distressing, repetitive thoughts which may be seen as irrational, but cannot be ignored. Compulsions are ritual actions which people feel compelled to repeat in order to relieve anxiety or to stop obsessive thoughts. For example, someone may believe that their hands are constantly dirty so wash them over and over again. 2-3% of people will experience Obsessive Compulsive Disorder during their lifetime. It often takes between 10 and 15 years for people to seek professional help.
Phobias (including panic attacks) describe a group of disorders in which anxiety is experienced only, or predominantly, in certain well-defined situations that are not dangerous. As a result, these situations are avoided or endured with dread. The person’s concern may be focused on individual symptoms like palpitations or feeling faint and these are often associated with secondary fears of dying, losing control, or ‘going mad’. Phobias are much more common in women than men, affecting about 22 in 1,000 women compared with 13 in 1,000 men in Britain. Agoraphobia is the term for a cluster of phobias that include fears of leaving home, entering shops, crowds and public places, or travelling alone in trains, buses or planes. Social phobias are characterised by a fear of scrutiny by other people. Symptoms may include blushing, shaking hands, nausea or the urgent need to go to the toilet. There are numerous phobias restricted to highly specific situations such as proximity to particular animals, heights, thunder, darkness, flying, closed spaces, using public toilets, eating certain foods, dentistry, or the sight of blood or injury. Panic disorder occurs when there are recurrent, unpredictable panic attacks followed by at least one month of persistent concern about having another attack. Panic attacks are usually contained episodes characterised by a sudden and intense sensation of fear and accompanied by physical symptoms, and the person may feel that they are dying.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) develops following a stressful event or a situation of an exceptionally threatening or catastrophic nature. Intentional acts of violence are more likely than natural events or accidents to result in PTSD. Common symptoms may include re-experiencing the event in nightmares or flashbacks, avoiding things or places associated with the event, panic attacks, sleep disturbance and poor concentration. Depression, emotional numbing, drug or alcohol misuse and anger are also common. In children, re-experiencing symptoms may take the form of re-enacting the experience, repetitive play or frightening dreams without recognisable content. The risk of developing PTSD after a traumatic event is 8.1% for men and 20.4% for women. Symptoms of PTSD usually develop immediately after the traumatic event but for less than 15% of people affected, the onset of symptoms will be delayed. PTSD sufferers may not seek treatment for months or years after the onset of symptoms.

Famous People Who Suffer With Anxiety

Abraham Lincoln (president - USA)
Alanis Morissette (singer)
Alfred Lord Tennyson (poet)
Anthony Hopkins (actor)
Aretha Franklin (singer)
Barbara Bush (former First Lady - U.S.)
Barbra Streisand (singer)
Beverly Johnson (supermodel)
Bonnie Raitt (musician)
Burt Reynolds (actor)
Carly Simon (singer)

Charles Schultz (cartoonist)
Charlotte Bronte (author)
Cher (singer, actress)
Courtney Love (singer - actress)
Dave Stewart of the (singer – Eurythmics)
David Bowie (singer)
Dean Cain (actor)
Donny Osmond (actor)
Earl Campbell (American Football player, Heisman Trophy winner)
Edvard Munch (artist)
Emily Dickinson (poet)

Eric Clapton (musician)
Goldie Hawn (Actress)
Howard Stern (king of media)
Howie Mandel (comic)
Isaac Asimov (author)
James Garner (actor)
Joan Rivers (actress)
John Candy (comedian)
John Steinbeck (author)
John Stuart Mill (philosopher)
Johnny Depp (actor)

Kim Basinger (actress)
Marie Osmond (entertainer)
Michael Crichton (writer)
Michael Jackson (singer)
Naomi Campbell (model)
Nicholas Cage (actor)
Nicole Kidman (actress)
Oprah Winfrey (host)
Ray Charles (musician)
Robert Burns (poet)

Roseanne Barr (comedian)
Sally Field (actress)
Sheryl Crow (musician)
Sigmund Freud (psychiatrist)
Sir Isaac Newton (scientist)
Sir Laurence Olivier (actor)
Sissy Spacek (actress)
W.B. Yeats (poet)
Willard Scott (weatherman)
Winona Ryder (actress)