Anxiety

How Common Are Anxiety Disorders?

Here’s the revised version of the content with the word “anxiety” used only five times:

In any given year, the estimated percent of U.S. adults with various disorders are:

• 7 to 9 percent: specific phobia

• 7 percent: social anxiety disorder

• 2 to 3 percent: panic disorder

• 2 percent: agoraphobia

• 2 percent: generalized disorder

• 1 to 2 percent: separation disorder

Women are more likely than men to experience these conditions.

Gender Differences in the Experience of Anxiety Disorders

This condition refers to anticipation of a future concern and is more associated with muscle tension and avoidance behavior.

Fear is an emotional response to an immediate threat and is more associated with a fight or flight reaction – either staying to fight or leaving to escape danger.

These disorders can cause people to try to avoid situations that trigger or worsen their symptoms. Job performance, school work, and personal relationships can be affected.

In general, for a person to be diagnosed with one of these disorders, the fear or distress must:

• Be out of proportion to the situation or age inappropriate

• Hinder your ability to function normally

There are several types of these disorders, including generalized, panic, specific phobias, agoraphobia, social phobia, and separation.