What is anxiety? 

Anxiety is a term which describes a normal feeling people experience when faced with threat or danger, or when stressed.

When people become anxious, they typically feel upset, uncomfortable and tense.

Feelings of anxiety are caused by experiences of life, such as job loss, relationship breakdown, serious illness, major accident or the death of someone close. Feeling anxious is appropriate in these situations and usually we feel anxious for only a limited time. These feelings are not regarded as clinical anxiety, but are a part of everyday life.

However, anxiety disorders are a group of illnesses, each characterised by persistent feelings of high anxiety. There are feelings of continual or extreme discomfort and tension, with the fear of panic attacks, usually without discernable cause.

Anxiety disorders affect the way the person thinks, feels and behaves and, if not treated, cause considerable suffering and distress.

They often begin in early adulthood and are often triggered by a series of significant life events.

Anxiety disorders are common and affect 1in 20 people at any given time.