Doctors call this illness generalized anxiety disorder. We call it anxiety disorder for short.

Sometimes it's difficult to ask for help. You may not feel that you are ill. Or you may be afraid of being told you have a mental health problem. But getting treatment can make a difference. There are good treatments to help you control your worries and let you get on with living. If you think you have anxiety disorder, the most important step you can take is to get professional help.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Kessler RC, McGonagle KA, Zhao S, et al.
Lifetime and 12-month prevalence of DSM-III-R psychiatric disorders in the United States: results from the national comorbidity survey.
Archives of General Psychiatry. 1992; 51: 8-19.

 

 

 

 

 

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To learn more, see What treatments work for anxiety disorder?

If you don't get treatment, the feelings of anxiety may take over your life. The illness means you may find it hard to get a job, make friends, go to college or even do everyday things such as the shopping. And anxiety disorder can lead to other problems. Some people try to relieve their anxiety by drinking heavily or by taking illegal drugs.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Blair DT, Ramones VA.
The undertreatment of anxiety: overcoming the confusion and stigma.
Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services. 1996; 34: 9-18.

 

 

 

 

 

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You should start by going to see your doctor. Your doctor may recommend that you see a specialist. There are many different specialists that are trained to help people with anxiety disorder. You might see a:

Whether you are treated by your doctor, a psychiatrist or a counselor, they will try to:

You may have a talking treatment (

 

 

 

 

 

psychotherapy
Psychotherapy is a talking treatment. It is given by trained therapists (such as a psychiatrists, psychologists or social workers). Psychotherapy usually consists of regular sessions (often weekly) between the therapist and the patient. There are many types of psychotherapy, including cognitive behavioral therapy and interpersonal therapy.

 

 

 

 

 

psychotherapy) or be treated with drugs. Doctors often recommend both together.

Your doctor will help you find the treatment that works best for you. The choice may depend on:

You'll probably never get rid of your worries completely. But treatment should help you control them so that they don't take over your life. Doctors call this

 

 

 

 

 

remission
Remission is when the symptoms of an illness get better, or go away completely, for a period of time.

 

 

 

 

 

remission. It means that although your disorder is not cured, your life is no longer full of worry. And your other symptoms (such as headaches, pain in your chest or problems sleeping) are under control.

Treatment takes time to work. After eight to 12 weeks, you should be worrying less. After about a year, you should be getting your life back. This could mean going out more, starting to look for a job or coping better with your family. Eventually, treatment helps many people control their feelings of anxiety. But only a few people find that their symptoms disappear completely.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Ninan PT.
Dissolving the burden of generalized anxiety disorder.
Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. 2001; 62 (supplement 19): 5-10.

 

 

 

 

 

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Research shows that a quarter of people with anxiety disorder are in remission two years after they see a doctor about it.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Kessler RD, Wittchen HU.
Patterns and correlates of generalised anxiety disorder in community samples.
Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. 2002; 63 (supplement 8): 4-10.

 

 

 

 

 

⁴ After five years, about 4 in 10 people are in remission.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Kessler RD, Wittchen HU.
Patterns and correlates of generalised anxiety disorder in community samples.
Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. 2002; 63 (supplement 8): 4-10.

 

 

 

 

 

⁴ And about half the people with anxiety disorder are in "partial remission" after five years.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Yonkers KA, Dyck IR, Warshaw M, et al.
Factors predicting the clinical course of generalised anxiety disorder.
British Journal of Psychiatry. 2000; 176: 544-549.

 

 

 

 

 

⁵ This means that some - but not all - of their symptoms have gone.

But there is a risk that your symptoms will come back. One study shows that about a quarter of people who are in remission will get symptoms again.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Yonkers KA, Dyck IR, Warshaw M, et al.
Factors predicting the clinical course of generalised anxiety disorder.
British Journal of Psychiatry. 2000; 176: 544-549.

 

 

 

 

 

⁵ Among people who are in partial remission about 4 in 10 find that their symptoms come back.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Yonkers KA, Dyck IR, Warshaw M, et al.
Factors predicting the clinical course of generalised anxiety disorder.
British Journal of Psychiatry. 2000; 176: 544-549.

 

 

 

 

 

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Children and young people may be more likely to get rid of their anxiety disorder altogether, with treatment. In one study, almost 8 in 10 children no longer had anxiety disorder after treatment with a talking therapy called cognitive behavioral therapy.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Lyneham HJ, Rapee RM.
Evaluation of therapist-supported parent-implemented CBT for anxiety disorders in rural children.
Behaviour Research And Therapy. 2006; 44: 1287-1300.

 

 

 

 

 

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It may take longer to feel better if you are suffering from depression or another mental health problem. If you have both anxiety disorder and depression, the treatments don't work as well as they do in people who only have anxiety disorder.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Hoehn-Saric R, Noyes R.
The Anxiety Disorders.
1st edition. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK; 1998.

 

 

 

 

 

⁷

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Emmanuel J, Simmonds S, Tyrer P.
Systematic review of the outcome of anxiety and depressive disorders.
British Journal of Psychiatry Supplement. 1998; 34: 35-41.

 

 

 

 

 

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If you stop having treatment, the intense feelings of anxiety may come back. In one study, more than one-quarter of patients got their old anxiety problems back five years after treatment.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Hidalgo RB, Davidson JR.
Generalized anxiety disorder: an important clinical concern.
Medical Clinics of North America. 2001; 85: 691-710.

 

 

 

 

 

⁹

We don't know how long you should continue having treatment. And we don't know what sorts of things can make your symptoms come back.

Anxiety disorder can last a long time, even a lifetime. Treatment can help to control it, but it doesn't always work. No one can predict whether treatment will work for you. We don't know why some people get better and others don't. But we do know that treatment gives you the best chance of leading a happier and more active life.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Andrews G, Creamer M, Crino R et al.
The treatment of anxiety disorders: clinician guides and patient manuals.
2nd edition. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK; 2002.

 

 

 

 

 

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Everyone is different. Only you will know how you feel and whether the treatment is working. There are no scientific tests to see whether you're recovering from anxiety disorder.

However, some doctors use special questionnaires called symptom rating scales to measure how you're doing. Most doctors would say that the treatment is working if it reduces your scores on the symptom scales by about half.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Barbee JG.
Mixed symptoms and syndromes of anxiety and depression: diagnostic, prognostic, and etiologic issues.
Annals of Clinical Psychiatry. 1998; 10: 15-29.

 

 

 

 

 

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For some of these scales, the doctor rates your progress. For others, you do. Your scores show how you feel. In general, the higher your score, the worse your illness. Over time, a series of tests can show whether your treatment is working. Researchers often use these scales in studies to see whether treatments work.

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