How common is anxiety disorder?
It's hard to know how common anxiety disorder is. That's partly because many people who have it don't see a doctor, and when
they do, they may not get the right diagnosis.
Doctors call this illness generalized anxiety disorder. We call it anxiety disorder for short.
We don't know if anxiety disorder is becoming more common or less common. Older studies looking at anxiety disorder used different definitions for the disorder, so it's hard to compare their results with recent studies.
This is what we know about how many people have anxiety disorder.
- At any one time, between 1 in 100 and 5 in 100 adults have anxiety disorder.1 2 3
- About 6 in 100 adults have anxiety disorder during their lifetime.2
- Many people with anxiety disorder suffer in silence. Only about one-half of people with anxiety disorder ever go to a doctor for it.4
- Most people with anxiety disorder have another mental illness at the same time. Often, that other illness is depression, phobia or panic disorder.1See Other types of anxiety disorder to learn more.
- People with anxiety disorder are also more likely to have physical health problems than people without anxiety disorder.5
- Just under 1 in 10 people going to see their primary care doctor have anxiety disorder.6
- Women are about twice as likely as men to have anxiety disorder.4 1 2
- Anxiety disorder is less common in older people.2
- In one study, just under 1 in 100 children aged 5 to 16 had symptoms of anxiety disorder.7
Sources for the information on this page:
- Jordi Alonso and Jean-Pierre Lépine Overview of Key Data From the European Study of the Epidemiology of Mental Disorders Journal of Clinical Psychiatry 2007; 68: 3-9
- Oakley-Browne M, Wells E, Scott K Te Rau Hinengaro : The New Zealand Mental Health Survey Ministry of Health, Wellington, 2006.
- Singleton N, Lee A, Meltzer H Psychiatric morbidity among adults living in private households, 2000 International Review of Psychiatry. 2003; 15: 65–73.
- Ninan PT. Dissolving the burden of generalized anxiety disorder. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. 2001; 62 (supplement 19): 5-10.
- Lim L, Ng TP, Chua HC, et al Generalised anxiety disorder in Singapore: prevalence, co-morbidity and risk factors in a multi-ethnic population Social Psychiatry & Psychiatric Epidemiology 2005/12; 40: 972-979
- Wittchen HU, Hoyer J. Generalized anxiety disorder: nature and course. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. 2001; 62 (supplement 11): 15-19.
- Greer H, McGinnity A, Meltzer H, et al. Mental Health of Children and Young People in Great Britain, 2004. Available at http://www.ic.nhs.uk/ (accessed on 7 January 2007).
This information was last updated in May 08, 2008
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This information is for educational use only, and is not a substitute for prompt professional medical advice. Readers should always consult a physician or other professional for advice and treatment. ©BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2008. All rights reserved. |
