Frequently Asked Questions

If you have found this FAQ to be helpful or have suggestions on how to improve it please let us know.

What is anxiety?

Anxiety is a normal response to stress or danger and is often called the 'flight or fight' syndrome. This process involves adrenalin being quickly pumped through the body enabling it to cope with whatever catastrophe may come its way. The problems arise when this response is out of proportion to the actual danger of the situation, or indeed is generated when there is no danger present.

The physical symptoms of anxiety are;

  • Racing heartbeat
  • Shortness of breath
  • Chest tightness
  • Dry mouth
  • Butterflies in stomach
  • Nausea
  • Urge to pass urine/empty bowels
  • Tremor
  • Sweating
  • Pins and needles

The psychological symptoms of anxiety are;

  • Inner Tension
  • Agitation
  • Fear of losing control
  • Dread that something catastrophic is going to happen (such as blackout, seizure, heart attack or death)
  • Irritability
  • Feelings of detachment

Are anxiety disorders common?

Anxiety disorders are very common. In a survey covering Great Britain, 1 in 6 adults had experienced some form of 'neurotic health problem' in the previous week (1) The most common neurotic disorders were anxiety and depressive disorders. More than 1 in 10 people are likely to have a 'disabling anxiety disorder' at some stage in their life (2). An estimated 13% of the adult population will develop a specific form of anxiety known as a phobia at some point in their life (3). Large scale epidemiological studies have suggested that around 2.5% of people are likely to experience OCD at some point in their life (4 & 5)
A recent World Health Organization (WHO) study compared depression with angina, asthma, diabetes and concluded that the impact of depression on a person's functioning was 50% more serious than the impact of any of the four physical conditions (6).At present 40% of disability worldwise is due to depression and anxiety (7). The most recent Psychiatric Morbidity Survey indicates that there are some 6 million people in the UK (approximately 3 million with depression as their primary problem and 3 million with an anxiety disorder (8).

  • (1)Office for National Statistics. 'Surveys of Psychiatric Morbidity in Great Britain. Report 1 - THe prevalence of psychiatric morbidity among adults living in private households.' The Stationery Office. 1995
  • (2)Ehlers, A. 'Anxiety disorders: Challenging negative thinking.' Quoted in the Wellcome Trust Reveiws, 1997.
  • (3)Wittchen, H.U (1998) in Emmelkamp, P.M.G Bouman, TK & Scholing, A 'Anxiety Disorders: A practitioner's Guide.' Wiley, 1992
  • (4)Robins, L., Helzer, J., Weissman, M., Ovashel, H., Gruenberg, E., Burke, J., & Reiger, D. 'Lifetime prevalence of specific psychiatric disorders in three sites.' Archives of General Psychiatry (1984) 41:949-58.
  • (5)Wittchen, H.U. (1988) 'Natural course and spontaneous remissions of untreated anxiety disorders, in Hand, I & Wittchen, H.U. Panic and Phobias Vol 2. New York, Springer.
  • (6)Mousavi et al. (2007). Depression, chronic diseases, and decrements in health: results from the World Health Surveys, The Lancet, 370:851-858.
  • (7)WHO (2002), The Global Burden of Disease.
  • (8)Psychiatric Morbidity Survey (2000).

ANXIETY UK Membership survey 2005-06
A survey was undertaken in the period between 1st February 05 - 1st February 06 to find out which were the most commonly presented anxiety disorders/anxiety related conditions within the membership of ANXIETY UK at that time. The results were as follows:
1. Panic attacks & panic disorder - 20.2%
2. Social phobia/social anxiety disorder - 17.2%
3. Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) - 16.8%
4. Agoraphobia - 9.9%
5. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) - 7.3%
6. Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) - 6.3%
7. Vomit phobia (emetophobia) - 2.6%
8. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) - 2.5%
9. Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) - 1.4%
10. Blushing phobia (erythrophobia) - 1.2%
11. Tranquilliser issues (addiction/withdrawal) - 1.1%
12. Driving phobia - 1.06%
13. Illness phobia (nosemaphobia) - 0.8%
14. Flying phobia (aerophobia) - 0.75%
15. Spider phobia (arachnophobia) - 0.75%
16. Animal phobia (zoophobia) - 0.66%
17. Confined spaces (claustrophobia) - 0.57%
18. Hospital phobia
19. Injection phobia (trypanophobia) - 0.57%
20. Choking & swallowing phobia (Globus Hystericus) - 0.44%
n = 6000

What causes an anxiety disorder?

There are many factors that can trigger an anxiety disorder. They include;

  • Stress
  • Physical Factors (eg thyroid problems)
  • Childhood environment
  • Genetic Predispositions
  • Biochemical imbalances (changes in the levels of chemical messengers in the brain)

Knowing the origins of an anxiety disorder doesn't help in dealing with the day to day problems that arise as a result of the disorder. But it can be reassuring for sufferers to know that there are factors out of their control that may have contributed to their present predicament.

How can I tell if I have an anxiety disorder?

Always consult your GP to obtain a diagnosis if you suspect that you're suffering from an anxiety disorder. Self diagnosis is not an efficient way of dealing with anxiety, as misdiagnosis could lead to the wrong treatment being administered, which could set the sufferer back even further.

Are anxiety disorders treatable?

Although there is no 'cure' for anxiety disorders, a combination of therapy, medication and self help strategies can help anybody affected by anxiety overcome their disorder and reach a point where they control their anxiety rather than the anxiety controlling them and affecting their quality of life.

Many people who contact ANXIETY UK are hoping to be told of a revolutionary medication or quick fix therapy technique that will rid them of their anxiety overnight. No such treatment exists, and it is often this realisation, that the answer of recovery lies within oneself, that starts people off on that road to recovery

Is anxiety life threatening?

The physical symptoms of an anxiety or panic attack, such as rapid breathing, chest pains and pins and needles are very similar to those of a heart attack, therefore it is not unusual for people experiencing such an attack to convince themselves that they are about to die. This is not the case, nobody has died of a panic attack - it is simply the body reacting to increased adrenalin caused by panic. Anxiety is not life threatening - it is unpleasant, but not harmful.

Is it possible to suffer from more than one anxiety disorder at once?

It is quite common to suffer from more than one anxiety disorder at once, this is known as co morbidity.

Many agoraphobics, for example, may find that their problems started with panic attacks and panic disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder sufferers may also have generalised anxiety disorder.

What links all the disorders is an increased level of anxiety which the brain channels into an irrational fear or pattern of thought.

What is the difference between panic and anxiety?

Panic is a sudden intense response to normal thoughts or sensations. This is often accompanied with a feeling of impending doom, and physical symptoms, such as increased heart rate, palpitations, pins and needles.

Anxiety is more of a psychological condition, prolonged by thought processes and rituals which cause the person affected to avoid certain situations which, they believe, will exacerbate their anxiety, and this avoidance behaviour then affects the quality of their life.

Are SSRIs effective in treating anxiety?

SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) are a newer type of antidepressant and they work by interfering with the reabsorption of serotonin (a chemical produced in the brain that controls mood and emotion).

As with any medication SSRIs do help reduce anxiety levels, and can be an important part in the recovery from an anxiety disorder, but in order to have long term recovery, medication should be combined with therapy (hypnotherapy, cognitive behavioural therapy or counselling) and the daily use of self help techniques. Otherwise the symptoms which medication can suppress will only return once medication is stopped.

Although SSRIs have fewer side effects than the older antidepressants such as the tricyclics, some people do experience some side effects such as headaches, sleep problems nausea, constipation and diarrhoea.

As with any antidepressant it is very important to come off the medication carefully with supervision from a GP or mental health specialist. Problems can arise when medication is stopped abruptly rather than gradually reduced, which can sometimes lead to a rebound reaction and return of the anxiety that caused the need for medication in the first place.

What is the possibility of having a relapse?

Some people who recover from an anxiety disorder will never experience problems of this nature in the future.

However there are many people who have recovered from an anxiety disorder who, particularly at vulnerable times in their lives, such as a relationship break up, redundancy or bereavement, may experience a recurrence of their anxiety. This is very common, and can be overcome by recognising the early symptoms and putting into place the self help tools and behavioural techniques that were so effective previously.

Is it possible to be completely cured?

Anxiety UK believes that it is not helpful to talk about 'a cure' but instead to focus on supporting individuals so that they are better able to manage anxiety by providing information and access to a range of services and treatment.

It is also not useful to talk about 'a cure' because it is not possible to totally eradicate anxiety from your life as anxiety is a completely normal human emotion. It would actually be dangerous to get rid of anxiety totally from your life as anxiety plays an important role in keeping us safe.

How long with I need to have therapy before I'm better?

There is no definitive answer to this question as each therapy type will consist of a differing number of sessions being offered. For example, person centred counselling is usually not time-limited, therefore people accessing this type of therapy can have as many sessions as they and their therapist feel appropriate. With clinical hypnotherapy however, it is unusual for people to be offered more than 4-6 sessions. For Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), a typical course of therapy would consist of 12-14 weeks if therapy is accessed privately or through Anxiety UK's therapy services. CBT sessions accessed through the NHS however are often time limited with on average, up to six sessions being offered.

Other issues to consider are:

  • the therapeutic relationship (i.e. how good the rapport is between you and your therapist)
  • where you, as an individual are in your life (i.e. how robust are your own internal support systems?)
  • and the length of time that you have been suffering with anxiety.

All of these factors influence the length of time that you will be 'in therapy'.

Have you heard of anyone else experiencing the problems that I have?

Yes!!!! We have literally thousands of members all experiencing similar difficulties, which is why it is useful to be part of an organisation like Anxiety UK because it enables you to meet others. Anxiety can be a very isolating condition to have, therefore many sufferers find it helpful to be able to contact others who are similar affected. Whilst it is true to say that no two people's experience of anxiety will be exactly the same because we are all unique human beings, often our similarities outweigh our differences.

What is CBT? Will it help and how soon will it work?

CBT or Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is a form of psychological therapy often used in the treatment of anxiety disorders. It has been shown to be effective in significantly reducing the levels of anxiety experienced by sufferers. The therapeutic process involves 1:1 sessions with a therapist who will help you to challenge negative thoughts whilst helping you to explore alternative ways of reframing your thought pattern into more positive thoughts. Clients often report seeing results within 3-4 months of having CBT, however as each individual is unique, such results may differ. There are also online self help CBT courses which you can access at your convenience to get some insight into the content that a CBT session may entail. Doing this may also help you to get better use out of any subsequent face to face CBT sessions.

I'm receiving psychotherapy now but I also want to try CBT. Would you recommend I do this?

Ultimately it is your choice. However Anxiety UK does not recommend combining treatments as the objectives of each may conflict. Likewise, you will not be in a position to decipher which treatment outcome was actually beneficial.

I've tried CBT and it did not help. Why do you think this was?

There are a few things you have to consider when looking at the effectiveness of the therapy you received:

  • Length of therapy / number of therapy sessions undertaken
  • Relationship with your therapist
  • Did you do your homework in between sessions?!!

These are all important as they play a major role in determining the success of treatment. For example, if you felt that you and the therapist did not develop a good rapport, it will be unlikely that you felt comfortable to disclose very personal details about your condition. CBT is not guaranteed to be effective for everyone and as with all therapies, you have to put in the work yourself in order to derive benefit. The role of the therapist is simply to guide you along the therapeutic pathway – therapists cannot guarantee your total recovery.