Psychology Info: Anxiety

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Anxiety is a type of fear that is focussed on either present surroundings or something that is expected to happen in the future which is frightening or overwhelming. It can be irrational or related to a past traumatic event, but in all cases it affects the mind and body in alarming ways. Many sufferers will do their utmost to avoid the situations that are making them panic but with future events, they often cannot stop thinking about them. This can cause insomnia, nervous habits, unnecessary drug taking, eating disorders, inability to concentrate and other physical ailments in the body.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health:

In the USA alone, there are over 40 million adults between the ages of 18-54 who suffer from an anxiety disorder.

According to the Journal of Psychopharmacology, pp 761-770:

In the UK there were 8.2 million cases of anxiety in 2013