THE COST OF ANXIETY: IT'S NOT WHAT YOU THINK

Anxiety is an emotion.  It's a normal emotion we all experience while feeling ill at ease as we anticipate a future danger or other hardship.  Anxiety can, however, become a very real problem for many people.

Anxiety disorders occur when that sense of anxiety is elevated to a level that interferes with one's ability to function normally.  When anxiety is disproportionate to the circumstances, an anxiety disorder may be present.

Anxiety disorders and depression share a great deal in common.  Many of the same symptoms exist in both disorders.  Additionally, either condition can be secondary to the other.  For instance, a severe anxiety disorder can be sufficiently bothersome to create a secondary case of depression in its wake.

Anxiety disorders are a very common mental illness.  Over twelve percent of the adult population of the United States, for instance, is affected by anxiety disorders. 

Like depression, the extent of anxiety can be measured in terms of its substantial economic impact.  According to one study, anxiety disorders cost more than forty billion dollars annually.  Over twenty billion dollars are spent each year by those suffering from anxiety disorders seeking medical treatment for symptoms they believed to be medical that were instead an outgrowth of their psychological difficulties.

Nearly four million Americans suffer from a Generalized Anxiety Disorder.  If you combine that total with other common anxiety disorders, you discover that the total number of people impacted exceeds twenty five million–and that number doesn't taken into effect other suffering from particularized phobias.

http://www.anxietyended.com/recommends/panicaway