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  • Q&A with Australian Health Practitioners

    How common are anxiety disorders?

    Related Topics
    Anxiety Mental Health
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    beyondblue

    beyondblue is a national, independent, not-for-profit organisation working to address issues associated with depression, anxiety and related disorders in Australia.beyondblue is a bipartisan initiative of … View Profile

    Anxiety disorders are the most common mental disorders in Australia. Nearly one in 7 people will experience some type of anxiety disorder in any one year - around one in 6 women and one in 10 men. One in four people will experience an anxiety disorder at some stage of their lives.

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    Renee Mill

    Clinical Psychologist, Psychologist

    Empowering people is my passion and life work. I have been working as a Clinical Psychologist in private practice for over thirty years. I have … View Profile

    Anxiety is extremely common and is currently the most prevalent mental health issue. Anxiety can present alone or co-exist with other conditions such as depression. The DSM 5 recognises that bipolar disorder, plus anxiety, poses the highest risk of suicide. 

    Therefore, a proper thorough diagnosis is very important to ensure the anxiety is not masked, or missed, because of comorbid  conditions.  

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    Anthony Berrick

    Psychologist

    Not only are anxiety disorders extremely common, but very often other mental health and wellbeing issues (such as addiction or depression) are related to difficulties with anxiety.

    If you think about how important anxiety is for survival (keeping us safe from threats), it's not surprising how common anxiety disorders are. Better to be too anxious and alive, than too laid-back and dead.

    However it's important to remember that anxiety itself is just an emotion, not a disorder. An anxiety disorder is when anxiety gets in the way of an individual functioning effectively and living life to the fullest.

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    Mitchell Howarth

    Clinical Psychologist, Psychologist

    Mitchell Howarth is a passionate psychologist whose primary aim is to assist clients in addressing the psychological issues that are preventing them from living a … View Profile

    As stated above, they are very common. Please note the difference between anxiety and an anxiety disorder as outlined by Anthony. Most of experience some anxiety, some of the time. It is not pathological in and of itself. It's when our anxiety upsets us or gets in the way of our work, relationships or life that it is considered disordered. 

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