Anxiety and its associated disorders are the most common of all the mental illnesses that afflict us. It is estimated that around 20% of the adult population will be affected by some form of anxiety disorder at some stage in their lives. For a population as large as ours that is a large number of people indeed.

People with some form of anxiety disorder are more likely to use scarce health care resources. They go to the doctor more often than average, and are more likely to end up in hospital than the average.

This of course places a large burden on our health care system and the amounts of money spent on combating anxiety and its related disorders is massive. It is estimated at over $40 billion dollars a year.

There are a range of anxiety problems that people encounter, some well known and some not so well known. Post traumatic stress disorder is well documented as it is experienced by so many of our soldiers who have seen active duty, but some of the other forms are less well known.

Some types of specifically recognised disorders are specific anxiety phobias, such as fear of spiders or heights, panic disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder and social anxiety problems.

And then there are anxiety problems that are not specifically defined and are known as generalized anxiety disorders. They are characterised by a constant and persistent fear of or worry about ordinary things.

Of course there are always situations where almost everyone would be anxious, these happen to all of us in our lives and it is normal to be anxious when encountering situations such as these. The mere fact that an individual is suffering from some form of worry or fear is not of itself evidence of an anxiety disorder.

But people who suffer from generalized anxiety disorders suffer from a continuing fear or worry when there is no reason to fear or worry. That is the important distinction, there is no need to be scared or worried, but they continue to be.

This condition can take over their lives to the point where they feel they cannot control it and it is manifestly excessive. That is where there may well be a problem for the individual, and the continuous worry can seriously interfere with their life.

If you feel that you are becoming more and more anxious about things which shouldnt really be a cause of such anxiety, or that your anxiety is out of control, it is well worth investigating further. It is not helpful to attempt to ignore the situation and hope it will go away, it may not, and may well get worse.

Seeking help is the most important thing you can do in this situation.