Without anxiety, our response to stressful situations - an icy road at night, an impending exam, a big dinner we have to prepare - might be inadequate and lead to disastrous consequences. Anxiety is our body's way of telling us we feel out of control. And it's what spurs us on to make sure we are extra vigilant, that we are better prepared, that important stuff gets done.

Anxiety that is free-floating, intense and inappropriately directed, however, can be extremely disabling. Frequently occurring for the first time in childhood, anxiety disorders can appear in a variety of forms and affect behavior, often in dramatic and difficult-to-explain ways.


Never let the future disturb you. You will meet it, if you have to, with the same weapons of reason which today arm you against the present.

Marcus Aurelius

Indeed, it's felt that one-quarter of the general population will experience a real anxiety disorder during their lifetime; commonly, anxiety co-exists with other medical conditions, especially depression.

The majority of people who have depressive illness also experience symptoms of anxiety, and growing evidence indicates that at least panic disorder and depression share similar disturbances in brain chemical function, specifically in serotonin transmission. Symptoms of anxiety and depression thus frequently overlap and people with anxiety disorders may feel, as do depressed people, agitated, guilty, exhausted, insomniac, and socially withdrawn.

Anxiety can similarly precede depression, and at least half if not more of those afflicted with panic disorder eventually develop a major depressive illness. Fortunately, the observation that panic and other types of anxiety disorders share similar disturbances in serotonin means that the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), among other medications, can successfully treat anxiety.

Alternatively, or in addition to, a so-called "anxiolytic" or anti-anxiety agent may be used to help people cope with their anxiety over the short term. For most anxiety disorders, cognitive behavioural therapy can provide additional respite from the disorder and in certain disorders, will be used on its own without medication as the treatment of choice.