5 Things We Want You to Know About Anxiety

There’s no shortage of stress and anxiety these days, especially in a world where bad news sells. Given that negativity is becoming increasingly hard to escape, it should come as no surprise that a 2024 poll by the American Psychiatric Association found that 43% of adults in the United States report feeling more anxious than they did in 2023.

Since May is Mental Health Awareness Month, the team of experienced mental health specialists here at Northern Virginia Psychiatric Group decided to shine the spotlight on the most common mental health issue — anxiety — in all its many forms.

So, in the following, we dive into a few important points about anxiety disorders, including how to get help.

1. Anxiety is common in adults and adolescents

When we say that anxiety is the most common mental health issue, it’s no exaggeration and includes people of all ages. In the US, nearly one in five adults is affected by an anxiety disorder, as well as nearly 40% of teens between the ages of 13 and 18.

2. There are many different types of anxiety

The term anxiety is a catch-all category for several different disorders that include some common mental health issues, such as:

• Generalized anxiety disorder
• Panic disorder
• Post-traumatic stress disorder
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder
• Social anxiety disorder
• Phobias

So, in reality, anxiety is the overriding symptom for several different disorders.

3. Anxiety isn’t just worrying too much

Now let’s get into anxiety a little bit, which we all feel occasionally. It’s perfectly normal to be anxious or worried in life, but anxiety disorders take the worry and anxiety to unhealthy levels.

With an anxiety disorder, your body can get stuck in a stress response, or this response can be heightened and easily triggered. This biological response can then override logic and reason and leave you in a negative spiral of doom, worry, and anxiety. 

It can be quite difficult to break out of anxious cycles as your brain mistakenly uses the stress response as a protective reaction to a perceived threat. 

4. Anxiety can affect your physical health

The stress response, which is also called a fight-or-flight response, might stem from the brain, but its effects can be physical. For example, in a state of stress, your heart rate increases, and there’s more muscle tension. Over time, these physical reactions, and others, can lead to health issues, such as:

• Headaches
• Sleep issues
• Gastrointestinal issues
• Joint pain
• Fatigue 
• Sexual dysfunction
• High blood pressure

So, anxiety exacts a large toll on your overall well-being and can directly impact your mental, physical, and emotional health.

5. There is help for anxiety

Although anxiety disorders are quite treatable, only about 37% of Americans diagnosed with an anxiety disorder seek such treatment. If you’re reading this, we don't want you or your loved one to be part of the 63% of people who don’t get the help they need.

Through a combination of psychotherapies, medications, and some key lifestyle changes, we’re confident that we can help you break free from your anxiety disorder to lead a healthy and happy life.

To take back control of your life from an anxiety disorder, please call our office in Fairfax, Virginia, at 571-748-4588, or contact us online to schedule your appointment today.