Anxiety is affecting more than half of Brits on a daily basis
There is increasing levels of anxiety plaguing British people, as new research shows that 57% of people are struggling to cope and wish they could be less anxious in everyday life.
Although anxiety is a natural human emotion, the more anxiety that people feel, the more they are likely to be tipped over in to diagnosable anxiety disorders, such as panic, phobias and obsessive behaviours, and to experience poor emotional wellbeing and personal distress.
The report marks the launch of a major new campaign, to coincide with Mental Health Awareness Week, to raise awareness and understanding of anxiety and its potentially debilitating effect on the nation’s mental health and emotional wellbeing.
The survey, from a YouGov of 2,300 adults in Britain, reveals the worrying levels of potentially harmful coping strategies adopted by many people. Only 7% of people say they visit their GP to cope with feelings of anxiety, while a quarter (24%) comfort eat and nearly 1 in 5 (18%) “hide away from the world”.
Jenny Edwards CBE, Chief Executive of the Mental Health Foundation says: “Anxiety is one of the most common mental health problems in the UK and it is increasing: yet it remains under-reported, under-diagnosed and under-treated.
“A good ability to cope with anxiety is key to our resilience in the face of whatever life throws at us. However, experiencing it too much or too often means we risk becoming overwhelmed. Anxiety at this level can have a truly distressing and debilitating impact on our lives and impact on our physical, as well as mental health.
“As individuals and as a society we need to be more anxiety aware. If we truly recognised the cost anxiety has on society, as well as the mounting distress it causes to individuals, communities and employers, we would act now”.
What’s shocking is that the prevalence of stigma continues to prevent people from seeking help. More than 1 in 4 (26%) agreed that feeling anxious is a sign of not being able to cope and 29% say they would be embarrassed to tell someone they have anxieties.
The campaign is backed by presenter and journalist, Anna Williamson, who has suffered from Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) and panic disorder for the past 10 years.
Anna said: “I know only too well the feelings of dread, the severe panic attacks and the irrational thinking that go hand in hand with anxiety.
“At the time you feel like no one will understand but, from my own experience, I know the true value of talking to others and being strong enough to ask for help, which for me has proven anxiety can be brought under control.
“Anxiety can happen to anyone and it’s time we had our voices heard. That’s why I’m supporting the Mental Health Foundation, along with thousands of other anxiety sufferers, to fight stigma and make the UK more anxiety aware.”
Mental Health Foundation support for anxiety awareness
To help the UK better live with anxiety, the Mental Health Foundation has produced Are you Anxiety Aware? a pocket guide to helping people better understand and manage their anxieties. A series of posters is also available to support events throughout the week across the UK, with over 400 organisations signed up to help publicise the campaign and raise awareness. To download the guide, posters and the full report, Living with Anxiety, visit www.mentalhealth.org.uk.
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