Anxiety

Disclaimer: This informational guide discusses topics such as self harm, severe panic attacks, and PTSD: please exercise caution.

Each resource gives insight into the everyday lives of those suffering with anxiety, tips and tricks for how to minimize it's impact on your day, and inspiring stories from those who struggle with the condition. Keep in mind that all experiences are unique, and the information included does not reflect everyone's lived reality.

Facts and Statistics from the Anxiety & Depression Association of America

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
- GAD affects 6.8 million adults or 3.1% of the U.S. population, yet only 43.2% are receiving treatment. NIMH: Generalized Anxiety Disorder.
- Women are twice as likely to be affected as men. GAD often co-occurs with major depression.

Panic Disorder (PD)
- PD affects 6 million adults or 2.7% of the U.S. population. NIMH: Panic Disorders.
- Women are twice as likely to be affected as men.

Social Anxiety Disorder
- SAD affects 15 million adults or 7.1% of the U.S. population. NIMH: Social Anxiety Disorder.
- SAD is equally common among men and women and typically begins around age 13. According to a 2007 ADAA survey, 36% of people with social anxiety disorder report - experiencing symptoms for 10 or more years before seeking help.

Specific Phobias
- Specific phobias affect 19.3 million adults or 9.1% of the U.S. population. NIMH: Specific Phobias.
- Women are twice as likely to be affected than men.
- Symptoms typically begin in childhood; the average age of onset is 7 years old.
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are closely related to anxiety disorders, which some may experience at the same time, - along with depression.

Stress
- Everyone experiences stress and anxiety at one time or another. The difference between them is that stress is a response to a threat in a situation. Anxiety is a reaction to stress. Read APA: Stress in America: A National Mental Health Crisis (Oct 2020)

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
- OCD affects 2.5 million adults or 1.2% of the U.S. population. NIMH: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.
- Women are 3x more likely to be affected than men.
- The average age of onset is 19, with 25% of cases occurring by age 14. One-third of affected adults first experienced symptoms in childhood.

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- PTSD affects 7.7 million adults or 3.6% of the U.S. population. NIMH: Post-traumatic Stress Disorder.
- Women are 5x more likely to be affected than men.
- Rape is the most likely trigger of PTSD: 65% of men and 45.9% of women who are raped will develop the disorder.
- Childhood sexual abuse is a strong predictor of the lifetime likelihood of developing PTSD.