Anxiety is the most common mental health condition in Australia. On average, one in four people, one in three women and one in five men will experience anxiety at some stage in their life. Anxiety is common, but the sooner people with anxiety get help, the more likely they are to recover.
​Anxiety is more than just feeling stressed or worried. While stress and anxious feelings are a common response to a situation where we feel under pressure, they usually pass once the stressful situation has passed, or the source of the stress is removed. Anxiety is when these anxious feelings don't subside, when they're ongoing and exist without any particular reason or cause. It’s a serious condition that makes it hard to cope with daily life. Everyone feels anxious from time to time, but for someone experiencing anxiety, these feelings can't be easily controlled.
Many people with anxiety experience symptoms of more than one type of anxiety disorder, and may experience depression as well. It's important to seek support early if you think you're experiencing anxiety. Your symptoms may not go away on their own and if left untreated, they can start to seriously impact your life.