Everyone feels anxious about things from time to time, but the feeling normally goes away once the problem is resolved. When it persists, occurs in the absence of a significant stress or threat, interferes with normal daily activities, or harms your physical health, it becomes a medical problem. Some medical conditions, such as an overactive thyroid, can cause anxiety. Anxiety may itself be a disorder or it may be a symptom of a different disorder such as depression or schizophrenia. When anxiety is so extreme that a person is in a panic state, then the anxiety is a psychiatric disorder known as a panic disorder.
Anxiety sometimes starts with a difficult or painful experience.
The signs and symptoms of anxiety may be both psychological and physical. Mild anxiety may be discovered during an exam or while looking into other medical problems. Panic attacks are often so frightening that they cause people to seek medical help. Your health care provider will ask about your symptoms and discuss the circumstances that seem to trigger them. He or she may ask you about life events, daily activities, and your view of how things are going.