When it continues to affect a person after the external stress has gone and is disproportionate to the severity of the stress, it becomes pathological. Some people suffer from an anxiety disorder and depression together. Others develop depression first and an anxiety disorder later. They mainly affect young adults, and occur equally in men and women. Heredity is a contributing factor.
Accurate diagnosis is important since treatment varies.
Depending on the disorder, anxiety can be treated with behavioural therapy, psychotherapy or drugs. One example is obsessive thoughts about contamination and the need to be continually washing one's hands. It is thought that this type of anxiety affects 2 to 3 per cent of adults and one third of these may be depressed at the same time. Panic attacks A sudden overwhelming sense of anxiety, fast breathing, shortness of breath, dizziness, palpitations, nausea, diarrhoea etc. Symptoms usually peak within ten minutes and dissipate within minutes.