Anxiety

While it is normal to feel nervous or worried, anxiety disorders can be crippling and cause significant interference in a person’s daily activities.  Anxiety often encompasses repeated and sudden anxious episodes, sometimes of intense fear or terror (panic attacks).  There are different forms of anxiety and each form may be different from one person to the next.  However, the most recognized forms of anxiety include: phobias, panic disorder, agoraphobia, social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).  In some cases, anxiety is the first symptom of an underlying health issue or the side effect of a medication.  An estimated 3 million Canadians (11.6%) aged 18 years suffer from anxiety.