Anxiety impacts everyone at one time or another. You might be anxious about starting a new job or moving to a new town. After a period of adjustment, the anxious feeling will go away. But some people may have an anxiety disorder. ¹ Anxiety disorders can be long-lasting and require treatment. It is the most common mental illness in the US and impacts 40 million adults yearly.²

In fact, during 2019, more than 15 percent of adults experienced anxiety symptoms that were mild, moderate, or severe in a two-week period.³ Yet the appearance of anxiety symptoms differs between men and women.19 percent of women had mild, moderate, or severe symptoms during the two weeks compared to 11.9 percent of men.⁴ However, adults aren’t the only group to suffer from an anxiety disorder.¹ Anxiety disorders also impact children and adolescents. Roughly 25.1 percent of adolescents ages 13 to 18 have an anxiety disorder.⁵

The multiple types of anxiety disorders are even more concerning. Types of anxiety disorders include generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, separation anxiety disorder, and phobias.⁶The amount of people experiencing anxiety disorders varies each year. But an estimate of 2 percent of adults experiences generalized anxiety disorder annually. Whereas 7 percent have social anxiety disorder and 8 to 12 percent have a specific phobia.⁷