Beyond Blue

What works for anxiety?

Anxiety is when these anxious feelings are ongoing and exist without any particular reason or cause. It’s a serious condition that makes it hard for a person to cope with daily life. We all feel anxious from time to time, but for a person experiencing anxiety, these feelings cannot be easily controlled and can often develop gradually over time.

There are many types of anxiety. While the symptoms for each type are different, some general signs and symptoms include:

• Feeling very worried or anxious most of the time • Finding it difficult to calm down • Feeling overwhelmed by sudden feelings of intense panic/anxiety • Experiencing recurring thoughts that cause anxiety • Avoiding situations or things which cause anxiety • Ongoing difficulties (e.g. nightmares) after a traumatic event.

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 an anxiety condition at some stage in their life. Although anxiety is common, many people affected do not get treatment.

A summary of what works for anxiety

Generalised anxiety disorder Post-traumatic stress disorder

Behaviour therapy (including exposure therapy)

Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT)

Computer-aided psychological therapy (CAP)

Eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR)

Anti-convulsant drugs

Antidepressant drugs

Azapirone drugs

Benzodiazepines

Social anxiety disorder

Percentage of Australians aged 16yrs + affected by anxiety

Type of disorder % affected in previous 12months % affected at any time in their lifetime

Post-traumatic stress disorder 6.4% 12.2%

Social phobia 4.7% 10.6%

Agoraphobia

Generalised anxiety disorder

Panic disorder

Obsessive compulsive disorder 2.8%

2.7%

2.6%

1.9% 6.0%

5.9%

5.2%

2.8%

Panic disorder & Agoraphobia Specific Phobias

Obsessive compulsive disorder

When added to antidepressants

To download the full guide, click here.

If you need assistance visit Beyond Blue’s support services. Our mental health professionals are available 24/7 on1300 22 4636, Web chat (3pm-12am AEST) and email (responses within 24hrs). For immediate support call Lifeline on 13 11 14 and in an emergency, always call triple zero (000).