In fact, anxiety is such a widespread disorder that virtually ANYONE can suffer from it. Your uncle Buddy, your Grandma Jean, your sister Annie, your neighbor Joe, your best friend Patti, or your brother George.
But, because anxiety is one of those 'sweep it under the carpet', “embarrassment-type-Ithink-I-might-be-going-crazy” disorders, people don't like to talk about it. Or admit they are long time sufferers.
Especially if you are someone always in the public eye, such as Kim Basinger.Kim had a long, difficult struggle with anxiety disorder, and kept it a secret for quite a good portion of her life. You would never guess it to see her up on the 'silver screen' though would you?
But in fact she has spoken out publicly about her battle with anxiety in the hope that this may raise awareness of this dreaded disorder. And it has. She is one brave soul to expose a huge portion of her private life like this. Kudos to you Kim!
Let us not forget also that anxiety is thought to be an inherited disorder, although your mother or father may not show the outward symptoms of it. Remember, this is an embarrassment disorder, or one that makes the sufferer believe they are, or are going, crazy. However, not every person who has experienced an anxiety attack will develop a full blown disorder, but don't discount the fact that potentially they COULD.
Here's an interesting statistical fact for you.According to NIMH(National Institute of Mental Health) approximately 2.4 MILLION adult Americans suffer from some form of anxiety or Panic Disorder. That's about 40 Million!
And, it is twice as common in women as it is in men.Hmmm. . .Maybe this could be a contributing factor in why women worry so much about things? ;-)
Coincidentally, the major reason for people not knowing what is happening to them, or that they are suffering from anxiety or Panic Disorder COULD be attributed to the fact that many cases reported began in adolescence. Therefore, a child may not be as articulate in describing what they are experiencing compared to an adult.
The key here is to LISTEN TO YOUR CHILDREN!!You would NOT want them to endure a childhood full of suffering and not even know the reason for it.
Another interesting fact to be aware of is that anxiety attacks don't only happen when a person is awake! They can, and often do, happen while sleeping. How scary do you think that may be to wake up to?
Indescribable would be putting it MILDLY.