How Common Are Anxiety Disorders?

Everyone gets anxious at times. According to a recent survey supported by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), Americans in three large cities (Baltimore, New Haven, and St. Louis) had Anxiety Disorders more frequently than any other mental disorder. The NIMH study surveyed nearly 10,000 people in their homes using the very detailed Diagnostic Interview Schedule (DIS). This interview specified the exact wording of questions each person was asked, reducing potential errors due to forgotten questions or changed wording.

Altogether, 8.3 percent of the people who were interviewed had a DSM-III Anxiety Disorder (out of a total of 19 percent who had psychiatric disorders). Anxiety Disorders were more common than alcohol and other substance abuse (6.4 percent) or depression and manic depression (6.0 percent).

Depression had previously been thought to be the most common disorder, since more patients with depression than anxiety are seen, recognized, and treated by primary care doctors. Some forms of anxiety may be less distressing than depression so that people may not seek treatment; also, doctors may not recognize anxiety as readily as depression, and people may not realize that their anxiety is a disorder which can usually be treated effectively.