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<\/div>OVER the past few years, I have noticed an increasing number of people sharing their experiences of feeling anxious, whether it is celebrities opening up in interviews or friends chatting over a drink. This got me thinking: are more people feeling anxious these days or are they just more willing to talk about it?<\/p>\n
This apparent uptick seems to be seen in studies of anxiety prevalence \u2013 but dig into the details and the picture isn\u2019t so clear. As for what is behind this possible rise, the covid-19 pandemic is an obvious cause, yet it isn\u2019t the only one: economic and political factors may also play a role.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s look at the pandemic first. \u201cIt was a phenomenon that none of us had experienced, a global issue that understandably caused a huge amount of stress,\u201d says David Smithson<\/a> at the charity Anxiety UK. \u201cWho wouldn\u2019t be worried?\u201d<\/p>\n Levels of anxiety rose at the start of the pandemic, with the World Health Organization reporting a 25.6 per cent increase in anxiety disorders<\/a> in 2020 as lockdowns and other restrictions were brought in and people grappled with an unknown virus and its impact on their lives. But this rise didn\u2019t persist, according to a review of 177 studies looking at people in high-income countries, with levels falling as the pandemic continued<\/a>.<\/p>\n This chimes with Smithson\u2019s experience. \u201cWe saw that rise through demand for our support services from the start of the pandemic for about two years,\u201d he says. \u201cWe have seen, in the last 12 months or so, that demand has dipped down\u2026<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nRising anxiety<\/h2>\n