High Anxiety Can Be Deadly

It increases men's suicide risk ninefold, and triples the risk for women.

Highly anxious and nervous men are nine times more likely to attempt suicide within the next five years, and anxious and nervous women are three times more likely to do so, a new Swedish study finds.

The study involved 34,500 people taking part in the Swedish Survey of Living Conditions. Among other things, the people were asked whether, and to what degree, they suffered from nervousness and Anxiety.

Over a five-year period, people who'd reported severe Anxiety and nervousness problems were twice as likely to die and three to four times more likely to be admitted to hospital for treatment of mental health problems, compared to people who did not suffer from Anxiety or nervousness.

Among men, severe anxiety/nervousness outranked both smoking and longstanding illness as a greater risk factor for death from all causes over five to 10 years. The risk of suicide among men with severe anxiety/nervousness also increased over time, becoming 15 times greater after 10 years.

Among the women, smoking and longstanding illness were greater risk factors for death than anxiety/nervousness, the study found.

What is anxiety?

Anxiety can be a normal "alarm system" alerting you to danger. Imagine coming home and finding a burglar in your living room. Your heart beats fast. Your palms get sweaty. Your mind races. In this situation, anxiety can provide an extra spark to help you get out of danger. In more normal but busy situations, anxiety can give you the energy to get things done.

But sometimes anxiety can be out of control, giving you a sense of dread and fear for no apparent reason. This kind of anxiety can disrupt your life.

Reporting in the September issue of the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, the Swedish teams note that the rate of reported anxiety/nervousness in Sweden increased from 12 percent of the population in 1988-1989 to 22 percent in 2000-2001.
Can anxiety disorders be treated?

Yes. Talk to your family doctor if you think you have an Anxiety disorder. He or she can help you form a plan to develop skills to cope with your anxiety. Your doctor may also suggest counseling and prescribe medicine if needed. The following are some tips on coping with anxiety:

Control your worry. Pick a place and time to do your worrying. Make it the same place and time every day. Spend 30 minutes thinking about your concerns and what you can do about them. Try not to dwell on what "might" happen. Focus more on what's really happening. Then let go of the worry and go on with your day.