Anxiety-related mental health disorders on the rise in Britain
14 April 2009 
Mental health experts have found levels of anxiety are on the rise in Britain and people feel significantly more frightened than they used to.
According to a report from the Mental Health Foundation, around 800,000 more people in the UK now suffer from anxiety disorders than in 1993.
In 1997 15% of the population in England had an anxiety-related mental health disorder, compared with 13.3% in 1993.
A survey of 2,246 adults for the In the Face of Fear report found that Britons are becoming increasingly fearful and anxious, and measures used to tackle crime, such as CCTV cameras, are fuelling people's fears.
The experts say anxiety problems, which are suffered by more than seven million people in the UK, are making the economic crisis worse and people with anxiety are at increased risk of health problems, including coronary heart disease and high blood pressure.
Other conditions linked to anxiety are gastrointestinal problems, arthritis, migraine, allergies, thyroid disease and chronic respiratory disorders such as asthma.
Figures from the research show 77% of people think the world had become a more frightening place in the last 10 years.
