It is no surprise to learn that the early years of the 21st century have observed the rise in poor mental health epidemics. While a majority of physical health concerns and plagues have been put to rest with new age medical breakthroughs, mental health remains a big concern. Out of which, depression is assumed to be a condition that many associates with mental health illness. This misconception needs to be wiped out of people's minds as depression is not the number one mental health that people face but anxiety.

As per a report on the World Economic Forum's website, it has been revealed that an estimated 275 million people are distressed due to anxiety disorder. Mathematically speaking, that's 4 per cent of the global population out of which 62 per cent are women (170 million) compared with 105 million male sufferers. Depression falls as the second biggest mental health issue with a 3.77 per cent recorded by Our World in Data. Panic Attacks and Agoraphobia: How Mindfulness Can Help These Anxiety Disorders That Affect 20 Percent of Indians

What is an anxiety disorder?

The feeling of being anxious occasionally is a common occurrence in people's lives. However, when a person suffers from anxiety disorder, it becomes a matter of concern as a group of mental illnesses cause distress to the person, making it difficult for them to go ahead with a normal life. Individuals with an anxiety disorder are constantly overwhelmed and are under constant fear and stress. This makes it difficult to carry on life normally. Can Positive Thinking Cure Depression? Symptoms, Care and Treatment of Mental Health Disorders Explained By An Expert

What are the symptoms?

As mentioned earlier, a person with anxiety disorder faces different courses of symptoms that could range from apprehensions to tensions to overactivity. Given below are the most common symptoms of anxiety disorder.

- Apprehensions: Being on edge with difficulty to concentrate and constantly worrying about the future.

- Motor tension: Restlessness, fidgety, constant headaches due to tension.

- Autonomic overactivity: Dizziness, dry mouth, pain in the upper abdomen, lightheadedness, abnormally high heart rate, rapid breathing, sweating and gastric discomfort.

It is speculated that by 2030, the cost of the global economy of all mental health problems might reach $16 trillion! The same will be discussed on the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting 2019 in Davos. For the same, the Duke of Cambridge, Prince William, has RSVP-ed for the event. He will talk about mental health at work and divulge into details of his initiative to improve the mental well-being of individuals in the workplace.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 15, 2019 10:22 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).