How much do you know about anxiety?

By: Isadora Teich
Estimated Completion Time
3 min
How much do you know about anxiety?
Image: Shutterstock

About This Quiz

As medicine, science and our understanding of human beings advances, we get better at understanding disorders such as anxiety. How well do you know the fiction from the facts? Test your knowledge with this HowStuffWorks quiz.
Can children suffer from anxiety disorders?
Yes
No
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Anxiety disorders affect 1 in 8 children. Many children are undiagnosed, which leads to bad grades, poor social skills and even substance abuse.

Which of these is a common symptom of Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)?
Getting tired easily
Angry outbursts
Dissociating
Impulsivity
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

There are many symptoms of GAD that people tend to overlook. These include fatigue, restlessness, inability to concentrate, being irritable, muscle tension and trouble sleeping.

Do most people suffering from anxiety get treatment?
Yes
No
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Even though anxiety disorders are amongst the most treatable mental illnesses, most people with them don't get treatment. Only about a third of the people with it get treatment.

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Anxiety's physical symptoms can include:
Headache
Physical pain
Stomach issues
All of these
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Many people with anxiety go undiagnosed or misdiagnosed. This is because it can have many physical symptoms which seem to be unrelated or other issues entirely.

Anxiety can worsen the condition of chronically and terminally ill people because it causes them to _______ treatment.
Get
Consider
Avoid
Dislike
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Many chronically and terminally ill people with anxiety feel so overwhelmed and terrified of the necessary treatments that they skip them altogether. This can make their conditions painful and even untreatable after a certain point.

When people compulsively acquire items to the extent that it negatively impacts their lives, but hold onto everything due to anxiety, what kind of behavior do they have?
Hoarding
Irrational Anger
Violent outbursts
Emotionally detaching
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Hoarders often compulsively get and keep items, even things which are unsanitary, illegal or even damaging, partially due to anxiety. Their anxiety prevents them from getting rid of anything, even as they feel increasing shame and isolation.

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Which of these physical symptoms can be an indicator of an anxiety disorder?
Chronic headaches
Dry mouth
Stomach aches
All of the above
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Everyone experiences anxiety differently, and some people have no physical symptoms at all. However, chronic migraines and headaches often co-occur and can even precede the onset of mental disorders like depression, anxiety, panic disorders and more.

What treatments have been proven effective for anxiety?
Group therapy
One-on-One therapy
Medication
All of these
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Depending on the needs of each individual anxiety sufferer, a different combination of treatment options will work best. There are numerous therapies and treatments available.

A number of seemingly unrelated diagnosable _______ can be caused by anxiety.
Illnesses
Thoughts
Deaths
Beliefs
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Many people go undiagnosed for years, thinking their anxiety is something else entirely. Sleep disorders, chronic pain and irritable bowel syndrome can actually be caused by anxiety.

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People with anxiety also commonly suffer from:
Bipolar disorder
Depression
Borderline Personality Disorder
Manic Depression
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

It is common for people with anxiety to also suffer from depression. About half of people diagnosed with an anxiety disorder are also depressed.

Who is more likely to be diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)?
Women
Men
Children under 5
People over 65
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

About three percent of the population in the U.S. is affected by GAD. Women are twice as likely to be affected than men.

What causes anxiety?
Genetic factors
Brain chemistry
Life events
All of the above
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Anxiety is complex and can be caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. It's different for everyone.

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People with anxiety related to specific things, tasks or places have what?
Schizophrenia
Anorexia
ADD
Specific phobias
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

19 million Americans deal with specific phobias, which can include everything from phobias of driving to spiders to flying. These often appear at random and can be debilitating depending on the specific phobia and how intense it is.

Many people with anxiety are:
Misdiagnosed
Over 65
Selectively mute
Manic
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Many people with anxiety go undiagnosed or misdiagnosed because the physical symptoms of anxiety can look like a wide range of other illnesses. Billions of our medical costs go toward mental health, doctor and hospitalization bills for those with anxiety.

Caretakers of the terminally and chronically ill are at what kind of risk for developing mental disorders?
Increased
Slight
Low
No risk
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Caretakers often put their own emotional and psychological needs second and even assume their patients' experiences as their own. This can be highly damaging and lead to anxiety and depression.

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People with Generalized Anxiety Order (GAD) experience uncontrollable:
Sadness
Anger
Mania
Worry
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

People with this anxiety disorder worry about many things in their life uncontrollably and always anticipate disaster. While in mild cases a person can still get through their day, it can be debilitating for some and cause people to avoid many aspects of life.

Some people with a panic disorder suffer from an inability to leave spaces of safety and may even confine themselves to their homes to avoid panic attacks. This is called:
Agoraphobia
Borderline personality disorder
GAD
Arachnophobia
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Those with agoraphobia may avoid places where they feel they cannot escape easily. Some stop leaving their homes entirely due to their anxiety.

Terminally ill people are at what kind of risk for developing anxiety and other mental disorders?
Increased
Low
No risk
It's unclear
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

40 percent of cancer patients develop depression, anxiety attacks and PTSD. Depending on the terminal or chronic illness, this risk can be even higher as certain treatments have unpleasant psychological side effects.

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Social Anxiety Disorder affects men and women equally and usually starts to present around what age?
2
13
45
90
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Social Anxiety disorder usually presents in sufferers around their early teens. It affects nearly 7 percent of the U.S. population.

Some illnesses and disorders often are paired with anxiety. What are they called?
Co-occurring
Primary
Subjective
Psychic
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Sometimes disorders such as substance abuse disorders, bipolar, depression and ADD can pair with anxiety. These are considered co-occurring disorders.

People with anxiety also sometimes have a condition where they dangerously obsess over what they consider to be their body's flaws. This is called:
Anorexia Nervosa
Schizophrenia
Body Dysmorphic Disorder
Health Anxiety
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

People with BDD consider their bodies so flawed that they may go to great lengths to hide them, change them or avoid being seen by other people altogether. They may obsessively alter their appearance with fashion, surgery, exercise and other means.

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Anxiety disorders are known to often co-occur with:
Vaginismus
Eating disorders
Schizoid personality disorder
Narcolepsy
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Eating disorders and anxiety disorders often appear during childhood and can affect both men and women. Eating disorders can include overeating, starvation, over-exercising and obsessing over food to even fatal extremes.

Collecting is different from hoarding because hoarders often feel ______ about their belongings.
Proud
Content
Embarrassed and anxious
Hateful
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Collectors budget time and money for select belongings of quality, which they keep organized and enhance their lives. Hoarders often sacrifice relationships and liveable space in order to maintain poorly organized piles of things that make them feel ashamed, but they are too attached to and anxious about to tackle.

People with what kind of anxiety interpret normal body functions as dangerous deadly illnesses?
General Anxiety Disorder
Panic Disorder
Health Anxiety
Social Anxiety
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Those with health anxiety often get caught up in a cycle of panic and medical bills, because anxiety causes numerous physical symptoms, which they misinterpret as serious life-threatening conditions. They often end up in the ER or doctor's offices for reassurance, which only calms them until their next anxiety episode.

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Is anxiety common in those with irritable bowel syndrome?
Very
Somewhat
Rarely
No
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Between 50 to 90 percent of people seeking treatment for IBS have a co-occurring mental disorder like anxiety or depression. It is thought that the colon is partially controlled by the nervous system, which is heavily affected by stress.

Which alternative treatment may be useful in helping to handle anxiety?
Meditation
Homeopathy
Crystal Therapy
Light therapy
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Evidence is growing stronger that yoga and meditation can help individuals handle and cope with anxiety. When combined with other treatments, these can be highly useful forms of self care

Some people with anxiety also experience chronic pain that seems to have no cause. This is known as:
Insomnia
Fibromyalgia
Depression
OCD
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Fibromyalgia is a misunderstood chronic pain condition that may afflict as many as 1 in 50 Americans. 20 percent of people who experience it also have an anxiety disorder.

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People with anxiety are ______ times more likely to be hospitalized due to psychiatric disorders than those without them.
6
12
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

People with anxiety are six times more likely to be hospitalized for psychiatric disorders than those who do not. It's estimated that $42 billion in health care costs is spent a year just on anxiety alone.

What is the most common mental illness in the United States?
Depression
Schizophrenia
Anxiety
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Anxiety is the most common mental illness in America. It affects about 40 million adults.

Is anxiety treatable?
Very
Usually
Rarely
Never
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Anxiety is one of the most treatable mental illnesses. However, it is often undiagnosed, misdiagnosed and patients can even cope with certain types for a decade or more before seeking help.

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What percentage of the U.S. population has anxiety?
1 percent
5 percent
18 percent
70 percent
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Around 40 million Americans 18 and older have anxiety. That's about 18 percent of the U.S. population.

Which mental illness is the leading cause of disability in the U.S.?
Major Depressive Disorder
Bipolar Disorder
Addiction
Agoraphobia
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Half of those diagnosed with anxiety are also depressed. Depression is the leading cause of disability for adults under the age of 45 in the U.S.

People with anxiety are ______ likely to go to a doctor than those who don't.
More
Less
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

People suffering from anxiety disorders are three to five times more likely to go to a doctor than those who don't. They may even just believe they are sick, rather than anxious.

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Panic attacks are also known as:
Mania
Anxiety Attacks
Dissociation
Megalomania
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Roughly six million Americans experience panic disorder in any given year. Women are twice as likely to suffer from them than men.

Anxiety is commonly treated with:
Therapy
Physical therapy
Hospitalization
Medication
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

While some are on medication for anxiety and do end up hospitalized, therapy with a psychologist or psychiatrist has proved very helpful when it comes to many types of anxiety. However, it is important to remember that every individual experiences anxiety differently and may need different kinds of support.

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