In the UK, around 1 in 6 adults experiences an anxiety disorder in any given week. It’s also one of the most common mental health problems seen by clinicians worldwide, affecting around 359 million people as of 2021.

Anxiety can show up as constant worry, tension in the body, or a constant feeling that something bad is about to happen. When that sense of unease doesn’t pass, it can start to affect your decisions, relationships, and how safe you feel day to day.

At Castle Health, treatment for anxiety is offered as part of our specialist care in the UK and Europe. To understand how treatment helps, it’s useful to look more closely at what anxiety is and how it affects the mind and body.

What is anxiety?

Some worry is a normal part of life. Anxiety is the system your body uses to prepare for threats, making you more alert and ready to act if something dangerous is coming.

The problem comes when that same system reacts to situations that aren’t actually unsafe. The physical feelings designed to help you escape real danger can show up when you are sending an email, walking into a social event, or making a difficult decision.

When the brain senses danger, stress hormones flood the body, the heart rate climbs, and breathing becomes shallow. This is the fight-or-flight response, and in anxiety disorders, that internal alarm system becomes oversensitive. 

When anxiety leads you to leave or avoid a situation, relief follows. The brain learns that escape solved the problem, so the alarm triggers more easily next time. This is how avoidance builds, and sadly, people tend to find that this leaves them feeling isolated, and their world gets smaller. 

Is anxiety the same as depression?

Anxiety and depression are different conditions, but they often appear together, with around 30% of people with an anxiety disorder also meeting the criteria for depression. 

Both conditions involve similar brain chemistry, particularly serotonin, but their effects on mood and behaviour differ.

Anxiety often leaves people feeling tense, restless, or stuck in racing thoughts. Depression usually does the opposite with people reporting low energy, feeling flat, and losing interest in things that used to matter.

When both are present, it can feel like you’re dealing with two problems at once, but treatment doesn’t have to work that way. At Castle Health, depression treatment can be given alongside anxiety treatment at the same time. 

What are the signs of anxiety disorders?

Anxiety affects people in different ways, and symptoms can be emotional, mental, or physical. Most people report experiencing a combination of the three.

Common signs of anxiety include:

  • Constant worry or racing thoughts that feel hard to switch off
  • Feeling tense or on edge most of the time
  • A fast heartbeat, shortness of breath, or tightness in the chest
  • Sweating, dizziness, or feeling light-headed
  • Muscle tension, headaches, or stomach problems
  • Sleep difficulties, especially struggling to fall asleep or waking up early
  • Finding it hard to concentrate or make decisions
  • Avoiding places or situations that feel stressful or overwhelming

 Talk to our team

If you’re struggling with anxiety, our team is here to listen. Call us to find out what support is available to you.

Common anxiety disorders

Anxiety disorder is an umbrella term for a range of conditions that share similar features but affect people differently. 

Some of the most common anxiety disorders are:

  • Generalised anxiety disorder: Ongoing worry about many areas of life, such as health, work, relationships, or finances, that’s difficult to control and doesn’t go away.
  • Panic disorder: Sudden panic attacks that feel intense and frightening, even when there’s no obvious danger. This often requires specific panic disorder treatment to address both the attacks themselves and the fear of having them.
  • Social anxiety disorder: Fear of being judged or observed by others, which can make everyday social situations feel threatening.
  • Phobias: Strong anxiety linked to specific situations or objects, such as flying, driving, crowds, or medical procedures.

Who does anxiety affect the most?

Anxiety can affect anyone, regardless of age or background. That said, it tends to be reported more often in women. Between 2022 and 2023, an average of 37.1% of women in the UK reported high levels of anxiety, compared to 29.9% of men.

Anxiety can begin during the teenage years or early adulthood, and stressful life events, long-term pressure, health problems, or past trauma can all raise the risk. While that may be true, it’s important to bear in mind that anxiety can also develop without a clear cause.

What anxiety treatment is available to me?

Support for anxiety looks different for everyone, and how much someone needs depends on how much it is getting in the way of their life. The main treatment options are therapy, medication, and lifestyle changes, and people tend to benefit from a combination of approaches. 

Therapy for anxiety

Therapy is central to generalised anxiety treatment. The most common approach is cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), which works by helping you identify the specific thoughts and behaviours that are keeping anxiety going. Over the course of sessions, you learn new tools for responding to anxiety and practice them with your therapist. Other therapy approaches include group therapy, where shared experience can reduce the sense of isolation that anxiety often brings.

Medication for anxiety

Medication is sometimes used when anxiety is making it hard to function day to day. The most commonly prescribed medications for anxiety are SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors), which work by increasing serotonin levels in the brain. They aren’t sedatives and aren’t addictive, but they do take several weeks to take effect. SNRIs work in a similar way and are also used for anxiety disorders.

Beta blockers are sometimes prescribed for the physical symptoms of anxiety, such as a fast heartbeat or shaking, particularly in situations like public speaking. Buspirone is another option for generalised anxiety disorder and tends to be used when SSRIs haven’t worked well.

A psychiatrist will talk through whether medication is appropriate for you and, if so, what kind.

Lifestyle and practical changes

What happens outside of therapy sessions matters too. Getting better sleep, cutting back on caffeine or alcohol, or stopping them altogether, and having more structure in the day can all reduce how often anxiety flares up and how intense it feels when it does.

Residential treatment and outpatient treatment options for generalised anxiety disorder

There are two ways to access anxiety treatment support at Castle Health:

  • Outpatient treatment means attending sessions at a clinic while continuing to live at home and going about your normal life. 
  • Residential treatment means staying at a residential facility full-time, with clinical support available around the clock. 

Residential care tends to suit people whose anxiety is severe enough that managing day-to-day life has become very difficult, or where anxiety is happening alongside another mental health or addiction concern.

How do I access treatment with Castle Health?

At Castle Health, you can access anxiety treatment as an outpatient through our mental health services. While we do treat addiction, you don’t need to be struggling with one to use this service.

If anxiety is happening alongside alcohol, drug use, or another addiction, support is available through our residential programmes at Castle Craig and Smarmore Castle.

Before treatment starts, you’ll have an assessment with our team to review your medical history and discuss your situation. It gives us what we need to recommend the right type of support, and it gives you the chance to ask anything you want to know before committing to anything. 

You can contact our team to arrange an assessment by phone or online.

Where can I find local support for anxiety near me?

Castle Health offers outpatient anxiety treatment across several locations in Europe. As well as the UK, we have clinics in Sweden, Finland, Malta, and the Netherlands. 

Where can I find online therapy services for anxiety near me?

Online therapy lets you access support from home through video or phone sessions with a trained therapist. This can suit people who need flexible care, live far from an anxiety treatment centre, or feel more comfortable starting treatment remotely.

Find out more 

Not sure what treatment involves or whether it’s right for you? Call our team to ask anything you want to know about anxiety treatment at Castle Health

Frequently asked questions

What are the best treatments for anxiety?

CBT is one of the most well-evidenced treatments for anxiety disorders. It works by helping you identify the thoughts and behaviours keeping anxiety going and practise responding differently. Most people benefit from a combination of therapy, lifestyle changes, and where needed, medication.

How do I find a private therapist specialising in anxiety near me?

Choosing a therapist with experience in private anxiety treatment matters. At Castle Health, all therapy is delivered by trained professionals working within a psychiatrist-led team, so clinical oversight is part of your care from the start.

Can anxiety go away without treatment?

Some mild anxiety can improve on its own. But ongoing or severe anxiety generally does not get better without support. Without treatment, symptoms can persist or get worse over time, and the patterns that keep anxiety going tend to become more fixed. Getting help sooner rather than later makes treatment more straightforward.