Mal Fletcher comments on the rise of anxiety disorders and an over-reliance on science

Not surprisingly, recent surveys reveal that anxiety levels have been impacted by the state of the economy and by government efforts to improve it.

Not long ago, a survey by the Anxiety UK charity found that almost 60 percent of people feel 'much' more anxious than they did before, especially in the wake of changes to welfare and housing benefits. Almost 25 percent reported feeling 'a little more' or 'quite a lot more' anxious or stressed as a result of their economic circumstances.

Much of the anxiety problem relates to what experts call 'anticipatory anxiety', which sees many people making very negative projections into the future, about specific events or situations.

Anxiety is a challenge because it often builds up under the surface, over time. It can remain hidden until a person suddenly faces debilitating psychological or physical symptoms, such as those associated with anxiety or 'panic' attacks.

Drug use is not an adequate solution to the most commonly experienced forms of anxiety. Whilst the harsher edges of anxiety can, to some degree, be softened by treatment with drugs, the real problem is usually one of unhealthy habits of thought.

Negative responses to external stimuli are the product of wrong or unhelpful conditioning. Drugs may help with the physical symptoms of anxiety, but the root problem most often requires other forms of treatment.

These may include professional counselling and/or self-help using the principles of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, for example.

High anxiety levels in our society are also a product of vastly weakened support mechanisms, which traditionally helped people to deal with high levels of stress.

Families, neighbourhoods, community clubs and religious groups have all suffered as a result of changes to the social fabric.

Some of these changes have been 'forced' - such as the systemic spread of multiculturalism as a policy of previous governments. Others have flowed naturally from changing cultural ethics - as with approaches to family life, for example.

Whatever their origin, these and other pressures - including digitisation, which has people retreating from the physical environment - have contributed to a loss of communal identity.

With that has come a perceived loss of emotional support. Where once we may have turned to a trusted family member or close neighbour to share a problem, many of us now have to go it alone.

Until, that is, the resulting anxiety begins to manifest itself in ways that are clearly damaging to our health.

When that happens, we're often forced to rely upon arms-length care of the type offered by medicos and other professionals. We simply haven't developed relationships of sufficient depth or strength within our immediate living environment to provide us with more hands-on solace and encouragement.