All of us worry about things from time to time, especially if we have a lot of problems, but for some people the worry can become excessive. Anxiety disorders occur when a person worries without sufficient reason. Some examples of normal worry could be a student worrying on the night before an exam, a woman worrying about her child who is ill, or a man worrying about how he can provide for the family after the crops have failed. Some examples of abnormal worry (an anxiety disorder) could be a student who worries all the time, even when their exam results are good, a woman who worries constantly about her child even though the child is healthy and happy, and a man who worries about the harvest even when the crops are growing well.
Anxiety can be distressing and disabling, for example, preventing people doing things that they used to such as going out of the house and meeting up with other people. As well as causing a person to worry too much, anxiety can lead to physical symptoms. Anxiety often goes hand-in-hand with depression. Also, people who are worrying too much may use alcohol and khat as a way of trying to cope with their symptoms. Although this might help them to feel better in the short term, alcohol and khat usually make anxiety worse in the longer term.
Here are some ways that you can help a person if they are suffering from an anxiety disorder (worrying too much):
If none of these approaches helps or the anxiety is severe, refer to a higher health facility for further assessment.
Think of something that you are worried about (or have been worried about in the past) and try to use the problem-solving approach on yourself. Once you feel confident, try it on a friend or family member.
Write about your experiences of trying this technique and discuss them.