It doesn't matter who or what you are, an anxiety disorder can affect anyone. Male or female, young or old, rich or poor, an anxiety disorder is totally indiscriminate. People from all walks of life suffer from these conditions. People who appear to have everything can still get an anxiety disorder. Age is no guide as to when it can start. Children as young as seven, or elderly people, it makes no difference, either could develop an anxiety disorder.
Being rich and famous won't stop a condition from developing.
Famous people who have been reported to suffer/did suffer with anxiety disorders, include:-
* Nicole Kidman (actress) * Sir Laurence Olivier (actor)
* Kim Basinger (actress) * Barbra Streisand (singer / actress)
* Winston Churchill * James Garner (actor)
* Marie Osmand (entertainer) * Charlotte Bronte (author)
* Cher (singer, actress) * Alfred Lord Tennyson (poet)
* Nicholas Cage (actor) * Sigmund Freud (psychiatrist)
* Johnny Depp (actor) * John Steinbeck (author)
* Sally Field (actress) * W.B. Yeats (poet)
* Burt Reynolds (actor) * Sir Isaac Newton (scientist)
* Naomi Campbell (supermodel) * Abraham Lincoln (president)
* David Bowie (singer) * Barbara Gordon (filmmaker)
* Carly Simon (singer) * Robert Burns (poet)
* Aretha Franklin (singer) * Lucille Ball (actress, singer)

Some of these names may be familiar to millions of people around the world, but how many of those millions are also suffering from an anxiety disorder?
Stress can be a contributing factor but it is not the cause.

Why you are suffering may be a mystery. What started the condition? It could have been a highly emotional event in your life. Maybe, one or both of your parents suffered from high anxiety and you learned it from them.
Suffering an anxiety condition means it is not just you who is affected. Your behaviour affects the lives of other people close to you. The restrictions you place on yourself can cause your immediate family to miss out on many pleasurable activities. This is very difficult for your young children to understand and can easily lead them to being resentful of you. Your work and opportunities will also suffer as colleagues and bosses can't appreciate your fears or what you are going through. This stress feeds your condition and can result in other anxiety disorders developing.
When you suffer from Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) how can you explain the fear inside if you don't carry out the compulsion. Imagine your grandchildren asking you, "Granddad, why do you keep checking the stove is off, over and over again?" How do you explain to your grandchildren the fear going on inside your head if you don't carry out this ritual?
Frequent, terrifying Panic Attacks make you believe you are seriously ill or dying. This leads you to visit doctors and hospitals and undergo thorough medical check ups. The results are always the same and they tell you "there is nothing physically wrong with you". Will this stop the panic attacks and make you feel better?
If you suffer from Social Phobia, how do you tell your long term friends, "I'm sorry, I'm too frightened to attend your special social gathering"?
Depending on the severity of your condition, a doctor may prescribe medication or advise therapy. These may control your condition but will not cure it.
An anxiety disorder is not a physical or mental illness. It has developed due to a learned behaviour. The only way to cure your condition is to unlearn the behaviour.