Anxiety Disorders And Age

[Raidergal2022]

Do anxiety disorders tend to get better or get worse with age?

How would someone who has had several bouts of health anxiety cope in their 60’s and 70’s when illness often increases

[Redhelen72]

I think that very much depends on the individual

[barry1010]

It really does vary from person to person but anxiety can be exacerbated in old age due to loneliness.
Some people have learnt coping mechanisms which help them as the age, though, and maybe not having to cope with work related and social stress can relieve a lot of anxiety.

[anneasquith]

Impossible to say, we are all individual.
I do know of an 8 year old female ( now in her forties) who has suffered all her life, but thankfully she now ‘ feels in control ‘ .

[pastafreak]

Yes, it probably does vary with age, what kind of coping mechanisms, what sets off the anxiety.
I'm certainly better than I was in my 30s/40s/50s with an unsupportive husband.
I found some dietary changes helped (me, maybe not someone else), and managing sugar intake helped.

[rowanwitch]

They may move from anxiety type to depression. While age and experience may mean a person develops coping strategies they may be more prone to the effects of social isolation, and loneliness. There could be some change in the type of anxiety. Social and role conflict types would likely decrease but health anxieties may become worse, and for men performance anxiety with the increased incidence of erectile dysfunction with age.

[LadyCG]

Anxiety disorders can become worse or better with age.

Work related stuff used to cause me dreadful anxiety but with age and experience I've learnt to let things go over my head. That's not to say that I don't get anxious any more - I do - but periods of anxiety are more transient and I'm more resilient now.

There are various coping strategies you can try and medications if your anxiety become crippling. Seeking counsel from your GP and or support groups is best in the first instance.

One of the best forms of self-therapy is taking yourself out of a situation which may be causing you distress and trying relaxation techniques such as listening to soothing sounds, a hot bath with candles and calming music, etc. That doesn't work for everyone but helps some. Long walks in the countryside to release those endorphins and taking in the beauty of nature can also be very therapeutic.

[Juliette_Orwell]

I feel like it's not enough, and I can't control myself anymore. I need to try to take this problem more seriously. Some kind of app that would help me track my sleep, stress levels and health would work for me, but that would only delay the solution.

[Peter Pedant]

anxiety can be exacerbated in old age due to loneliness.

and they get depressed over not being able todo what they once did.

( easy one to verify: test age cohorts 20-30, 30-40 etc and find the prevalence goes up)