Only a small number of people suffering from anxiety disorders ever receive treatment because family doctors lack understanding of the issue, a UK health body has warned.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence says even when patients are correctly diagnosed they are too often treated with prescription drugs when they should be offered talking therapy and self-help approaches first.
The body which appraises drugs for use on the NHS has published new guidelines to improve the quality of care given to children, young people and adults suffering from the illness, which is characterised by excessive worry, restlessness and trouble sleeping and concentrating.
Doctors frequently see anxiety as secondary to depression, when anxiety is in fact the real problem.
Around one in 20 adults have an anxiety disorder, which although they vary in severity can be associated with significant long-term disability and can have a lifelong course of relapse and remission.
In children and young people they are also associated with an increased risk of other serious mental health problems, including depression and substance misuse.
Professor Gillian Leng, deputy chief executive at NICE, says psychological treatments should always been offered to patients first.
"Anxiety disorders are surprisingly common, and many people will experience one or more periods of this type of illness during their life, or live and work with others who are affected," she said.
"Yet many people who experience them do not receive the help or support they require. This is often because their symptoms are not picked up or the treatment they need is not available.
"Receiving an accurate and timely diagnosis, then following this up with the right type of care can be key in determining whether someone progresses towards recovery or whether their mental health further deteriorates."
A snapshot of anxiety disorders in adults in England over a one-week period carried out by the Office of National Statistics in 2007 found that 4.4 per cent of adults had generalised anxiety disorder, 3 per cent had post-traumatic stress disorder, 1.1 per cent had panic disorder and 1.1 per cent had obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Professor John Cape, head of psychology at Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust in London, who helped develop the standards, said: "Anxiety disorders are common, distressing and often disabling, yet people are often unaware they have a condition that can be helped by psychological or other treatment."
