My own history of Anxiety Disorders goes back some 13 years. In that time I have experienced just about everything this awful ailment can throw at you and amassed a huge amount of knowledge as a result.

Whereas a lot of this information is naturally because of my own experiences, I also read and studied widely whilst looking for a cure. In addition, I learned a lot from other sufferers, all of whom I sincerely hope have found their way out of their own personal hell.

It is estimated that 1 in 4 people will suffer from this horrible ailment at some time during their life, and yet it still remains almost an unhidden disease, with even the most intelligent of us not sure where we should be going, or to whom we should be talking, so as to find a cure.

I would hope that the following very simplistic FAQs approach may be of some assistance to some people.

Question. How do I know if I have an Anxiety Disorder?.

Answer. You need to visit your doctor immediately with a list of your symptoms. To repeat, you should do this immediately.

Question. How common are anxiety disorders?.

Answer. As mentioned above, I was amazed to learn that 1 in 4 people will have some form of anxiety disorder during their lifetime. People who have the disease feel they are on their own, but nothing could be further from the truth.

Question. Will I die from this?.

Answer. In a word, no. The symptoms of anxiety disorders can indeed be awful, making people feel as though they are going to die. However, they are the result of our natural "fight or flight" bodily triggers being activated, and however bad they make you feel at the time, they are not life-threatening on their own.

Question. And how exactly are anxiety disorders caused?.

Answer. The principle factors are as follows. Genetics, your childhood environment, lifestyle issues i.e. stress overload or even burnout, your thought processes, and finally biological factors determining whether we overreact to stress or not. A disorder is then brought about by a combination of these factors operating together over time. You will not be absolutely fine one day and then have the disorder the next, and in fact most people will be vaguely aware that "something is not right" and will probably have had this feeling for some time even before they get an attack.

Question. Can we suffer from more than one Anxiety disorder?.

Answer. Yes, and frequently most people do. This carries the tongue twisting name of comorbidity.

Question. So can these disorders be cured?.

Answer. Most definitely yes. Medication treatments will help people to ease and control the symptoms, but it is finding the root cause, or causes, of the anxiety where a permanent cure lies. This is very important to understand, as it is not medication which cures the ailment, it is the eradication of its root cause, or causes.

Question. So what about prescriptive drugs?. Can they not cure the disorder?.

Answer. Medication will of course help the sufferer to handle the awful symptoms, and get their life on some sort of an even keel again. However, to repeat, they can only treat these symptoms, they can do nothing about unearthing and getting rid of the root cause of the disorder. To do this you need to learn simple skills and techniques and put in place probable lifestyle changes which will enable you to get rid of the disorder permanently.

Question. And is the disorder able to be eradicated completely, with a lasting cure?.

Answer. A complete cure is indeed possible. To achieve this one will need to learn the skills and techniques to get rid of the root causes of the ailment, and it will also probably necessitate some lifestyle changes which were touched on earlier.

These skills and techniques are not difficult to learn, they simply need to be applied diligently. With the right will power and application, this disease can be beaten by anyone.

Prescriptive drugs are but a part of what can help. However, as they address purely the physical symptoms, it is the root cause which needs addressing, and that is down to the individual.

My personal mistake was in not seeking help early enough, and I strongly recommend that you do not repeat that error. You can cure this disorder if you really want to, just as countless others have across the world.

ANYONE can permanently get rid of their anxiety disorder, and YOU can do that too. You CAN beat this, just get the right help and advice.