An anxiety disorder is a mental health condition where worry or fear is frequent, hard to stop and out of proportion to the situation, often with physical signs.
The physical signs are real: a fast heartbeat, a tight chest, sweating or an upset stomach. Generalised anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder and panic disorder are three of the diagnoses in this group.
Many adults with ADHD or autism were treated for anxiety first. Sometimes that's right, and both are present. Sometimes the anxiety is a reasonable response to years of missed deadlines, overload or masking, and it eases once the reason for it is understood.
An assessment looks at when the anxiety started and what it is about. Worry that is mainly about a feared outcome suggests anxiety. Distress that follows forgetting, lateness or sensory overload suggests ADHD or autism may also be present. Our ADHD or anxiety page sets out the differences in more detail.