Can Anxiety Cause More Than One Anxiety Symptom?

Written by Jim Folk
Medically reviewed by Marilyn Folk, BScN.
Last updated July 12, 2021

Question: Can Anxiety Cause More Than One Anxiety Symptom?

Play the video below to watch the answer, or read the video transcript below the video if you prefer reading instead of watching the video.

Video Transcript:

Question:

I've had anxiety for about five years. Throughout that time, I've had numerous symptoms come and go, and many that occur at the same time. I've been to my doctor many times and she keeps saying it's anxiety and that it can cause all of my symptoms.

I have a hard time getting my head around this. It seems unusual to me that anxiety can cause so many symptoms and for such a long time. I'm not sure my doctor knows for sure. But since I trust you guys will know, my questions are: Can anxiety cause more than one symptom, or am I the only one who has multiple symptoms?

Answer:

Yes, anxiety disorder most often causes more than one symptom. Typically, the more anxious the person is, the more symptoms they get.

However, this isn’t always the case, as some people can have just one anxiety symptom. But having only one anxiety symptom is the exception and not the rule.

Having only one symptom is most often experienced by people with low to mild anxiety.

Again, anxiety disorder most often causes multiple symptoms.

For instance, in an online poll we conducted, 1.3% of respondents said they experienced no symptoms, 1.8% said they experienced only one symptom, and 96.9% said they experienced multiple symptoms.

You can see that the vast majority of respondents said they experienced multiple symptoms. The online poll results reflect our personal and professional experiences with anxiety disorder, as well.

So, you aren't alone. Most anxiety disorder sufferers experience multiple symptoms, which can persist until the body has recovered from the stress caused by overly apprehensive behavior.

For more information:

The links are in the comments below or the video transcript.

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