Research suggests that around six million people across the UK suffer from anxiety disorder – and that up to 240,000 new cases are diagnosed every single year.

Mental health charity MIND says that a large number of Britons are failing to open up to their loved ones about anxiety-related symptoms, for fear that family members or peers may judge them, or not understand.

Fellow charity Anxiety UK warns that misunderstood symptoms of anxiety could lead to panic attacks, panic disorder or other complications if sufferers fail to speak up and seek help. The charity says that those who do not understand their symptoms or do not have the support they need will be more likely to experience feelings of fear and confusion in the future.

“The physical symptoms of panic disorder are naturally unpleasant, and the accompanying psychological thoughts of terror can make a panic attack a very scary experience. For this reason, those experiencing panic attacks start to dread the next attack, and quickly enter into a cycle of living ‘in fear of fear’,” it says.

The charity stresses that although anxiety disorder is frustrating, it can be effectively managed under the right support.

It says: “Prescription medication can often take time for the benefits to be seen, whereas many people expect an instant improvement which is often not the case.

“If medication can be combined with therapy, along with the daily use of self-help techniques, then the more likely someone is to have long term recovery”.