Society. Anxiety: why are so many of us living “on alert”?

Anxiety is first of all a useful emotion. It prepares the body to react to danger: the heart speeds up, muscles tense, attention narrows. The problem begins when the alarm rings constantly, without any real threat, and daily life starts to revolve around it.

What the figures say

According to the Santé publique France health barometer, published in December 2025, 6.3% of adults aged 18 to 79 had generalised anxiety disorder in the previous twelve months. Women, young adults and people who are financially insecure or isolated are the most affected.

Another finding: nearly 30% of the people concerned received no mental-health-related care during the year. Among men, the proportion reaches 39%. Many wait for it to “pass”, or do not dare to talk about it.

Nearly one anxious person in three asks for no help at all.

A signal rather than an enemy

As early as 1926, Sigmund Freud described anxiety as a signal: a warning that something inside is trying to be heard. This is still the psychoanalysts' approach today. Rather than only trying to silence the symptom, the aim is to understand what it is saying: a conflict, a loss, a situation one cannot leave, a worry inherited from one's history.

Anxiety can also take more acute forms, such as the panic attack: a sudden surge of fear with palpitations and shortness of breath, very frightening but not dangerous in itself. After a first attack, or if there is chest pain, it is nevertheless advisable to see a doctor to rule out a physical cause.

A national cause

Mental health was declared a “grande cause nationale” in France for 2025, with the aim of reducing stigma and making help easier to reach. One simple message sums it up: talking about your anxiety is not a sign of weakness, and the earlier you talk about it, the easier it is to get out of it.

This article is for information only. It replaces neither a consultation nor a diagnosis, which is a doctor's role.