Anxiety is very common...26.2 percent of America has it. I let people know i have it, it helps me.

I too have wondered and worried the same thing. I found that many people I work with actually suffer from the same thing before I even had let them know I had the issue too. I let only certain people know that I have it, and it helps to have a few people to confide in. Also, if it helps I had a panic attack while at work one time and only one person noticed and asked if I was ok. Nothing bad happened and I still got rave reviews on my work from coworkers. :)

i to suffer from the same thing i had a panic attack at work i was freaking out coz i almost blacked out in front of everyone and now i still have them time to time it stops me from working coz i panic too much.

Alyanna. I did not know it was that high!!! That is crazy. It is sad to know it affect so many people. I think I am going to try to let folks know i get anxiety attacks.

Redvelvet, I am glad that you got through it and got great reviews!!! Good for you. Keep winning and beating it.


Jodie, it hits me at work also, do you think you know what causes them?

Hello -
I absolutely hate to let people know that I am having an attack. But I am pretty sure that by now they already know. But I think they don't know how to deal with it. I truly believe I am the most stubborn person in the world so I never show my emotional side (my crying side). I have had anxiety/panic attacks for almost 8 years. So my thoughts are with u...

I hope you don' t mind if I chime in about what may cause them at work? Do you have stressful coworkers? Or unreasonable deadlines? Sometimes we are put under so much pressure that it can culminate at work. Or sometimes a difficult person can make things that much more stressful. I once looked around and found something on my desk that was causing panic attacks. It turned out to be something I had gotten from an ex boyfriend whom I missed dearly. I removed it and my attacks lessened. Hope this helps!

Sure it can be embarrassing. When I first began having attacks they were severe and I would get really anxious about others knowing about them. I have learned that the more honest you are about them the better. If close people know about your anxiety they can help. And if you do have one in public just try to control your breathing and remain calm. I wish you the best of luck..

I am and have always been very open with my anxiety issues. I may be a little different in the aspect that I can identify and know the exact event that triggered mine. I was miles away from home so I wasn't able to run to a doctor immediately because I was flipping out. I chose to do a lot of research on it and to reach out to my family and friends on facebook and we all know that nothing is really private there. By reaching out and letting the 'world' know I have it, I also discovered that a lot of people have it. I was learning from them and also being comforted because so many other people have struggled with this and I wasn't alone. They offered to tell me what worked for them whether it was some type of therapy, medication or home remedy. I still fight this monster everyday, sometimes its easier than others and sometimes I just cry because I'm tired of fighting. One thing I have learned over the past year and a half is that I'm going to be ok and it might get the best of me sometimes but it can't beat me down. Don't ever be ashamed. Speak out and speak loud. I'm sure you will see that more of your friends and family have it or have had it than you realize.

I wouldn't tell anyone I didn't trust I had anxiety, especially on the job.

@George... that was one of the first things that came out of my mouth during my job interview almost a year ago. I feel that it is important for an employer to know. I was hired and here I am 11 months later being offered and accepting the assistant manger position.
The ONLY reason that I feel it is important is because when you have fought a panic attack and can't prevent it from coming... you don't want to surprise your boss with an 'I need a 15 minute quiet break alone,' conversation to later explain you had a panic attack. And eventually your co-workers will notice the many mood swings as well. Id much rather hear them say "Her anxiety must be affecting her a little today," than say, "I think she is bipolar and needs help." The greatest benefit of me being at my job with anxiety is the OCD crap kicks in and they LOVE that. I had to laugh when I was recently given a new job duty and my manager said.... 'since you're so anal about things.' I laughed at her and said, "Its the OCD!" Anxiety can be as bad as you make people think or you can set people straight and say: YES! It affects my life tremendously BUT it doesn't control me. I have an occasional panic attack that slips through but I can bounce back. Anxiety affects everyone at one point in their life. For some, they never have long lasting effects but for me... I fight it everyday but I'm on a road to recovery.
I don't think its bad to disclose this as long as you can let them know and show that it won't affect your job performance. From doing a little research, I have actually learned than many anxiety sufferers are workaholics and perform better on their jobs than people with out anxiety because we channel that negative energy into a productive energy.

The way I look at is: Why give people more of a reason to gossip? Besides, in certain career fields claiming you suffer from anxiety might prevent a person from getting the job, or a promotion.

I believe in honesty above all else. But sometimes discretion is the better part of valor. In my opinion, the only person who should know your medical history is your doctor.

But now a days, if you have to take a pre-employment or random drug test, your employer will know if you're on antidepressants, or any other medication for that matter. But its also treated as confidential information within the company.

You're right! I had to take a drug test and I was nervous about meds showing up so I asked the doctor and I actually waiting for the results. He asked why I was concerned so I explained what medicines I had taken and if something showed up positive I needed to go get letters from my doctors and prescription history from my pharmacy and turn them into my district manager.