The Anxiety Disorders Association of America estimates that more than 4 million Americans between the ages of 18 and 54 suffer from chronic worry.

As reported in London's The Independent, "Prescriptions for antidepressants have risen rapidly in recent years. In 1993 there were 10.8 million antidepressant prescriptions handed out by doctors in England and Wales. But by 2002, this figure had more than doubled to 26.3 million prescriptions."

The sufferer pays physical and emotional tolls and employers pay tremendous financial tolls, such as decreased productivity and increased downtime. The physical toll that anxiety places on our bodies often causes worriers to miss more work than other employees. Stress caused by worry has been known to contribute to hypertension, heart attacks, diabetes, ulcers, back pain, headaches, and strokes. In addition, worry can cause the body to store fat. Researchers have found that worry causes an increase in the body's level of the hormone cortisol. The elevated level of cortisol causes the body to increase fat storage in the abdominal area. Excess fat in the abdominal area can lead to heart disease and breast cancer.