Nearly half of all adults in the UK experience anxiety symptoms every week, according to recent research.
Figures by Nuffield Health have suggested that the problem is also a daily issue for one in five people.
The survey of 2,000 men and women found that anxiety cases have increase by a third since the recession hit in 2008.
However, the research also found that doctors are a massive 46 times more likely to prescribe medication to patients as a result, as opposed to alternative stress management techniques like exercise or yoga .
This finding comes despite 25 per cent of the survey’s respondents saying that they were frustrated at only being offered tablets by their GP.
Nuffield Health medical director Dr Davina Deniszczyc said: “Nuffield Health is calling for all GPs to treat mental health as they would any other condition that can benefit from treatment with exercise – like chronic heart disease, diabetes and obesity for example.”
According to the survey, only four per cent of people said they would actually prefer to be prescribed anti-depressants as opposed to other measures of a more holistic approach.
