Guideline / position statementindependent cross-checkfull text checked I-CHK-140 standard review
WHO: anxiety disorders are common and treatable
WHO fact sheet: Anxiety disorders (15 September 2026)
Overview
World Health Organization. WHO fact sheet 2026
WHO names effective psychological and drug treatments and does not list any food as a cause.
Does the study support the specific claim? No · Methodological quality: moderate
Plain-language summary
Study explained simply
- What did the researchers want to find out?
What are anxiety disorders, their causes and treatments?
- How was the study done?
Agency fact sheet
- How many people, animals or samples were studied?
not applicable
- What was actually found?
Anxiety disorders affected 470 million people in 2023; panic disorder = 'panic attacks and fear of continued panic attacks'; 'There are highly effective treatments for anxiety disorders'; psychological interventions are essential treatments; SSRIs can be useful. Contributing factors listed: social, psychological and biological factors and adverse experiences; diet is not listed as a cause (only 'eat a healthy diet' as self-care).
- How large was the observed effect?
Anxiety disorders affected 470 million people in 2023; panic disorder = 'panic attacks and fear of continued panic attacks'; 'There are highly effective treatments for anxiety disorders'; psychological interventions are essential treatments; SSRIs can be useful. Contributing factors listed: social, psychological and biological factors and adverse experiences; diet is not listed as a cause (only 'eat a healthy diet' as self-care).
- What do the results mean in everyday life?
Panic attacks should be assessed and treated; diet change is not a treatment.
- What are the study's limitations?
Fact sheet, not a systematic review
- What does it say about Elawady's specific claim?
Supports the safety note.
- Do the results apply to Germany and Europe?
Applies globally.
- What can explicitly not be concluded from this study?
Not a study of chicken.
Scientific in-depth review
1. Full reference
- Authors
- World Health Organization
- Journal
- WHO fact sheet
- Year
- 2026
- Identifier
- Verification
- verified – WebFetch of WHO page 2026-10-26
- Retracted
- no
- Corrections
- none
- Extent checked
- full text
- Conflicts of interest and funding
not stated in abstract
2. Research question
What are anxiety disorders, their causes and treatments?
3. Study design and population
- Study design
- Guideline / position statement – Agency fact sheet
- Population
General population
- Country
global
- Period
2026
- Sample size
not applicable
- Inclusion and exclusion criteria
as described in the abstract
4. Methods and endpoints
- Exposure / intervention
not applicable
- Comparator
not applicable
- Endpoints
Prevalence, causes, treatment
- Statistical methods
as reported in the abstract
5. Actual results
- Results
Anxiety disorders affected 470 million people in 2023; panic disorder = 'panic attacks and fear of continued panic attacks'; 'There are highly effective treatments for anxiety disorders'; psychological interventions are essential treatments; SSRIs can be useful. Contributing factors listed: social, psychological and biological factors and adverse experiences; diet is not listed as a cause (only 'eat a healthy diet' as self-care).
- Absolute risks
not reported
- Authors' conclusion
Effective treatments exist; about 1 in 4 people with anxiety disorders receive treatment.
6. Strengths
- Authoritative international agency
7. Weaknesses
- Fact sheet, not a systematic review
8. Risk of bias
- Orienting tool
- none applicable
- Type of assessment
- simplified assessment (abstract only)
- Full formal assessment
- no
- Overall risk of bias
- not assessable
- Rationale
Agency statement.
9. Assessment of the statistical interpretation
Not applicable.
10. Relevance to the specific claim
States the accepted causes and treatments of panic/anxiety disorders; relevant to the safety note.
11. Independent contrary findings
12. Transferability to Germany and Europe
13. Overall methodological judgement
WHO names effective psychological and drug treatments and does not list any food as a cause.
| Multidimensional assessment | |
|---|---|
| Authenticity of the source | verified |
| Methodological quality | moderate |
| Risk of bias | not assessable |
| Precision of results | not applicable |
| Directness | indirect |
| Reproducibility | unknown |
| Consistency with the overall evidence | consistent |
| Regional transferability | high |
| Adequacy of the interpretation (by the archive) | not applicable |