But Chad's charity for 2008, Central Notts MIND, is working hard to help people realise that anybody can be affected by a mental health issue at any point in their lives – from being bullied at school to going through a divorce as an adult.

One-in-four people will experience a mental health difficulty in their adult life and although most of these situations are of a minor nature, other individuals will have more serious difficulties which require in-depth and lengthy support.

This week Central Notts MIND has explained one of the top three mental health disorders – anxiety – in a little more detail.

MIND leaders hope to banish the stigma attached to the illnesses and encourage others to support people with mental health difficulties instead of shunning them.

Anxiety

Anxiety is something everyone experiences from time to time. Most people can relate to the short-term anxiety of feeling tense, uncertain and perhaps fearful when sitting an exam or going into hospital.

However, if such feelings begin to overwhelm a person it can affect their ability to concentrate and do well.

The disorder can be triggered by a number of factors, including experiencing a distressing event and struggling to deal with the emotions at the time, worrying about the future or even on a day-to-day basis due to caffeine, excess sugar or a poor diet.

After a while people can start to fear symptoms of anxiety, especially feeling out of control – causing a vicious circle.

They begin to feel anxious because they dread feelings of anxiety.

The disorder can have an affect on both the body and the mind, causing physical and psychological effects including tension, discomfort, headaches, fear and heightened alertness.

But people can tackle the disorder in a number of ways by learning to control the symptoms, adopting a healthier lifestyle or simply talking about their feelings to friends, family or a counsellor.

Individuals who feel they may be suffering from anxiety are encouraged to drop into one of Central Notts MIND's activity centres in Mansfield, Sutton or Kirkby to see how the charity can help them to overcome the disorder.

•Anyone interested in becoming a Central Notts MIND volunteer or trustee, or who would like to organise a charity event or make a donation, should contact Girish Ravat on Mansfield 658044.