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Why do we need to talk about Anxiety?
Anxiety now features in more conversations than ever before, with testimonials pushing for an acceptance of what is often not acknowledged enough in modern social systems — that human beings break down, especially when exposed to growing demands of performance and success.
The National Mental Health Survey of India 2015-16 found that nearly 10 per cent of the population were affected by common mental disorders, including depression, anxiety disorders and substance use disorders. It quoted a study done in Himachal Pradesh, which revealed that 15.5 per cent of the population in the age group of 15-24 years suffered from anxiety.
Almost one out of five adolescents in India suffers from some level of mental morbidity, says a 2019 study conducted by the Bengaluru-based National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences. Male teenagers from urban, nuclear family backgrounds constituted the majority of its sample survey. They showed risk behaviour such as substance abuse, casual sex and speed driving and were found to be often in conflict with their family members and the law.
What is Anxiety?
The American Psychological Association (APA) defines anxiety as "an emotion characterized by feelings of tension, worried thoughts and physical changes like increased blood pressure." Knowing the difference between normal feelings of anxiety and an anxiety disorder requiring medical attention can help a person identify and treat the condition.
What are the symptoms of anxiety?
Anxiety feels different depending on the person experiencing it. Feelings can range from butterflies in your stomach to a racing heart. You might feel out of control, like there’s a disconnect between your mind and body.
Other ways people experience anxiety include nightmares, panic attacks, and painful thoughts or memories that you can’t control. You may have a general feeling of fear and worry, or you may fear a specific place or event.
Symptoms of general anxiety include:
What is an anxiety attack?
An anxiety attack is a feeling of overwhelming apprehension, worry, distress, or fear. For many people, an anxiety attack builds slowly. It may worsen as a stressful event approaches.
Common symptoms of an anxiety attack include:
When is anxiety a mental health problem?
Anxiety can become a mental health problem if it impacts on your ability to live your life as fully as you want to. For example, it may be a problem for you if:
It is crucial to distinguish between plain nervousness and a disorder. Failing to do this can result in two problems –
“Anxiety is essential, it facilitates our response to either fight or flee. If someone encounters a lion in a jungle, her anxiety makes her run for her life, till she is safe. But if the person cannot let go of the anxiety even when she is safe, is consistently worried and scared, that is how you understand that an anxiety disorder exists,” says Delhi-based counselling psychologist Manisha A Sharma.
What’s to worry?
Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD): The most common form of anxiety, it is an extreme, intense and absurd worry associated with everyday life. You will anticipate disaster about everyday things and experience fatigue, nausea, headaches, restlessness, insomnia and sweating.
Panic Disorder: If you get recurring panic attacks, it is possible that you have a panic disorder. Physical symptoms include rapid heartbeat, perspiration, dizziness, hyperventilation, chest pains and crying.
Social Phobia: Not to be confused with shyness. If you’re scared of being around people altogether, you might be experiencing social phobia, which is an intense fear of being in a social situation and being judged by other people.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): If you have experienced something traumatic in the past, and keep revisiting that memory, you might be going through PTSD. It can last for years, with physical effects including severe insomnia and constant fatigue.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD): If you tend to have certain thoughts or tend to do certain routines repeatedly and are unable to control them, you might be experiencing OCD. Eating only out of a particular plate may be mild OCD, but refraining from eating if that plate is not available is acute OCD.
Treatments
Most people with the condition try one or more of these therapies:
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