Mind4Youth

Authors: Solen Ronarch, Shubham Gupta

For most of the people on our planet today, life isn’t easy. Every person has their individual struggles and personal challenges that influence their daily lifestyles. Today, people are also facing an influx of new technology. The internet and social media has allowed us to get a plethora of knowledge at any moment. Around every corner, it seems as if we are being bombarded with new information. Although the initial purpose of new technology was to make our lives easier, sometimes the effects can be in direct opposition to our goals. We are now seeing how technology can negatively affect our mental health. However, technology is not all bad when it comes to mental health. In recent years, social media has become a great resource for bringing awareness to mental health and this can help people find mental health resources during vulnerable moments. This has then caused more discussions around mental health online: albeit accurate or inaccurate information. While it is great that discussions around mental health are becoming more normalized, it is important to have an accurate understanding of mental illness so that we can talk about mental disorders with sensitivity and awareness. Additionally, it’s important to dive into the details of anxiety, how it develops, and how it can be treated, to get a full understanding of this topic.

What is Anxiety?

While everyone faces challenges and gets worried from time to time, an anxiety disorder goes far beyond what is considered to be a healthy level of stress. Those who are suffering from an anxiety disorder are chronically worried about daily situations. This level of worry can go as far as having episodes , “ …of intense anxiety and fear or terror that reach a peak within minutes …”, also known as panic attacks. Anxiety is debilitating as it can make performing daily tasks difficult as these feelings are not proportional to the perceived threat. Those with anxiety, “ …may avoid places or situations to prevent these feelings.” There are different types of anxiety disorders which include “ …anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder (social phobia), specific phobias and separation anxiety disorder.” In some cases, anxiety can be caused by a medical condition that requires treatment (Mayo Clinic). 

Anxiety can also influence how someone will behave in their daily lives. Anxiety can be very overwhelming which may cause someone to withdraw from family and close friends, “ … feel unable to go to work, or avoid certain places.” Avoiding these situations may provide brief moments of relief, but these feelings will most likely return when faced with these same scenarios. By not facing what causes their anxiety, avoidance will only cause one to associate fear with the experiences that they are avoiding. However, there are some people that have learned to hide their anxiety and do not show symptoms around others. (Mental Health Foundation). 

Anxiety Symptoms

Anxiety can present itself in many different ways. A person may be suffering from anxiety if they are experiencing these symptoms: restlessness, sensing an imminent threat, fast heart rate, hyperventilation, sweating, trembling, weakness, trouble concentrating/cannot focus on the present and distracted from daily tasks, poor sleeping habits, GI issues, and avoiding possible anxiety triggers. (Mayo Clinic). It is also important to note the differences between anxious feelings and anxiety attacks. Anxiety usually occurs in response to clear stressors, while panic attacks happen suddenly and unexpectedly. When having a panic attack, one can experience “ …lightheadedness, chest pain, hot flashes, chills, and stomach discomfort” (McLean). 

Another key thing to note is the distinction of anxiety compared to other things, and what the differences are in those symptoms. For example, one of the most common things that anxiety is sometimes confused with is plain fear. However, anxiety and fear are two different sides of the same coin. While they both originate from the same feeling of panic, they’re essentially different based on the responses that they create. “Although both are alerting signals, they appear to prepare the body for different actions. Anxiety is a generalized response to an unknown threat or internal conflict, whereas fear is focused on known external danger.” (Steimer).

Causes of Anxiety

The causes of anxiety are not entirely understood. However, people can develop anxiety due to traumatic events, genetics, and/or health conditions (Mayo Clinic). Sometimes anxiety points to an underlying health condition. If a doctor suspects this is the case, tests will be done to confirm or deny the suspicion. Some health conditions that can be linked to anxiety include: heart disease, diabetes, thyroid problems (such as hyperthyroidism), respiratory disorders (including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma), drug misuse or withdrawal, withdrawal from alcohol, anti-anxiety medications (benzodiazepines) or other medications, chronic pain or irritable bowel syndrome, and rare tumors that produce certain fight-or-flight hormones. Anxiety may be caused by an underlying condition if: there is no anxiety in the family, no childhood anxiety, you do not avoid situations due to anxiety, and there has been a sudden development of anxiety that does not reflect life events. People may develop anxiety due to traumatic experiences, stressing over an illness, stress over life events (familial death, work, finances), having a certain personality type, having other “ …mental health disorders…” , and drug and/or alcohol use (Mayo Clinic).

Another cause of anxiety is often linked to a person’s genetics. Although less common, sometimes anxiety can actually be passed down to you from your family. Usually, it’s not just one gene that controls it, but rather different genes that make you much more vulnerable to it. “There’s clear research showing that anxiety is influenced by genetics. In fact, experts noticed a family connection for anxiety even before they understood how DNA or genes worked.” (McGee and Gupta). In most cases, anxiety is caused by all of the factors listed above. However, sometimes anxiety is more dangerous because of its link to genetics. Still, it’s important to know any family history of anxiety in order for you to stay aware and informed of what it is and how it could possibly affect you.

Anxiety Treatments

While anxiety is a difficult mental illness to live with, there are a wide variety of treatments that one can use to manage anxiety symptoms. To help relieve anxiety, it is important to get help as soon as possible. Anxiety can become worse over time if not treated, so it is recommended that one seeks help as soon as they are able to. To manage anxiety, it is important to find and participate in activities that you enjoy. It is also helpful to socialize with others and form caring relationships. It is important to have people you can turn to when you are dealing with anxiety. To decrease anxiety symptoms, it is also helpful to avoid drugs and alcohol. Other forms of anxiety treatment include: breathing exercises, physical exercise, journaling, meditating, reading, and reframing your thoughts so that they become more manageable and less overwhelming. Some people also get in touch with their spirituality to combat anxiety. Those with anxiety can also turn to behavioral therapy or talk to their healthcare provider for more treatment options (Christensen). 

While anxiety is a debilitating mental illness, there are many treatments available and anxiety can be very manageable when treated.