Exploring its nature and treatment to help those closest to you
Have you ever seen one of your friends, who was fine moments ago, shut down and experience trouble focusing and listening to you while you are sharing the latest gossip? Or perhaps it’s yourself who has experienced episodes of extreme sweat, restlessness, tension and a frantic drum inside your body known as a panic attack?
Those are common signs that you or others around you are wrestling with the phenomenon known as anxiety. Anxiety, the world’s most common mental disorder, is an overwhelming feeling of fear, dread and uneasiness. However, despite its prevalence, it is often stigmatized and generalized as common nervousness, when in reality anxiety is a constant worry that does not subsidize, causing significant distress and hindering one's daily life.
Types of anxiety disorders include generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), panic disorder, phobias and separation anxiety. The latter of the three commonly affects children, although most anxiety disorders all begin in the earlier stages of one's life around adolescence ages.
Fortunately, a lot of empirical scientific research has been undergone and progressed in the last few decades regarding anxiety treatment, producing outcomes that help to improve one’s quality of life, well-being and social relationships. The two most common methods are taking medication and psychotherapy. Often, these are used in conjunction.
Medication aimed at anxiety, such as benzodiazepines, is specifically prescribed for those in need of short-term relief of symptoms. However, drug tolerance towards these types of medication is common so they are more suitable for relieving symptoms for short periods of time but in a speedy manner.
On the other hand, psychotherapy, more commonly known as counseling, involves orally working through and ultimately relieving one’s emotional response to the illness. Most commonly used in treating anxiety, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a type of therapy that focuses on identifying troublesome thoughts and behaviors and then targeting and changing these.
Additionally, other more niche fields of therapy like music and art may be helpful for some individuals. Although these methods generally tend to lack empirical evidence in comparison to medication or psychotherapy, they are generally innocuous so the potential benefits outweigh the drawbacks.
However, even with all of the available therapies and self-help techniques, establishing human connections might be the most effective way to combat anxiety. Social relationships, whether they be friends, neighborhood support groups, or peer-to-peer networks, remind us that we are not alone in our challenges and can be a source of hope in our darkest moments. It can be beneficial not only in combating and preventing anxiety but also in improving our physical health and overall quality of life through a positive feedback loop.
Please note that this article should not be used for purposes of self-diagnosis. Anxiety, like any other mental health disorder, is complicated and needs to be evaluated by a professional in order to be accurately diagnosed and given the right course of care. Please consult a licensed healthcare professional for advice if the symptoms mentioned above are observed or exhibited.