In a fast-paced society such as the one that we live in it is not surprising to find instances of anxiety. Anxiety is a natural reaction to stress and a constantly moving and demanding schedule puts immense pressure on its adherents. While it is impossible to remove all stress from one’s life and therefore impossible to remove all anxiety it is necessary to question the level of anxiety that is considered healthy. Anxiety can quickly lead to anxiety disorders that have much more severe consequences than the mere stress-related symptoms that an individual with just anxiety may feel. Recent research has shown that anxiety disorders are becoming more prevalent in society. In this paper I will outline the difference between anxiety and anxiety disorders, the symptoms and diagnosis of anxiety disorders, and the implications a rise in anxiety disorders can have on our society.
The American Heritage Medical Dictionary defines anxiety as “a state of intense apprehension, uncertainty, and fear […] often to a degree that a normal physical and psychological functioning is disrupted” (2010). Anxiety is a unique emotion in that each person exhibits slightly different symptoms of anxiety. Some of the common symptoms include nausea, jitteriness, fatigue, dread, shortness of breath, dry mouth, chest pain/tightness, headaches, sweating, or weakness (Greenblatt & Shader, 2003). While some of these symptoms can be intense, anxiety is a common reaction to different types of stress. Anxiety can actually help one to cope with everyday stress by preparing for future danger and how to respond to it (Ninan, 1999). Furthermore, anxiety can take different forms, especially as one develops. For example, young children often experience separation anxiety when they are forced to be separated from their parents for long periods of time as a young child. In adolescence anxiety often takes the shape of self-consciousness (Foa & Andrews 2006). Therefore, anxiety is a normal reaction to stress that prepares the body for some type of action response.
When anxiety reaches a level with extreme or disabling affects it can be diagnosed as a psychiatric disorder. McGregor states that these types of psychiatric disorders, known as anxiety disorders, are the most common psychiatric disorders in the world and usually occur between the stages of childhood to early adulthood (2006). The National Institute of Mental Health says that unlike the usual experiences of anxiety which are often short-lived, anxiety disorders classify anxiety that endures and can include feeling of being overwhelmed that worsen if not treated.
There are different types of anxiety disorders that each have specific distinctions while still sharing the symptom of excessive anxiety. Some types of anxiety disorders include Panic disorder, Specific phobia, Social phobia, Posttraumatic stress disorder, Generalized anxiety disorder, or Substance-induced anxiety disorder (Ninan, 1999). Since the symptoms for anxiety disorders are often similar and some of the symptoms mirror feelings felt on everyday basis it can be difficult to correctly diagnose anxiety disorders. In addition, anxious feelings can be misinterpreted as anxiety disorders. These problems cause a definite problem when trying to prescribe medication to individuals with anxiety disorders because different types of anxiety disorders require separate medications in separate doses to be most effective. An additional factor in the problems of diagnosing anxiety disorders as that anxiety disorders can exist simultaneously with many other disorders including bipolar disorder or depression. While it is helpful to separate the different types of anxiety disorders to help in diagnosis, there are frequent occurrences of comorbidity which can make it difficult for practitioners determine the exact disorders the patient may have (McGregor, 2006).
The article that sparked my interest in researching anxiety disorders was an article by Shaun Dreisbach about the rise of anxiety disorders and specifically the rise in women. Shaun writes that 40 million Americans are dealing with anxiety disorders and “five times as many young adults are dealing with high levels of anxiety as in the late 1930s (itself a stressful time!)” (2010). Perhaps most worrying is the fact that most medical practitioners claim that the numbers of diagnosed with anxiety disorders is actually an under diagnosis since many women fail to seek treatment because they do not realize the severity of their mental health (Dreisbach, 2010).
This article also discussed some of the possible causes for the rise in anxiety disorders. First, there is the possibility of safety. As mentioned earlier, anxiety often involves an intense fear that causes the body to respond in various ways to prepare for an action. In today’s society there seems to be a growing feeling that we are not as safe as we used to be. Dreisbach interviewed Susan Nolen-Hoeksema, a psychology professor at Yale University who claims that the news on TV or in a newspaper is enough to cause stress or fear (2010). Indeed, much of the news today consists of war, crime, death, disease, and turmoil. Furthermore, for Americans the age of terrorism has seemingly shaken our perception that the United States was untouchable. As a result, safety could be a cause of anxiety disorders, particularly among young women.
Another possible cause for the rise in anxiety disorders could be a cultural shift. Jean Twenge, a noted Professor of San Diego State and author of the book “Generation Me”, contributed to this article suggesting that over the last 70 years American culture has shifted from valuing intrinsic values to extrinsic values (2010). Twenge believes that society now values things like money and status as opposed to close relationships. As a result, people become increasingly stressed because they feel that they need to attain certain levels of wealth or status and anxiety disorders prevail.
A third possible cause of anxiety disorders is the stress of technology and social networking. Nolen Hoeksema suggests that always having to be on call from a cell phone or email account never gives you a break and causes unnecessary stress. Social networking can also be a stress because, although keeping up relationships, there is not that personal face-to-face contact that has been proven to reduce mental health problems (Dreisbach, 2010). Instead social networking via technology becomes a sad and disappointing replacement for true human interactions.
After discussing the nature and causes of anxiety disorders it is essential to consider the consequences of a rise in anxiety disorders. An article by Blumenthal, Leen-Feldner, Frala, Badour, and Ham examined the connection between social anxiety and certain risk-taking behaviors such as alcohol use (2010). Their study produced results with strong correlations between high social anxiety and heightened affective problems and coping motives. Furthermore, their research suggests that factors such as a dense social network, high importance of social comparison, and a sense of isolation were all linked to an increase in risk-taking behaviors, especially alcohol use (Blumenthal, 2010). Therefore, the rise in anxiety disorders could increase alcohol use. Alcohol will also increase risk for abuse, costs of health care for those over-intoxicated, the number of patients in rehabilitation, and most likely other crime rates.
A second study that shows some serious implications for the rise in anxiety disorders is a study conducted by Heimburg, Iida, and Zaider that investigated the link between anxiety disorders and intimate relationships. The research they conducted involved in-depth interviews of couples where the wife had an anxiety disorder. They found that husbands experiences less support and availability from their anxious wife and often became angry. The women often attributed at least some of their elevated anxiety to something that their husband did or did not do (Heimburg et al). This study shows that anxiety disorders can affect not only the individual who has the disorder but the people around him or her too. According to Heimburg et al, having a parent with an anxiety disorder increases the risk for marital problems and conflict between parents (2010). This could potentially lead to divorce which creates even more stress for everyone involved. The parent with the anxiety disorder, if divorced, will probably experience elevated stress that may make their condition worse. The other parent may also experiences added stress. Children of divorced parents have been proven to experience many side effects as well including financial worries, lower academic scores, social isolation, or possibly violence. Therefore, the increase turmoil in a family due to anxiety disorders could have dire ramifications.
Anxiety disorders are already the most prevalent disorder is America but estimates from medical practitioners suggest that anxiety disorders are also under-diagnosed. Perhaps it is the seemingly common symptoms or the fear of seeking help but anxiety disorders continue to prevail for a variety of people who are not being treated accurately. What is worse is that research has shown that anxiety disorders are continuing to increase. Whether it is safety concerns, a cultural shift, or the age of technology and social networking that has caused this increase is, as of yet, unclear; regardless, this trend could mean severe consequences for society. Some of those consequences could include alcohol use or abuse, marital issues, divorce, financial problems, socially isolated children, violence, or future anxiety disorders. It is essential that the general public is aware not only of the rise of anxiety disorders but the symptoms of anxiety disorders so that they can access help when needed. This is the best way to curb the upsurge of anxiety disorders. Awareness is one of the only weapons we have against these negative societal ramifications.
References
Andrews, L.W., Foa, E.B. (2006). If Your Adolescent Has an Anxiety Disorder. New York: Oxford
University Press.
Blumenthal, H., Leen-Felder, E.W., Frala, J.L., Badour, C.L., & Ham, L.S. (2010). Social Anxiety
and Motives for Alcohol Use Among Adolescents. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors,
24(3): 529-534.
Greenblatt, D.J., Shader, R.I. (2003). Approaches to the treatment of anxiety states.
Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Iida, M., Heimburg, R.G., & Zaider, T.I. (2010). Anxiety Disorders and Intimate Relationships: A
Study of Daily Processes in Couples. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 119(1): 163-173.
McGregor, J.C. (2006). Anxiety Disorders. Philadelphia: Saunders
Ninan, P.T. (1999). The functional anatomy, neurochemistry, and pharmacology of anxiety.
Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 60(suppl22):12-17.
No comments:
Post a Comment