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Have you ever wished you could step into someone else’s mind? Maybe not even to see their thoughts, but to feel how they feel. To understand how they see the world and what’s important to them. I have known many people throughout my life who have struggled with anxiety. Anxiety is something that is hard to understand if you’ve never experienced it yourself. Sadly, we can’t step into other people’s minds. So maybe we will never know what it’s like to feel the way someone else does, but we can try our best to learn about their minds. We can help people understand mental illnesses such as anxiety so that no one will have to feel misunderstood or alone.

Section One: Personal accounts / who is affected

Have you ever looked around a room and noticed someone that wasn’t acting like themselves? Sometimes you will notice when someone doesn’t feel well; other times they are silently battling harder than you may know. Eleanor Morgan talks about her severe anxiety and depression in her article This Is How It Feels to Live with Severe Anxiety and how it has affected her, “I thought I was going to vomit, but nothing came. Just wave after wave of nauseating pressure, from my temples to my toes. Then came a cold, black fear like I’d never known: my head swam, the walls felt like Silly Putty. Absolutely nothing in my body or surroundings made sense. This was possession, pure and simple.” This is true about anxiety. It’s easy for us to push mental illnesses to the side because we can’t always physically see them, but not all scars are left on the outside.

Anxiety comes in many forms but one of the most common is generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). People with GAD, experience excessive anxiety and worry, often expecting the worst even when there is no apparent reason for concern. They may be overly concerned about money, health, family, work, or other issues. GAD is diagnosed when a person finds it difficult to control worry on more days than not for at least six months and has three or more symptoms (ADAA). Anxiety is a serious illness and should be treated as one. The words no one wants to hear when they are feeling anxious are things like “just don’t think about it” and “calm down, you’re fine.” If you’re having trouble understanding anxiety and how to act when people you know are struggling here is a helpful video: Things About Anxiety Nobody Talks About. Remember that anxiety doesn’t define a person, but simply is a part of them that needs a little understanding.

Many times anxiety is accompanied by other mental illnesses; especially depression. In her article, Morgan also mentions how her anxiety has become more than just anxiety, “I’ve negotiated anxiety in the form of a panic disorder for the last 15 years. Twice, it’s tipped over into a severe depression—the kind that imprisons you in your flat, unable to do anything but watch The Simpsons on YouTube and eat Carr’s water biscuits.” This is why it is extremely important to take anxiety seriously; we must be aware of how closely related it is other mental illnesses. Anxiety can be extremely debilitating without adding depression, so struggling with both is not easy.  To ensure that you are being treated correctly you should have a thorough health evaluation (NIMH). Anxiety will not define us; we will learn, we will educate our friends and we will push through.

Scott Stossel is an editor of The Atlantic Magazine and the author of a New York Times bestseller. In his article “Surviving Anxiety”  he talks about his struggle with anxiety and learning to cope, “At various times, I have developed anxiety-induced difficulties breathing, swallowing, even walking; these difficulties then become obsessions, consuming all of my thinking.”Anxiety disorder is so much more than just being a little worried before an event; it is being worried about anything and sometimes everything.The article, 11 Facts About Anxiety, talks about the all too real physical effects of anxiety: “Anxiety affects a sufferer physically as well as mentally. Some physical symptoms, especially during a panic attack, include shortness of breath, shaking, nausea, headache, rapid heartbeat, dizzy spells, and more.” Mental illness may not always be visible, but it is there. 

Section Two: The statistics

Anxiety affects people worldwide and is the most common mental illness in the U.S. It’s time to learn about anxiety and expose the world to its effects. Anxiety disorders affect 40 million adults in the United States age 18 and older, or 18% of the population (ADAA). 18% of the goddamn population. Maybe that sounds small to you, but let’s take a step back and think about that. That is 40 million adults who feel misunderstood. 40 million people diagnosed with an illness that they may not even understand themselves. That is 40 million people who HAVE been diagnosed; what about all the people who are struggling and are too uneducated to even know how to get help? Anxiety and mental illness are no less important than any other illness and they deserve to be treated and understood in the same way.

Anxiety is not something that is well understood so people do not always take it seriously. It’s easy to look at someone and think they are healthy because they look it on the outside; we must stop assuming this. It’s not as simple as “thinking positive” to overcome your anxiety, but you can learn to spot self-defeating thoughts and see them for what they are (Hotline Information). Suffering from anxiety is a learning process; you must learn what helps you and what hurts you. The more people become educated and seek help, the more they will understand how to control their thoughts and anxiety.

Anxiety can be absolutely crippling and can cause physical sickness. It can lead to serious physical problems that are very real to those suffering from them. For example, people with panic disorder have recurrent unexpected panic attacks, which are sudden periods of intense fear. Panic attacks can cause pounding heart, or accelerated heart rate; sweating; trembling or shaking; sensations of shortness of breath, smothering, or choking; and feeling of impending doom (NIMH). The physical effects of anxiety are just as real as the mental effects. If someone you know is suffering from an anxiety attack it is important to be patient with them and understand that what they’re feeling is very real.

This photo was taken by Bousure.

Anxiety and the fear of anxiety holds people back from everyday activities. Think about it, no one want to feel anxiety so even the thought of anxiety can give you anxiety. It can be a never ending circle that holds you back because the anxiety does not go away and can get worse over time. It can interfere with daily activities such as job performance, school work, and relationships (NIMH). When you suffer from anxiety you become more aware of what makes you anxious but this can help you to move forward, “Sometimes anxiety can be caused by an automatic reaction to a person, place or thing called a “trigger.” You may know exactly what your triggers are, or you might be able to identify new triggers by recording your anxiety and life events on a day-to-day basis.” (Hotline Information) Don’t be afraid to keep track of your anxiety; it will help you to work with your therapist to decide how you should deal with and treat it. Anxiety must be faced head on and we must understand the many, many forms it can come in.

The are many kinds of anxiety that people suffer from, some which are much more intense than others. One of the most common kinds of anxiety that I mentioned earlier is generalized anxiety disorder which affects 6.8 million adults, or 3.1% of the U.S. population. Other anxiety disorders include panic disorder, social anxiety and specific phobias. Panic disorder causes extreme panic attacks to occur when a person is feeling anxious and affects 6 million, or 2.7%. Social anxiety is a more specific anxiety where those who suffer become anxious in social settings. This includes things like presentations, shopping and interacting with other people. Social anxiety affects 15 million, or 6.8%. Specific phobias refers to many different phobias that can range from phobias of the outdoors to phobias of cars. Specific phobias can be of anything which makes it one of the highest anxieties affecting 19 million, or 8.7% (ADAA). The many variations of anxiety can make it hard to understand because no two people struggle in the exact same way or can be treated in the exact same ways.

Section Three: How it’s treated

Everyone has experienced feelings of anxiety in their lives, but when you have anxiety disorder you can not simply control it on your own. There are many ways that anxiety can be treated and professional help is a very good way to figure out what needs to be done. Some of the most common treatments include psychotherapy, medication or both. (NIMH) Talking about your anxiety will help you to discover what triggers your anxiety and what you can do to try to lessen it. Medication will help to reduce your anxiety significantly if you find the right medication for you with help from a doctor. Psychiatrists and psychologists are extremely helpful to talk to about your anxiety, but don’t forget that sometimes just talking to a friend can make all the difference too. If we open the conversation about mental health we can all help each other.

Anxiety can be caused by many different factors and accompanied by other mental illnesses. Anxiety is very closely related to other mental illnesses such as depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder and in turn they often co-exist (NIMH). Anxiety, depression and OCD are not easy to deal with on their own; so when they dip into each other they are very intense. Anxiety is very personal due to its many forms and the mental illnesses that can accompany it which makes treatment extremely personal (ADAA).The conversation about mental health being opened up will help us to understand these mental illnesses and how the are connected better. You often hear “anxiety and depression” chunked together but are you really aware of the crippling effects they have? Anxiety is not like a scrap on the knee that needs bacterial cream and a bandaid. It is a very complex disorder that takes a lot of understanding and care to treat properly.

Cognitive behavior treatment (CBT) is one of the most common therapies used to treat anxiety. CBT focuses on identifying, understanding, and changing thinking and behavior patterns. The more a person learns how to cope with their anxiety and practices methods that work, the more effective it will be. CBT is relied on for good reason; research over the past 10 to 15 years has shown that CBT is the most effective treatment for most anxiety disorders, making it the first line of treatment (ADAA). CBT is important because it can be used on most forms of anxiety, making it a good place to start treatment.

Medication is usually used along with therapy and can be very helpful to people who suffer from anxiety. Medication, like therapy must be right for each individual. This is why a mental health evaluation is also very important. The type of anxiety disorder, its severity, the presence of co-occurring disorders and level of distress will guide the medication you’re prescribed (“Living with Anxiety”). Medication is a great tool used to help those who suffer but it is not necessarily a cure. Usually a mixture of medication and therapy are the best way to get significant results.

This photo was taken by John.

Section Four: Why mental health needs more exposure

Mental illness is a serious condition that can lead to many complications and even death. This is not an issue that should ever be taken lightly, poked fun at or looked down upon. Anxiety is an extremely serious condition that affects people in very serious ways. There are shockingly sad statistics found on Mental Health by the Numbers. Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the U.S., and the 3rd leading cause of death for people aged 10–24. Ages 10-24 are the most affected by suicide in the U.S. If that isn’t shocking enough, more than 90% of children who die by suicide have a mental health condition (“Mental Health by the Numbers”). Listen up people; open your ears, open your minds, open your hearts. That is one of the most depressing statistics I have ever heard; 90% of children commit suicide because of an illness that can be treated. This is a battle we need to open the conversation about; to save lives.

The more exposure that mental health receives, the easier it will be for people to get help. The stigma attached to mental health needs to be addressed and then destroyed. People need to know that people will be there to listen; to help. If we take away the fear of judgement. If we take away the fear of “looking crazy.” If we take away the fear of never feeling normal again; we can make a difference. There is no reason that people should feel ashamed to be treated for an illness, “Half of all chronic mental illness begins by age 14; three-quarters by age 24. Despite effective treatment, there are long delays—sometimes decades—between the first appearance of symptoms and when people get help.” (“Mental Health by the Numbers”) Sometimes decades, really? Although there are other reasons this may be true; it is undeniable that there is a lot that can be done to change this. As you could imagine; silently suffering will not help anyone with anxiety. Let us make a change.

Tackling a bad stigma in a society will not be easy. It will not happen overnight. It will happen though. The more educated that people become on mental illness, the more they will understand the true implications of the illness. There is no reason that an illness should be thought of as anything but an illness. There will never be a valid reason to blame an illness on the person it has attacked, “I’ve been in a similar situation more times than there is to recount here. People—high-functioning, highly successful people—are crying out to talk about their struggles with mental health. No one would feel ashamed discussing an arrhythmia: Why should an instability in the brain be taboo over one in the heart?” (Morgan, Eleanor) Morgan has suffered from anxiety throughout her life and I have never agreed more with the words she said. Why is everyone so afraid to open their minds to an illness of the brain?

People suffering from mental illness should never feel alone or like no one understands them. Once again, they are people just like the rest of us and they should be treated just as that. An illness will never define a human being and I think that’s really what people want the world to know. Eleanor Morgan talks about this feeling, “People want to be heard—someone just has to push that first domino. And this idea that we’ll be “revealing” too much—as I have been fearful of in the past—making people uneasy or run the risk of forever painting ourselves as a “crazy person” by talking about our mental health is so very wrong.” It is wrong. In fact it’s horrifying that people feel alienated because they are sick. It’s terrible to think that you will be judged because you have an illness; solely because it is misunderstood.

Every human being deserves to be treated with respect; loved for who they truly are and never be judged by anything but their character. We are all human beings. We all have flaws. We all need someone to lean on every once in awhile and we have all been there for someone to lean on us. We need to allow people to feel comfortable enough to talk about their anxiety. People need to be able to talk to each other,  “People all over the world plough the internet every day searching for mirrors to their own pain, looking for evidence that people have overcome dire mental discomfort. An echo. When I was unwell, that is all I wanted—some idea that I could come out of those black woods.”(Morgan, Eleanor) The more comfortable people feel talking about their struggles, the more the community will grow. People will no longer feel alone; they will know they have someone to reach out to.

It is easy as a human to be somewhat self-centered but always remember “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about.” (Mass, Wendy) People struggle everyday through battles that they don’t tell anyone about. Use the knowledge you have learned about mental health and anxiety to help others. Be a hand to hold; a shoulder to cry on, an ear to listen, be a friend. Together we can erase the negative stigmas that are attached to mental illness and be one step closer to accepting everyone for who they are.

Work Cited

“Anxiety Disorders.” NIMH RSS. Web. 28 Mar. 2016.

“Hotline Information.” Treating and Living with Anxiety. Web. 28 Mar. 2016.

“Living with an Anxiety Disorder.” Psych Central. Web. 30 Mar. 2016.

“Mental Health By the Numbers.” NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness. Web. 05 Apr. 2016.

Morgan, Eleanor. “This Is How It Feels to Live with Severe Anxiety | VICE | United States.” VICE. Web. 30 Mar. 2016.

“Surviving Anxiety.” The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company. Web. 30 Mar. 2016.