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Mental health has been a stigmatised topic for millennia, throughout history, and people have paid the price. Thankfully, in our modern day, we are working to destigmatize mental health and help those who afflicted with mental illness. Since the early sixties, scientists have been researching the reasons for the stigmatization of mental health as well as the types of afflictions people can have. According to an article from PubMed Central,
“A scientific concept on the stigma of mental disorders was first developed in the middle of the 20th century, first theoretically and eventually empirically in the 1970s. The book Stigma: Notes on the Management of Spoiled Identity, published in 1963 by the American sociologist Erwin Goffman, laid the foundation for stigma research as a scientific discipline and described how stigmatized persons deal with the challenge,” (Rössler).
The destigmatization of mental health is a large focus for many in world governments, doctors, those who are afflicted with mental disorders and many others. Our focus here at Resilience Inc. is to help children in need and to help them learn how to be mentally healthy adults. This starts with being informed of the types of mental health challenges they may face, such as different anxiety disorders.
The information below about anxiety disorders can be found through the references linked at the bottom of the page from the MayoClinic.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
While anxiety is a normal feeling from time to time or more often if a person’s life is especially stressful, chronic or ongoing anxiety that is affecting everyday activities or anxiety that cannot be controlled may be demonstrative of a generalized anxiety disorder. GAD can develop in both childhood and adulthood. GAD can pose a challenge for those afflicted in the long-term. There are cases in which GAD improves with the use of medication or forms of therapy as well as making lasting lifestyle changes, and learning and using coping skills and relaxation techniques.
Symptoms: (Information From MayoClinic)
-Persistent worrying or anxiety about a number of areas that are out of proportion to the impact of the events
-Overthinking plans and solutions to all possible worst-case outcomes
-Perceiving situations and events as threatening, even when they aren’t
-Difficulty handling uncertainty
-Indecisiveness and fear of making the wrong decision
-Inability to set aside or let go of a worry
-Inability to relax, feeling restless, and feeling keyed up or on edge
-Difficulty concentrating, or the feeling that your mind “goes blank”
Physical symptoms: (Information From MayoClinic)
-Fatigue
-Trouble sleeping
-Muscle tension or muscle aches
-Trembling, feeling twitchy
-Nervousness or being easily startled
-Sweating
-Nausea, diarrhea or irritable bowel syndrome
-Irritability
Panic Disorder (PD)
Panic disorder or PD is a condition in which a person has possibly frequent, reoccurring, unexpected, panic attacks. Or when a person spends a long time in constant fear in which they will have another panic attack. A panic attack is a sudden episode of intense fear or anxiety even though a person is in no sudden or immediate danger. A panic attack might cause a person to think that they are having a heart attack or even dying. Panic attacks can strike suddenly with no to little warning.
Symptoms of Panic Attacks may include: (Information From MayoClinic)
-Sense of impending doom or danger
-Fear of loss of control or death
-Rapid, pounding heart rate
-Sweating
-Trembling or shaking
-Shortness of breath or tightness in your throat
-Chills
-Hot flashes
-Nausea
-Abdominal cramping
-Chest pain
-Headache
-Dizziness, lightheadedness or faintness
-Numbness or tingling sensation
-Feeling of unreality or detachment
Social Anxiety Disorder
In social anxiety disorder a person may feel as though everyday intreractions as well as personal characteristics are being judged and or scrutinized by other individuals. This can lead to significant embarrassment, self-consciousness, and significant anxiety in relation to social interactions. The fear and anxiety can lead to severe avoidance that can disrupt a person’s life. Avoiding a phone call, a meeting, or an interaction can hugely impact a person’s life and lead to large social and real-life consequences. Social anxiety disorder can be a chronic mental health condition that can affect relationships, work, school, routines, and other major aspects of a person’s life. This disorder often occurs in the mid-teens but can also occur in early childhood and adulthood. It can change over time and appear differently in different people. The symptoms of the disorder are often near constant for those afflicted.
Symptoms: (Information From MayoClinic)
-Fear of situations in which you may be judged negatively
-Worry about embarrassing or humiliating yourself
-Intense fear of interacting or talking with strangers
-Fear that others will notice that you look anxious
-Fear of physical symptoms that may cause you embarrassment, such as blushing, sweating, trembling or having a shaky voice
-Avoidance of doing things or speaking to people out of fear of embarrassment
-Avoidance of situations where you might be the center of attention
-Anxiety in anticipation of a feared activity or event
-Intense fear or anxiety during social situations
-Analysis of your performance and identification of flaws in your interactions after a social situation
-Expectation of the worst possible consequences from a negative experience during a social situation
Physical Symptoms: (Information From MayoClinic)
-Blushing
-Fast heartbeat
-Trembling
-Sweating
-Upset stomach or nausea
-Trouble catching your breath
-Dizziness or lightheadedness
-Feeling that your mind has gone blank
-Muscle tension
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Obsessive-compulsive disorder also commonly known as OCD is a condition in which a person has a pattern of unwanted thoughts and fears which are known as obsessions. These can bring a person to start a cycle of repetitive behaviors, also known as compulsions. These obsessions and compulsions can cause a lot of distress to a person with OCD and can cause large or small interruptions to daily life. The fulfillment of the compulsive acts eases the stress a person is caused by OCD. Even if a person were to ignore the compulsions, they frequently return. The return to these actions continues the cycle started by a person’s OCD. An example of a compulsive act a person may find themselves doing is washing their hands repeatedly until their hands are sore and chapped for fear of contamination. Additionally, other such compulsion could be to shut and open the door behind you multiple times or to do every action eight times.
As with obsessions, compulsions often have themes:
-Washing and cleaning.
-Checking.
-Counting.
-Ordering.
-Following a strict routine.
-Demanding reassurance.
Examples of compulsion symptoms include:
-Hand-washing until your skin becomes raw.
-Checking doors over and over again to make sure they’re locked.
-Checking the stove over and over again to make sure it’s off.
-Counting in certain patterns.
-Silently repeating a prayer, word or phrase.
-Trying to replace a bad thought with a good thought.
-Arranging your canned goods to face the same way.
Additional information
For additional information about anxiety disorders, please visit the World Health Organization:
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/anxiety-disorders
If you need emotional support, reach out to the National Hotline For Mental Health Crises And Suicide Prevention. Call or text 988.
References
“Generalized Anxiety Disorder – Symptoms and Causes.” Mayo Clinic, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/generalized-anxiety-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20360803.
“Obsessive-compulsive Disorder (OCD) – Symptoms and Causes.” Mayo Clinic, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/obsessive-compulsive-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20354432.
“Panic Attacks and Panic Disorder – Symptoms and Causes.” Mayo Clinic, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/panic-attacks/symptoms-causes/syc-20376021.
Rössler, Wulf. “The Stigma of Mental Disorders.” EMBO Reports, vol. 17, no. 9, July 2016, pp. 1250–53. https://doi.org/10.15252/embr.201643041.
“Social Anxiety Disorder (Social Phobia) – Symptoms and Causes.” Mayo Clinic, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/social-anxiety-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20353561.