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(1)The actual cause of anxiety isn't really known, however what we do know is that it effects a lot of people all over the world. The possible reasons for it however, are ; (1)The brain displays signs of over-activity in sufferers, in the parts of the brain that control emotions and your behavior. *Serotonin comes into play with noradrenaline which is imbalanced - similarly to what goes on in the brain of someone who is depressed, and that affects the mood. It could be genetic (if a family member already has anxiety its increases your chances of you having it) Environmental factors such as stress in family life, domestic violence, child abuse ect. (1)Drug and alcohol misuse can always trigger it too. However those are just a few examples of things that could start anxiety, however a lot of sufferers have it for no apparent reason.
*Serotonin is the chemical that makes you sleep, eat, feel pain and it controls your mood.
(1)"GAD is estimated to affected up to 5% of people in the UK. Women seem to be affected more than men and it usually affects people between 35 to 95 years old"
In my research I have encountered many people with anxiety - and depression; but this section will focus mainly on anxiety. The person I met with is quite irate a lot of the time, and suffering with hypochondria - they told me that as a hypochondriac, they have 'health anxiety'. I have trouble understanding this. They feel they are dying again and worry what disease they may have - they worry about EVERYTHING. this may change every week as they feel they are exhibiting different symptoms. As they have anxiety they panic a lot and confronting them ie trying to rationalize their symptoms, acts as a anger trigger. i have had no experience with anxiety myself I can only sympathize not empathize.
They told me about one night when their flatmate was trying to sleep and they lost their boyfriend while out clubbing. They were drunk and ran into the flatmate's room, flung on the light, waking them up and burst out crying - throwing their coat and clothes down; basically hyperventilating, going 'I don't know where he is, I don't know where he is!' then screamed 'Im going to look for him!' and ran back out. They did that four times that night.
It's things like this that explain people having short fuse and misunderstanding when it comes to issues like anxiety.
I admit, I am one of those people who has no patience for that sort of thing and thinks it is blatant attention seeking. But seeing as I am doing this research project to teach myself more about it, I am hoping to become more sympathetic towards things that anxiety sufferers do.
I have seen the person I was talking to above have panic attacks before and part of me sees how scared they get and it makes me think 'This is serious!' and the other half goes 'Oh grow up! deal with it!' But as I was doing my research into Depression I started to gain more of an understanding for it; perhaps I can learn about Anxiety through this stage of my project.
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(2) A lot of people only have two or three symptoms, however others may exhibit a lot more.
(2)There are many signs of anxiety; from being restless, to feeling a constant sense of dread and being on edge, to having trouble concentrating on things and being irritable. Sufferers of GAD tend to push their family and friends away in order to avoid having something to worry about. (2)A lot of sufferers find that getting the energy to go to work is unbearable. They'll make excuses to stay off sick and find work difficult. (3) they worry every day and often are pessimistic. (3) "If you have had any of the symptoms below for more than 6 months, chances are you will probably be diagnosed with GAD"
(2) Sufferers from anxiety have a lot of symptoms, common of panic attacks; although with panic attacks they are somewhat emphasized. The symptoms of Anxiety are ; feeling dizzy and tired all the time - a faster heartbeat, irregular, like palpitations, (2)having trembling or shaking and a very dry mouth. Also anxiety sufferers can have excessive sweating, stomach pains and feeling like they have trouble breathing easily. pins and needles and insomnia are also common symptoms. (1)Feeling restless and feeling worried and panic attacks - trouble concentrating are all common too.
(4)"Going out of the house is a challenge because I have a fear of panicking and feelings that I am being watched or judged It's just horrible. I want to get help but I am worried of being judged"
WHAT IS A PANIC ATTACK?
(5) "I felt like I couldn't breathe, I just wanted to get out, to go somewhere else, but I couldn't because I was on a train."
(5)Sufferers of anxiety often have panic attacks. A panic attack is how their bodies receive and react to certain situations. A situation you or I would be okay with, might send them into a full meltdown. If they don't know how to react or feel like they're losing control. An over-reaction if you will, to situations. It becomes a physical response- shortness of breath, limbs shaking- not really feeling like you can control your on body. (5)During a Panic attack, sufferers have been noted to have described the situation like 'feeling like you were going to die or were having a heart attack. Or even just fainting'. A foreboding of sorts, which aggravates their panic even more.
(5)"My teeth would chatter uncontrollably and my whole body would tremble, I’d hyperventilate and cry with panic as the feeling that I was going to fall unconscious was so convincing"
(5) Panic attacks can be so severe they can even happen while you are asleep! Your body senses the tiniest movement and tells your brain you're in danger - which can trigger a panic attack, waking you up. Having one of these 'episodes' while you are asleep can be particularly frightening as you can't really do anything to spot it before it happens or do anything to prevent it. (5)Most panic attacks can last for about five to twenty minutes. But it can only take 10 minutes for the attack to go from a slight movement or twitch to a fully fledged attack. You can even get multiple attacks all hit you one after another, which may seem to appear like an hour long attack.
(5) Panic attacks can be so severe they can even happen while you are asleep! Your body senses the tiniest movement and tells your brain you're in danger - which can trigger a panic attack, waking you up. Having one of these 'episodes' while you are asleep can be particularly frightening as you can't really do anything to spot it before it happens or do anything to prevent it. (5)Most panic attacks can last for about five to twenty minutes. But it can only take 10 minutes for the attack to go from a slight movement or twitch to a fully fledged attack. You can even get multiple attacks all hit you one after another, which may seem to appear like an hour long attack.
(5)As to how many panic attack each person may receive? That is entirely down to the individual and their level of anxiety. some people may have an attack a couple of times a month, whereas some might have one a day. The fear of each situation the sufferer may come across being dangerous is totally irrational.
On a video i was watching on this site (5) Sufferers of GAD sit down and discuss their illness over a cup of tea. One of them said, quite rightly that when you are worrying about something and you finally get home and google your symptoms, you start to think the worst. The worst thing you can ever do that is; googling your symptoms. Believe me I've done it before. We all have at one point.(5)When asked how he helps calm himself down before a panic attack, one of the sufferers replied that he assesses how he feels, recognizes what is happening and reasons with himself 'calm down- this has happened before, you'll be fine after, just breathe'
(5)check out the video at this URL: https://youtu.be/9YaS_4tXBNU
(6)Hypercondria is a severe form of health anxiety that affects everyday life. As a sufferer, the individual always feel like something is 'not quite right'. They may have medically unexplained injuries such as aches and pain, despite the doctors telling them they are healthy. Their motto seems to be' well what if?'
(6)There are a few factors into why this illness may arise; perhaps the sufferer has a loved one who died due to an injury or illness, or maybe they were a sickly child who was fussed over a lot. Each case is specific to each individual. There is no overall cause. It could have something to do with personality too. Perhaps that person just happens to be a worrier at everything they do. Situations we rationalize, they take and blow all out of proportion. Not purposefully, that is just what health anxiety does.
(8)One of the videos I watched about this topic expressly said within the first few seconds of the video 'I often don't know why I'm being anxious.' So in some cases the individual may not understand themselves, let alone have other people understand them. (8)Some people, unless you know them very well may look totally normal and together - but inside is like a hurricane, ripping them to shreds. It also pointed out there is no reasoning with someone with anxiety; all the logic you throw at them will not stop them from panicking. (8) Having anxiety makes them feel suffocated. (9) Getting out of bed at the beginning of the day can sometimes prove to be immensely difficult for someone with anxiety; in fact, keeping a steady job can prove extremely difficult. (9)35% of
sufferers just gave up their jobs and stopped working. Women are apparently two times as likely as men to get anxiety.
(10)I also found a game walkthrough on Youtube that has created a visual metaphor for anxiety and the aim of the game is to use the controls to keep breathing and walking, while trying to avoid an ominous black shadow behind you; which is the visual stimuli for anxiety. Very interesting stuff. I'll put the link below in my references. It sort of put things into perspective for me.
worrying all the time about things
Feeling the physical effects on their bodies such as shaking, heart rate speeding up and feeling panicky. Muscles aching ect
feeling scared or apprehensive and nervous a lot
Staying away or hiding from certain situations that they think might trigger them.
(15b) leaving gatherings/events/ certain situations earlier than others to avoid people or extended contact with people
(15b)avoiding situations where they don't know what is going to happen or things are out of their control
(15b) doing everything perfectly so no nasty surprises or unexpected things happen.
(15c) When dealing with people with anxiety you have to remember to be supportive but not pushy. Don't ever trying to make sufferers feel uncomfortable doing something they don't want to do. Don't tell them how to do something either. you can give support but don't take over; they need to figure it out themselves. Try to be helpful and understanding. Don't dwell in the past. You can talk briefly about where their worries come from and why they might have them but the aim is to move on and talk about how you can help.
A bit about Hypochondria (health Anxiety)
(6)Hypercondria is a severe form of health anxiety that affects everyday life. As a sufferer, the individual always feel like something is 'not quite right'. They may have medically unexplained injuries such as aches and pain, despite the doctors telling them they are healthy. Their motto seems to be' well what if?'
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There are different types of hypochondriac; the type that is constantly searching google for symptoms and seeing the doctor/A&E/GP all the time and having tests all the time to look for problems that may not be there, and then there is the other type that avoid doing things that could aggravate whatever ailment they think they have, and avoid talking to people and doctors. Really anything that could start their anxiety. just hiding away from it all.
(6) when the sufferer is finally diagnosed as being a 'hypochondriac', the next step doctors will do is to check to see if you have any other mental illnesses/disorders that could be coinciding with your anxiety; such as depression or Bipolar.
(7) people with Anxiety can take up Cognitive behavioral therapy to help them. This is when the sufferer can receive help and be shown how to deal with problems by breaking them down into smaller more positive chunks. CBT also helps by focusing on problems in the here and now - not from your past or when you were a child. CBT can also help people with OCD, phobias, PTSD and also eating disorders. (6) CBT also helps identify what makes symptoms wors
e or better, and coming up with ways to overcome these 'obstacles' in life. As anxiety can often come hand in hand with depression - sufferers may choose the anti depressants as a more positive way of help rather than CBT - sometimes it helps people more than the therapy does.
e or better, and coming up with ways to overcome these 'obstacles' in life. As anxiety can often come hand in hand with depression - sufferers may choose the anti depressants as a more positive way of help rather than CBT - sometimes it helps people more than the therapy does.
Living with anxiety
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sufferers just gave up their jobs and stopped working. Women are apparently two times as likely as men to get anxiety.
(10)I also found a game walkthrough on Youtube that has created a visual metaphor for anxiety and the aim of the game is to use the controls to keep breathing and walking, while trying to avoid an ominous black shadow behind you; which is the visual stimuli for anxiety. Very interesting stuff. I'll put the link below in my references. It sort of put things into perspective for me.
(15a) There are many symptoms that anxiety sufferers have;
Believing that something bad could or will happen in the next few minutes or days or even months.worrying all the time about things
Feeling the physical effects on their bodies such as shaking, heart rate speeding up and feeling panicky. Muscles aching ect
feeling scared or apprehensive and nervous a lot
Staying away or hiding from certain situations that they think might trigger them.
(15b) leaving gatherings/events/ certain situations earlier than others to avoid people or extended contact with people
(15b)avoiding situations where they don't know what is going to happen or things are out of their control
(15b) doing everything perfectly so no nasty surprises or unexpected things happen.
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Things that could cause Anxiety:
- Being in some sort of accident, traumatic situation
- having a tough time in school or in childhood. Bullying ect
- Abuse or being physically or mentally hurt by people they trusted
- Having fun poked at them at school or being teased
- not doing very well at school or being bad at something
- People giving them criticism and putting them down their whole life.
(15c) When dealing with people with anxiety you have to remember to be supportive but not pushy. Don't ever trying to make sufferers feel uncomfortable doing something they don't want to do. Don't tell them how to do something either. you can give support but don't take over; they need to figure it out themselves. Try to be helpful and understanding. Don't dwell in the past. You can talk briefly about where their worries come from and why they might have them but the aim is to move on and talk about how you can help.
References for Anxiety
(1)http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/anxiety/Pages/Introduction.aspx
(2)http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Anxiety/Pages/Symptoms.aspx
(3)http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Anxiety/Pages/Diagnosis.aspx
(4)http://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/anxiety-and-panic-attacks/#.V5oYx7grLIU
(5)http://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/anxiety-and-panic-attacks/panic-attacks/#.V5pev7grK00
(6)http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/hypochondria/Pages/Introduction.aspx
(2)http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Anxiety/Pages/Symptoms.aspx
(3)http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Anxiety/Pages/Diagnosis.aspx
(4)http://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/anxiety-and-panic-attacks/#.V5oYx7grLIU
(5)http://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/anxiety-and-panic-attacks/panic-attacks/#.V5pev7grK00
(6)http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/hypochondria/Pages/Introduction.aspx
(7)http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/cognitive-behavioural-therapy/Pages/Introduction.aspx
(8)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKCWwztOCsg
(9)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ewo_Sh6QFc
(10)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6s7pgf2fVE
(11)http://unitevamag.com/struggling-with-fear-anxiety-and-stress/
(12)http://www.tyci.org.uk/wordpress/good-mental-anxiety/
(13)http://counselling-matters.org.uk/content/anxiety
(14)https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/156148312055249615/
Books
(15)How to deal with anxiety by Dr lee Kannis-Dymand & Dr Janet D Carter
ISBN: 978 1 473 60215 1 first published in 2015 in the U.S by Quercus
(15a) page 2
(15b)page 7
(15c) pages 342-343
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