Anxiety disorders are some of the most crippling disorders out there and also some of the most underdiagnosed disorders in our country. The reported numbers in 2017 in India were that 44.9 million people suffered from anxiety (3.3% of the population). But other stats show that one in seven Indians were affected by mental disorders in the same year. The unreported cases can be uncountable. Let’s understand anxiety and what anxiety disorders are.
Anxiety is an emotional response to threat or to a dangerous or unfamiliar situation. It is characterized by a sense of uneasiness, worry or fear; mostly about an imminent event or about the unknown outcome of an event such as an exam, an interview, etc. Many people experience a healthy level of anxiety in stressful situations, which pushes them to be alert, vigilant and improve their performance in the stressful situation or cope with it efficiently. But some people can experience intense anxiety which increases their stress, decreases their performance and has a negative impact on the individual’s capacity to cope with difficult situations. This kind of anxiety is often persistent, is disproportionate to the level of threat which means mostly it is more intense than what the situation may call for; and is based on unfounded fears that can interfere with one’s work, relationships and other areas of one’s life.
Symptoms of anxiety
The symptoms of anxiety are physical as well as psychological. Some of the common physical symptoms are sweating, palpitations, trembling, fatigue, loss of sleep or appetite, restlessness, etc. Some of the common psychological symptoms are: a feeling of dread, uncontrollable and irrational feelings of worry or fear, hypervigilance, irritation, sensations of uneasiness or panic for no apparent reason, trouble concentrating, repeated failed attempts to decrease fear or tension, a decline in one’s work or social life, etc. A person may experience some or all of the symptoms in varying levels of intensity, duration and frequency.
Types of Anxiety disorders
On a continuum from lesser or healthy levels of anxiety to extreme and severe levels of anxiety; anxiety is characterized as a disorder when the functionality of the person gets affected. This means that the anxiety is either so intense, or frequent, or chronic that it negatively affects the individual’s work, social life, relationships, areas of interest, and so on. Anxiety can manifest itself in different form, from a vague sense of persistent dread, to a paralyzing fear about one thing. Let’s look at the types of anxiety disorders that are prevalent:
Generalized Anxiety disorder (GAD) : the individual experiences a persistent sense of uneasiness, dread and can become anxious or worry about one thing, then move onto to the other. There is not a singular object to worry about. They may worry about anything and everything. Usually, the amount of anxiety felt is not related realistically or proportionate to the event or situation.
Social anxiety disorder (SAD) : Social anxiety is characterized by an unreasonable fear of social situations and interacting with others. Fear or anxiety about meeting people, participating in discussions or activities involving people, public speaking, fear of crowded places, etc. are all spoons of Social anxiety disorder. An inherent feeling of being judged or not good enough, or being left out, pervades and colors all social interactions for such people. It is a crippling disorder because it stops one from seeking help and can lead to tremendous feelings of isolation.
Post traumatic Stress disorder (PTSD) : After a traumatic event, an individual can develop an anxiety disorder in which there are flashbacks of the traumatic event, nightmares, hypervigilance, paranoia or irritability. Anxiety aprons may manifest even if the person hears about the event on things associated to it. Usually seen in sexual assault survivors, war veterans, survivors of natural disasters or traumatic crime victims, etc.
Panic disorder : Some people have episodes or panic attacks wherein they feel uncontrollable fear, a sense of doom or impending death. There can be physical spoons like rapid heart beat, sweating, dizziness, nausea, feeling of being choked, chest pain, etc. The panic is usually not founded in any real source of danger or is disproportionate to the danger or threat.
Specific phobias : A phobia is a crippling, irrational fear of an object, situation or animal which affects one’s functionality. It makes a person go out of their way to avoid the object of fear. Common phobias include fear of enclosed spaces (claustrophobia), fear of flying (aviophobia), fear of heights, spiders, water, etc. The avoidance of this object of fear can be extreme enough to interfere with one’s life, to the extent that they may start becoming anxious or fearful just by hearing about their object of fear (eg. If someone even mentions spiders).
What can you do?
Anxiety disorders can be a terrifying experience for those who are suffering from them, even people who are seemingly high-functioning; which means that their work or social life is not extremely affected by the disorder and their functionality is maintained. Whether the disorder is easily seen and affects one’s capacity to function in the world or if it is hidden and one seems to doing fine and functioning well; anxiety disorders need to be acknowledged, understood and treated. Even if one is not suffering from anxiety at the level of a disorder, but is still struggling with anxiety issues; they should still seek support. This is because anxiety issues can act as a gateway to bigger and more severe mental health issues or result gradually into anxiety disorders. In today’s day and age, anxiety is very common and almost everyone has dealt with these issues at some or the other times. Hence, it becomes important to address and raise awareness about anxiety and it’s treatment options.
If you or anyone you know has been suffering with anxiety issues, it is best to consult a psychiatrist or a clinical psychologist for a proper diagnosis. Anxiety disorders can be treated in rehabs, clinics, or other mental health centers. Rehabilitation centers in India may be focused on deaddiction; but it is not uncommon for these rehabs to admit patients with intense anxiety disorders such as phobias, PTSD, panic disorders and extreme forms of social anxiety. In fact, what most rehabs in Mumbai and Pune report is that many addicts suffer from co-occuring anxiety issues and someone them are even using alcohol or drugs to get relief from their anxiety. Anxiety disorders can be treated in outpatient settings as well as inpatient rehab settings; using different approaches of therapy and pharmacological interventions.