Clinical Anxiety & Depression
Anxiety can be discussed as both a symptom and a disorder or dysfunction.It can also be discussed in relation to the common diagnosis of Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). Many experience anxiety in day-to-day activities at low levels; these can function as our intuition and other factors of our identity within our larger community. It's important to remember that some anxiety is healthy, but long-term and chronic anxiety is typically due to a mental health dysfunction. If you are feeling that way, seek the treatments that you feel are best for you. Some people are able to use other activities in healthy ways to monitor their anxiety, but often people may need other therapies or medical interventions to help their mental health.
Someone experiencing anxiety in relation to other mental health issues /diagnosis /treatments may have something called a co-morbidity, which simply means more than one symptom(s) occurs in relation to the original diagnosis. There are also many other anxiety disorders that are more specific to phobias or certain behaviors. The context in which anxiety is brought up is what's most important, otherwise, it becomes harder to understand what the conversation is really about.
Although, feelings that are closely related to depression symptoms like sadness, loneliness, and fear, are all normal during life's naturally stressful events; depression, as a diagnosis, typically occurs when these feelings are more persistent and debilitating. Mood and behavior can change, but large absences of mood or behavior can also be signs or feelings of depression.
It is important to note that there are different types of depressive disorders, each with their own unique set of symptoms. The most common disorder being Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). Depression is a serious mental disorder that severely effects over 6% of American adults everyday, which makes it the leading cause of disability in America. It is important to know the signs and symptoms discussed on the Anxiety & Depression Association of America website link. Learning how to identity symptoms of depression can allow you to know what to look for in your behavior, as well as others.
General Anxiety Disorder and other ways Anxiety presents itself in Mental Health
Genralized anxiety Disorder affects up to 20% of adults and a total of 6.8 million adults in the U.S alone. The risk for GAD is highest from childhood-to middle age, but can occur at any age and comes on gradually. Generalized Anxiety Disorder can have symptoms such as (anxiety), fear, worry, and a constant feeling of being overwhelmed. It is diagnosed when a person finds it difficult to control worry for more days than not for at least 6 months and when 3 or more symptoms are present. GAD can have many multifocal trigger points, and thus many non-specific symptoms, the main symptom of focus for GAD is the inability to control worries. In a severe case, it can cause people to have difficulty carrying out the simplest of daily tasks. This can have major effects on one's daily life, which is why it is so important to understand symptoms, again for those you love as well as for your own mental health. often times, GAD has co-morbidity with other mental health disorders, such forms of depression disorders, OCD, BPD and many other. This is why it is important to remember that just because you might know the symptoms, does not make you a licensed psychiatrist/health proffesional. It is always best to seek professional help for the best individual treatment plan,
Social Anxiety Disorder, also called Social phobia is immense anxiety or fear of judgement, negative perceptions, or rejections within social performances or appearances. It affects 15 million adults in America alone and is the second leading diagnosed anxiety disorder. This disorder can cause
Bipolar disorder is also known as manic depressive illness. It is a brain disorder that causes significant mood shifts and behavior changes of the extreme. associated with this disorder, mood episodes can persist from days to weeks or even longer and can be erratic, ranging from a spectrum of moods from severe depressive to severe mania, or anywhere in between. sometimes people with BPD may experience both depression and mania in what is called a mixed bipolar state. There are many symptoms associated with BPD and I urge you to look at all of them at the link above; with the understanding that just because someone has some of the symptoms for BPD, or has one or two days of random high energy, does not necessarily mean they have Bipolar Disorder.
Finding Healthy ways to Cope:
Finding healthy coping habits can be very difficult to find and maintain. Many people will turn to drugs, big life changes, and increased interest in dangerous activities. While all people approach coping differently, it's important for us to discuss what we are facing with those close to us. Sometimes those who know us best, are the best people to help you find healthy ways to cope with whatever you are facing.
Coping with anxiety can be harder of course, but there are always going to be more personalized ways that you can cope. Going outdoors and interacting with nature is a large way humans have been known to relax and have anti-anxiety experiences. Activities that require physical movement and team work can typically be very supportive to mental stress, but this can be accessibility-based.
If you plan on using or use any drugs please check out our Drug Education page with expansive information on how to safely ingest and preventative measures.