Anxiety And Depression

Imagine being stood in front of a high speed locomotive and you are frozen solid to the spot. Unable to move, knowing what is about to happen, and can do NOTHING to help yourself escape.

Now imagine being plunged into this scenario several times A DAY.

This is what it feels like for an Anxiety Disorder sufferer. Or as close as it can be described. The only difference is, there is no speeding train barreling towards you. It's unseen. And comes from out of no where. Without warning. Crippling you in utter fear.

Sound intense?

It IS.

The 'official' 'unofficial' description of Anxiety is a disorder in which the individual afflicted feels an intense, irrational fear and an impending sense of doom or dread.

What this means is that, in 'layman's terms', if you suffer from Anxiety Disorder, or any form of it, that you will be confronted with paralyzing fear for no apparent reason that will make you feel as if there is no possible way out of it. And you can experience this unprovoked fear at any time within the course of a day.

In addition to suffering from Anxiety Disorder, an individual may also have other common disorders that go hand-in-hand with it such as Depression, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Agoraphobia, or any other number of Phobias that make it all the more important to seek treatment for.

People who you would never suspect in a million years! In fact, Anxiety is such a widespread disorder that virtually ANYONE can suffer from it. Your uncle Buddy, your Grandma Jean, your sister Annie, your neighbor Joe, your best friend Patti, or your brother George.

But, because Anxiety is one of those 'sweep it under the carpet', embarrassment-type-I-think-I-might-be-going-crazy" disorders, people don't like to talk about it. Or admit they are long time sufferers.

Especially if you are someone always in the public eye, such as Kim Basinger. Kim had a long, difficult struggle with Anxiety disorder, and kept it a secret for quite a good portion of her life. You would never guess it to see her up on the 'silver screen' though would you? But she in fact has spoken out publicly about her battle with Anxiety in the hopes that this may raise awareness of this dreaded disorder. And it has. She is one brave soul to expose a huge portion of her private life like this. Kudos to you Kim!

Let us not forget also that Anxiety is believed to be an inherited disorder, although your mom or pop may not show the outward symptoms of it. Remember, this is an embarrassment disorder, or one that makes the sufferer believe they are, or are going, crazy. However, not every person who has experienced an Anxiety attack will develop a full blown disorder, but don't discount the fact that potentially they COULD.

Here's an interesting statistical fact for you. According to NIMH(National Institute of Mental Health) approximately 2.4 MILLION adult Americans suffer from some form of Anxiety or Panic Disorder. That's about 40 Million! And, it is twice as common in women as it is in men. Hmmm. . .Maybe this could be a contributing factor in why women worry so much about things? ;-)

Coincidentally, the major reason for people not knowing what is happening to them, or that they are suffering from Anxiety or Panic Disorder COULD be attributed to the fact that many cases reported began in adolescence. Therefore, a child may not be as affluent in describing what they are experiencing compared to the ability of that of an adult.

The key here is to LISTEN TO YOUR CHILDREN!! You would NOT want them to
endure a childhood full of suffering and not even know the reason for it.

Another interesting fact to be aware of is that Anxiety attacks don't only happen when a person is awake! They can, and often do, happen while sleeping. How scary do you think that may be to wake up to? Indescribable would be putting it MILDLY.

Short and sweet? Everything and NOTHING! Reread the definition of it above. Now the picture should become a bit more clear.

In most documented cases of Anxiety attacks, the patient rarely reports any event that would have triggered the onset of the attack itself.

Now, with that said, let me also explain that when an Anxiety sufferer returns back to a situation or setting where a previous attack happened, this could trigger another attack, just because they'll be reminded of how terrifying that first attack was, and unconsciously be thinking about it successfully triggering yet another attack! It's a vicious cycle of fear.

And the greatest fear of an Anxiety attack/disorder sufferer? To have ANOTHER ATTACK! Hopefully this is beginning to make a little more sense to you now. Of course the attack hasn't killed them, and most likely won't, but it can sure feel like you're dying at the moment when an attack is occurring though.

So, the greatest determiner of having an Anxiety attack is also your greatest treasure, your MIND. Even though you can tell someone that is having an Anxiety attack that "It's All In Your Mind", this usually comes out leaving them feel you are trying to be condescending to their plight. Not a nice feeling I'm sure you'll agree. Even though you don't mean it in that way, this is most likely the way it is received.

To be more 'clinical' about Anxiety, it is, in fact, 'all in your mind'. Because the BRAIN is where all your Anxiety stems from. Many studies have focused mainly on two specific portions of the brain that are responsible for inducing feelings of fear and anxiety. It is simply an unannounced trigger that sets off one's "fight or flight" defense mechanism, kicks in the adrenaline, and BAM! A full blown Anxiety attack is on it's way forward.

Many times, Anxiety is brought about due to increased stress from daily life. Bills piling up, children seemingly out of control, pressure from work, family, and other events can trigger this disorder bringing it to the surface of an otherwise "dormant" carrier of the genetic traits passed on by their parents.

Everyone gets the blues all of the time. No one is happy, happy, joy, joy all of the time unless they are on drugs. If you are like most people, you have had days where you have felt depressed. You may feel a little weepy or feel sorry for yourself. This can be related to an incident that has happened in your life or for no particular reason.

Some say that we get depressed because of the weather. There is even a mental disorder called Seasonal Affective Disorder that is supposed to be triggered by lack of light.

Depression is tough to define. It can be different things for different people. A person with a negative personality, for example, may seem depressing a lot more than a person who is always positive. This is why it throws you for a loop when the person who is always positive jumps off a bridge and the person who is always negative is still around.

Depression is not always easy to spot and is different for each individual. Clinical Depression is a serious illness. People who are clinically, severely depressed usually try to commit suicide at one point in their lives. Sometimes they succeed.

They find it difficult to maintain jobs or relationships. They tend to look at the glass half empty, which is an old cliché but rings true with those who suffer from depression.

People who are severely depressed for long period of time are diagnosed with clinical depression. This is one of the major reasons why many people are disabled in the United States. Back pain and clinical depression claim most of the disability claims in the US each year.

A person who is clinically depressed cannot snap out of it. It can be frustrating for loved ones to watch a person in this condition as the natural instinct is to shake them and tell them to snap out of it. We tell them how grateful they should be for everything that they have and point to people who have it far worse. We may as well be talking to a wall. The clinically depressed person cannot just decide to not be depressed one day. They realize that there are others far worse off than them, but it doesn't make them feel any better. This type of therapy that is often given to the depressed can do more harm than good. It makes the person who is suffering from depression feel as though he or she is being self indulgent.

Some people take it a step farther and accuse the depressed person of seeking attention. This is also damaging to the psyche of a depressed person, particularly because depression is so closely related to self esteem issues.

Depression is not always easy to spot and is different for each individual. Clinical Depression is a serious illness.

People who are clinically, severely depressed, usually try to commit suicide at one point in their lives. Sometimes they succeed. They find it difficult to maintain jobs or relationships. They tend to look at the glass half empty, which is an old cliché but rings true with those who suffer from depression.

Depression comes in many different forms for each individual. It will most likely manifest itself by making a person who suffers from this illness lethargic and not interested in doing every day things. The person who suffers from depression may not like to do anything. They may sleep too much or not at all. They may feel angry and lash out at people a lot of the time. They may also feel angry with themselves.

In some cases, a person will go through the motions of their every day life with no joy. They seem almost like an empty shell. They look for any type of relief from this state that they can get, which is one reason why so many people abuse drugs and alcohol.

Read the full scoop on Depression Effects