From wikipedia:
Anxiety is a psychological and physiological state characterized by somatic, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral components.[2] The root meaning of the word anxiety is 'to vex or trouble'; in either presence or absence of psychological stress, anxiety can create feelings of fear, worry, uneasiness and dread.[3] Anxiety is considered to be a normal reaction to a stressor. It may help someone to deal with a difficult situation by prompting them to cope with it. When anxiety becomes excessive, it may fall under the classification of an anxiety disorder.[4]
However, sometimes it is very difficult to understand if your own feelings (or those of someone you know) of anxiety (or depression) should be classified as a mental illness, and how this is distinguished from something that is normal. Medical professionals have guidelines to classify various symptoms, but a good generalisation is that if your feelings of anxiety or depression become severe and begin to affect your relationships, your family, your work, or other areas of your life, then it is probably worth seeing a medical professional.
Disclaimer: All the information on this blog is for information purposes only. I am not a professional, and if you are experiencing symptoms that are a concern to you, you should consult a medical professional.
I have a psych degree (untouched & never to be used) & realise how i knew absolutely nothing when i left Uni & have learnt so much more about life from fellow mummies & the real world than i ever did from a book. Your explanation is a clear take on what anxiety can be. I simply can not imagine the feeling, scary & unpredictable too. Wishing you well for a lovely weekend, love Posie
ReplyDeleteThought provoking post. Anxiety is a funny thing. We talk about anxiety a lot these days, but I am not sure if we really talk about how bad it can get. I hear people talk of "having a panic attack", freely, like it has become a part of everyday speech. But real anxiety disorder still has a certain stigma about it.
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I found very useful information from this post. People suffering from a panic disorder are cognizant of the fact that their attacks are usually illogical and unfounded. A high level of anxiety disorders attack can be so overwhelming that people can lose self control and harm themselves.
ReplyDelete@InkPaperPen, I agree that although society is more comfortable talking about anxiety and panic attacks that a real disorder still has stigma.
ReplyDelete@posie, I did psych as well, and was pretty amazed at how little is covered about disorders such as anxiety and depression. I always assumed that more would be covered in the Masters, but apparently at some uni's depression is covered in a day!
@samual, thanks for visiting, i took a look at your link and it looks like there is some really interesting info there.