Night_Hawk
Siasat.pk - Blogger
[h=1]Understanding And Overcoming Anxiety
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According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, an estimated 40 million American adults suffer from anxiety disorders. Only about one-third of those suffering from an anxiety disorder receive treatment, even though the disorders are highly treatable.
Six years ago, I was diagnosed with social anxiety disorder. I remember feeling both relieved and frustrated. I felt relieved because I realized I wasnt the only one. I felt frustrated because in many ways, this disorder didnt feel real. I didnt have a broken bone, a virus, or a bacteria that was causing the disorder. It was completely in my head.
Anxiety is the dread, or fear of some future anticipated event. According to Dr. Ben Epstein, a psychologist, who blends traditional Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) with mindfulness and acceptance techniques, anxiety is by definition future oriented. People who suffer from anxiety worry about the possibility of a stock market crash, failing an exam, missing a deadline, getting a negative review at work, etc.
Sadly, many people who suffer from anxiety or anxiety disorders fail to seek help. Dr. Epstein lists a few different reasons for why people may avoid getting help. People generally avoid seeking out treatment for psychological issues because of stigma and/ or economic reasons. There is still a strong sense of concern over being labeled mentally ill. The other reason is the financial barrier. Because of the ubiquitous nature of mental illness there is a big lack of parity between coverage for issues related to mental health and other areas of health care, so there maybe be a significant financial barrier which serves to obfuscate people from reaching out to mental health providers.
For me, the anxiety slowly crept into my life, over many years until it invaded all areas of social interactions. In the beginning, the feeling of anxiety, which for me, felt as though I was falling into an endless pit of darkness, combined with feeling as though my stomach would burst from the intense feeling of being in tight knots only happened when I was in front of large groups of people. This was easy enough to avoid. I turned down speaking engagements, stopped attending networking functions, etc. However, over time, those social interactions that triggered the anxiety increased. I felt anxious even in small groups of people even groups of friends. Then over time, I noticed I felt anxious all the time.
Treating Anxiety
Fortunately, neuroscience has been making strides in determining the areas of the brain that is responsible for the anxiety response. In one Stanford study:
Source
[/h]
According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, an estimated 40 million American adults suffer from anxiety disorders. Only about one-third of those suffering from an anxiety disorder receive treatment, even though the disorders are highly treatable.
Six years ago, I was diagnosed with social anxiety disorder. I remember feeling both relieved and frustrated. I felt relieved because I realized I wasnt the only one. I felt frustrated because in many ways, this disorder didnt feel real. I didnt have a broken bone, a virus, or a bacteria that was causing the disorder. It was completely in my head.
Anxiety is the dread, or fear of some future anticipated event. According to Dr. Ben Epstein, a psychologist, who blends traditional Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) with mindfulness and acceptance techniques, anxiety is by definition future oriented. People who suffer from anxiety worry about the possibility of a stock market crash, failing an exam, missing a deadline, getting a negative review at work, etc.
Sadly, many people who suffer from anxiety or anxiety disorders fail to seek help. Dr. Epstein lists a few different reasons for why people may avoid getting help. People generally avoid seeking out treatment for psychological issues because of stigma and/ or economic reasons. There is still a strong sense of concern over being labeled mentally ill. The other reason is the financial barrier. Because of the ubiquitous nature of mental illness there is a big lack of parity between coverage for issues related to mental health and other areas of health care, so there maybe be a significant financial barrier which serves to obfuscate people from reaching out to mental health providers.
For me, the anxiety slowly crept into my life, over many years until it invaded all areas of social interactions. In the beginning, the feeling of anxiety, which for me, felt as though I was falling into an endless pit of darkness, combined with feeling as though my stomach would burst from the intense feeling of being in tight knots only happened when I was in front of large groups of people. This was easy enough to avoid. I turned down speaking engagements, stopped attending networking functions, etc. However, over time, those social interactions that triggered the anxiety increased. I felt anxious even in small groups of people even groups of friends. Then over time, I noticed I felt anxious all the time.
Treating Anxiety
Fortunately, neuroscience has been making strides in determining the areas of the brain that is responsible for the anxiety response. In one Stanford study:
The researchers also found that both amygdala regions had less connectivity to the region of the brain responsible for determining the importance of stimuli. This could mean that people with the [anxiety] disorder have a harder time discerning truly worrisome situations from mild annoyances. At the same time, the amygdala was more connected to a cortical executive-control network previously found to exert cognitive control over emotion.
Other studies have been using brain scans to determine which therapy will be most effective for those suffering from anxiety disorders.
Source
