Anxiety is a very common feeling among everyone. It could be anxiety for a job interview or a first date or even a test. But when does anxiety start becoming more than a common experience and more like a constant nightmare? Anxiety or Anxiety Disorder as defined by Web M.D. is a mental health disorder characterized by feelings of worry, anxiety, or fear that are strong enough to interfere with one’s daily activities.
Anxiety is something that should be more commonly talked about especially within the college environment. Anxiety Disorders affect 18.1 percent of adults in the United States; about 40 million adults from ages 18 to 54 according to National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). Women are 60% more likely to suffer from most anxiety disorders as men. 30% of people with these disorders remain undiagnosed because they don’t seek treatment.
Anxiety takes from in many disorders such as Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Social Phobia, Panic Disorder, Phobias, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). While general anxiety is usually self diagnosed, it’s really easy to ignore the severity of this illness. Some of these symptoms include: restlessness, feeling wound-up or on edge, being easily fatigued, difficulty concentrating or having your mind go blank, irritability, muscle tension, difficulty controlling the worry, and sleep problems, more specifically, having difficulty falling or staying asleep or having restless, unsatisfying sleep.
So what are the risk factors for developing anxiety? According to NIMH, the risks are: shyness, or behavioral inhibition, in childhood, being female, having few economic resources, being divorced or widowed, exposure to stressful life events in childhood and adulthood, anxiety disorders in close biological relatives, parental history of mental disorders, elevated afternoon cortisol levels in the saliva (specifically for social anxiety disorder).
Like any mental disorder, anxiety is disorienting and exhausting. For many of us, it’s making college harder than it has to be, especially if we don’t have the proper help. So what can he do to help cope with these anxiety disorders? First figure out what you think you might have. The internet is extensive so research is key but it’s important you find a way to reach out. Putting it off is only gonna cause greater suffering. If you do nothing else, reach out and it will benefit you in the long run.