Anxiety for Beginners

It all happened on Dec. 23, 2013, I was laying down in bed as a 16-year-old girl who had no care in the world, and all of a sudden I couldn’t breath; this was my first time meeting an anxiety attack that keeps following me till this day.

To some, anxiety is just being nervous about something, but to the people that suffer from it, it is way more. Sometimes anxiety happens for many reasons such as trauma and stress, other times; it just sneaks up on you without you knowing exactly why. Anxiety is a disorder that shakes up people’s lives, and it is time to pay more attention to it.

“In 2015, the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) conducted a poll and found that 90% of Americans recognize the link between depression and suicide. When the pollsters asked about anxiety disorders, only 50% of respondents knew there was a link between anxiety disorders and death from suicide.” wrote Bob Funk, in his article on the HuffPost titled “Yes, Anxiety is Very Serious and Here is The Proof.”

Anxiety is considered one of the most common mental health disorders, but unfortunately, people aren’t taking it as seriously as other severe mental health disorders. This type of attitude is troubling because just like depression and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), anxiety can also cause suicidal thoughts and actual acts of suicide. When going through an episode, many try to fight the disease of the person by saying things such as “Take a chill pill,” or “It is all in your head,” which further proves how those suffering from this are not being taken seriously.

A study conducted by Dr. Josh Nepon, Shay-Lee Belik, M.S., Dr. James Bolton, and Dr.

Jitender Sareen has discovered that 70 percent of people who have reported a history of suicide attempts suffered from an anxiety disorder, concluding that anxiety disorders among other mental disorders are independently associated with suicide attempts.

Anxiety is most common in young adults, specifically when they are going through stressful situations. Even though I had my first anxiety attack when I was a teenager, things only got worse as I was developing to an adult. It is as simple as the bills piling up, loss of sleep, graduate school, and many other types of stress and trauma that cause an individual to experience an anxiety attack for a short or long period.

Young adults who suffer from anxiety disorders can hide their symptoms from their family members and friends due to the stigma anxiety has as not a “real disease.”

“Anxiety for me is a constant feeling of judgment, and life becomes this exam where your professor is watching every move you make. I can’t help but feel this way sometimes, but I also blame myself because society makes it seem like it’s not real and that it’s all in my head. It is all in my head, but it doesn’t mean my struggle does not exist.” wrote Kentrell Downs, in his article titled “Anxiety: Yet Another Mental Disorder People Don’t Take Seriously.”

In this great article written by Downs in the Odyssey, he describes his experience living with anxiety and how the spectrum of the disorder affects some of his relationships. This is important to keep in mind because many young people are going through this silently in fear of being judged for something they cannot control.

“Anxiety is real. Anxiety is a real pain that manifests inside. Anxiety is another mental disorder people don’t seem to take seriously because it’s not something a person could outright see,” wrote Downs.

With this issue being identified, I hope that as a society, we can respect mental illnesses such as anxiety, just as much as any other illnesses that affect our well being and overall health. It is essential to check on friends and family that go through this to create an understanding and acceptance of all forms of mental health. As I go through my journey in this universe, I am always looking for ways to improve my mental health, and I believe that more understanding from society about what anxiety is and does could make a significant improvement in my life and many others suffering from this.