Anxiety used to be a taboo issue. However, with today’s heightened awareness and emphasis on mental health, people with disorders such as anxiety are feeling more comfortable speaking out and seeking treatment. That’s a huge win for us as a society. Most of us feel anxiety at some point, that fight or flight response that leaves us sweaty, nervous, shaky, and overwhelmed. If you’ve ever given a speech, you know what I’m talking about. But what about when it becomes so overbearing that you can’t go into a large group without feeling like everyone is watching and judging you? Or hyperventilating when there’s too much noise in the room? When anxious feelings begin to take over and affect your ability to live life day to day, it’s time to talk to someone.

According to the World Health Organization, only 1 in 4 people with anxiety seek out treatment1. It pains me to think about the other 75% who suffer in silence, or even suffer without understanding that what they are experiencing is abnormal. The thing about anxiety, is that everyone feels it differently. Some people get sweaty, some people have trouble concentrating, have heart palpitations, or even get irritable easily. There’s such a wide variety of symptoms that can be associated with anxiety, it’s difficult for some people to differentiate it from other things that might be happening in their lives. They may be mistaken for medical disorders, and some medical disorders can be masked by anxiety such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or other respiratory disorders, hyperthyroidism, etc. I’ve included some links at the end for more information on how anxiety can be linked to physical disorders.

But with so many symptoms and situations, there must be more than one type of anxiety, right? Yes! There are several types of anxiety that can manifest. Agoraphobia, feeling as though you cannot go out for fear of having a panic attack, substance-induced anxiety, social anxiety, and generalized anxiety disorder are just some of the types of anxiety that are referenced in the DSM2, which is used to diagnose mental disorders. You can find more information about these from the Mayo Clinic website, which I’ve included below.

So what’s triggering my anxiety, you ask? It’s different for everyone, and for some people it may even be multiple things, making it even for difficult to discern what is causing the anxiety. Some people only feel anxious or have panic episodes when they are in public places. Others can be triggered by stress from bills, work, loud noises, and even specific people. Your anxiety may be caused by an underlying past trauma or medical condition, so it’s important that you talk to your medical professional if you are experiencing symptoms of anxiety that are interfering with your life and/or work.

Resources for More Information

Mayo Clinic on Anxiety Disorders

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/anxiety/symptoms-causes/syc-20350961

World Health Organization on Anxiety Disorders

https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/anxiety-disorders

References

1Mayo Clinic. (2018, May 4). Anxiety disorders – Symptoms and causes. Retrieved January 16, 2024,

from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/anxiety/symptoms-causes/syc-20350961

2World Health Organization (WHO). (2023, September 27). Anxiety

disorders. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/anxiety-disorders