preview

Health Problem: Mental Illness Essay

Decent Essays

Mental Illness – Anxiety Attacks
Mental illness is a health problem that influences how an individual thinks, interacts and behaves with others. It affects one in five Australians at some point of their lives. This is because a majority of Australians are influenced by a variety of factors that impact on their wellbeing negatively such as prolonged stress, the use of drugs and alcohol, negative cognitive patterns, biological reasons and many more. This in the long run can affect an individual’s mental health making it harder for them to establish positive relationships, reach their fullest potential and face life challenges. A common mental illness is an ‘anxiety attack’, which has a variety of symptoms, conditions, treatments and …show more content…

shortness of breath and hyperventilation), dizziness, trembling, tense muscles, anxiousness and unreasonable thinking and a strong feeling of dread. The least common ones include a feeling of detachment from reality and the environment, meaning that they are oblivious to the world around them, thinking only about themselves and their thoughts. An example of this would be at a party; one moment you’re having fun with friends and strangers, then the next, everything around you seems a distance away, accompanied with a feeling of dread and negativity pounding against your head. Furthermore, another uncommon symptom of an anxiety attack would be when the ‘flight or fight’ response is triggered, even though there are no imminent dangers. This is basically when the body pumps a range of chemicals (e.g. adrenaline and stress chemicals) around your body in order to prepare you to either fight the danger, or flee the scene. Overall, the signs and symptoms associated with an anxiety attack may vary based on their thoughts, environment and wellbeing at the time.
The physical, emotional and psychological effects of an anxiety attack may vary based on the intensity and frequency of the attack. Severe anxiety attacks can cause the sufferer to develop prolonged physical symptoms until it is treated such as: trembling, constant sleepiness, dizziness and many more. This is because when an attack ends, the brain immediately becomes more active and sensitive than before. However,

Get Access