Anxiety has been defined as a preparatory response to contexts in which a threat might occur (Davis, 2006). Hence, it can be present even when no actual threat is present, setting the tone for potential risk of a threat. This essay will be tracing the short-term advantages of high anxiety and the long-term advantages of low anxiety. In addition to this, an evolutionary stance will be taken to critically analyze the disadvantages of anxiety, and the understanding and treatments of an anxiety disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Short-term Advantages of High Anxiety
Anxiety is a response which benefits humans if it occurs within a short period of time, however, costly if it remains for a long period of time (Lee, Wadsworth, & Hotopf, 2006). A longitudinal study by Lee et al. (2006) annually collected measures on anxiety, non-accidental deaths, accidental deaths, and non-fatal accidents from their participants. They found that, regardless of
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When someone is under-anxious they cannot respond accordingly to ensure survival in a stressful event. On the other hand, when over-anxious, there may be a false alarm, but this would ensure survival. Signal-detection theory has noted that even though anxiety can come about from harmless stimuli and lead to wasted resources, the times when something is harmful need not to be missed in order to ensure survival (Stirling, Greskovich, & Johnson, 2014). It is important to analyze the basic premise of this theory. It suggests that people are prone to be anxious of harmless stimuli. Even though there are advantages to this, it can lead to “disorders that share features of excessive fear and anxiety and related behavioral disturbances,” otherwise called anxiety disorders by the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (American Psychiatric Association,
Anxiety is one of the banalest features in the human mind. People with severe anxiety can have strenuous difficulties in life. In the past, anxiety was deemed irrelevant, and it was assumed to be benign. In recent years, Researchers have concluded that anxiety can be detrimental to one’s health. Anxiety can range from mild to strong, but nonetheless, it can affect lives severely. Almost everybody in the world has at least some type of anxiety. Whether it is presenting in front of a crowd, going to social events, reliving a traumatic experience, or even going on a rollercoaster. Psychology doctor, Peg O-Conner declares in her article that anxiety is, in fact, part of human nature (Conner). Conner argues that becoming unable to prioritize matters,
“Anxiety is the signal of danger which mobilizes the human organism’s resources at all levels of functioning in the interests of conservation, defense, and self- preservation.” (Anxiety 1) If a person suffers from anxiety there is a major loss of control and then an attempt to regain that control because of a fear that they have. Anxiety disorders are one of the most frequently occurring mental disorders in the United States. However, anxiety disorders are not only found in the United States. They are found throughout the world. They just happen to be most predominating in the United States. In this paper, I will be discussing the generalized anxiety disorder and how if effects society today.
“You think you have mastered it, but just as you get well underway in following, it turns a back-somersault and there you are. It slaps you in the face, knocks you down, and tramples upon you” (Gilman 798). What defines anxiety? What effects and instances are capable of pushing someone into mental instability? Coerced into solitude with no means of expression, many women faced irreversible mental effects from the “Resting Cure.”
Anxiety is a common occurrence and emotion in everyday life. Yet there are several individuals today who suffer from great pangs of anxiety and feelings of panic at such extremely high levels that it becomes quite debilitating. A normal, everyday environment can become so overwhelming that the day itself can stop dead in its tracks while the sufferer rides through the wave of intense emotions and thoughts which seem to be going a million miles a minute and showing no signs of stopping or slowing down.
Anxiety has several disorders that causes fear, worrying, nervousness and apprehension. Dealing with these disorders can affect how we feel which can cause physical symptoms. “Individuals find it difficult to control the worry” (Page 107). Generalized anxiety disorder has many different levels of various events or activities. People with that disorder have difficulties with concentrating sleeping or resting. This can mostly affect you when dealing with worrying like health issues, chores, being on time, work related task. Theirs other different types of link anxieties likes Panic disorder is an abrupt of intense fear or intense discomfort which you start to sweat, trembling, or shaking, feelings, or choking, chills, feeling, dizzy, Fear of dying and more.
Anxiety is the most common mental health disorder in the United States and women are over twice as likely to suffer from anxiety than men (Kessler et al., 2005). The symptoms of anxiety can be life disrupting; affecting personal and professional relationships, sleep, appetite, health, and overall quality of life. The causes of anxiety seem ever-present and there is no indication the situation is going to improve in the immediate future. Global politics, war, domestic terrorism, rising health care costs, and economic instability are but a few of the surfeit anxiety causing stressors individuals must endure while also managing daily pressures of everyday life.
Having generalized anxiety is more than just a reaction one experiences during stressful times. Rather, it is a feeling of constant paranoia, of constant fear, that takes over your daily routines and every day life. Anxiety is more than being anxious about an upcoming midterm, of an upcoming speech or presentation – it is having mental breakdowns, panic attacks and obsessive thoughts that consume your imagination, your thoughts. Generalized anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) preludes into something greater than living in constant fear of either contracting an illness or being contaminated by germs. They act as inhibitors, preventing healthy wellbeing, positive emotions and healthy relationships. While OCD and anxiety play a huge
Anxiety can generate a chronic stress response. However the frequent experience of worry or fear, and the wish to avoid these negative feelings, distinguishes anxiety from day to day stress. Anxiety is reinforced though experiential avoidance, the attempt to avoid any experiences (thought, feels, sensations or situations that might
“Although anxiety disorders are both common and distressing, many people with anxiety disorders don 't seek professional help and may live with these distressing and impairing conditions for decades.” (Arbor 2011,p.22)
The anxiety sufferer is conditioned to think and respond inappropriately to stressors in their
The world starts to blur, all thoughts become distorted and jumbled in a mass of panic. Air, the lifeblood of our existence, evades you. Nothing makes sense. When you are finally able to gulp sweet oxygen down, it sets your lungs ablaze. This is a panic attack. A horrific experience wish upon no mortal man. The barrier that I have faced is anxiety; Persistence and Determination have helped me take my disorder head on and overcome it.
Anxiety disorders cause psychological and physical changes in the body in anticipation of real or imagined dangers. Those changes are symptoms or signs of an anxiety disorder. Under normal circumstances, the fight-or-flight response causes changes that help people cope with a threat. People with anxiety disorders experience those physical and psychological changes even when there is no danger.” (P.28).
Anxiety is a normal reaction to stress. It helps some one deal with a tense situation in the office, study harder for an exam, keep focused on an important speech. In general, it helps some one cope. But when anxiety becomes an excessive, irrational dread of everyday situations, it has become a disabling disorder.
Anxiety is the body’s normal reaction to stressors and occurs in various degrees by everyone. It is a healthy, protective response when experienced in moderation, however, when anxiety is experienced in excess, it can become an impairment to an individual’s normal functioning. According to SAMHSA, “Anxiety disorders are characterized by excessive fear or anxiety that is difficult to control and negatively and substantially impacts daily functioning”(2014). There are many different types of anxiety disorders ranging from Generalized Anxiety Disorder to specific phobias. The new
INTRODUCTION: Even though stress negatively affects physical and mental abilities. Stress is the cause of tensions, overwork and increasing demands. Generally, the Anxiety is a part of our life. We live with it, manage it, or more all stress over it. Our lifestyle, the region in which we live, the economy, and our occupations can result in a lot of anxiety. Not everybody manages the same level of anxiety and there are a few elements that can affect our lives and reason us to have higher or lower anxiety levels. (Feldman, 2009)