Is Anxiety A Mental Illness?

Often, a person fears being late for work. A businessman may feel anxious due to a fear of failure. A parent may feel anxious for his child's safety. A student may feel anxious before a presentation. Sometimes, this anxiety is manageable. Other times, it is unbearable. In every situation, we cannot say that anxiety is a mental condition.

Understanding Anxiety:

In simple terms, anxiety is an unpleasant feeling of concern. A person may feel uncomfortable and helpless due to uncertainty about the future. Anxiety can range from mild concern to panic. It includes nervousness, fear, worry, and jitters. Sometimes, we can tackle this feeling by letting the situation pass. We can also try deep breathing or positive thinking. Sometimes, it becomes difficult to handle.

Identifying Anxiety:

The experience of getting anxious is unique and subjective for everyone. A person cannot forget traumatic events, or they can ignore them and move on. They may learn their triggers. Or, they may not find the source of their fear.

People describe its intensity according to their unique experiences. For example, bus accident passengers exhibit unique manifestations of anxiety. 'Some might say they were worried.' For others, it was a horrible experience. A few may describe it as panicky. For others, it was manageable.

Does this mean anxiety is a mental health condition?

It explains the uniqueness of everyone’s emotional sensitivity, perspective, attitudes, and ability to manage emotions. These factors affect how a person interprets feelings. Sometimes, people misinterpret the situation. They may find it horrible or frightful when it is manageable, or vice versa. It happens due to a lack of emotional literacy.

Stages of Anxiety:

Anxiety has four stages: mild, moderate, severe, and panic. At each stage, an individual can experience different physical and emotional symptoms.

Mild Anxiety:

Mild levels may cause physical symptoms. Such as trouble sleeping, an irregular appetite, and racing thoughts. Also, a headache, muscle tension, and shortness of breath. Emotional symptoms can include nervousness, irritability, and being on edge. They may also include

difficulty concentrating, restlessness, pessimistic thoughts, and excessive worry. A lack of decision-making and constant worry are also symptoms.

Moderate Anxiety:

At a moderate level of anxiety, one can experience more acute symptoms. A person may start sweating. They might also feel dizzy or nauseous. Their heart may race, and they could have chest pain. They may feel intense fear and worry.

Severe Anxiety:

At a severe level, these symptoms intensify and impair a person's daily functioning. They may include panic attacks, trouble sleeping, and easy triggers in small situations. At this stage, we can say that anxiety is a mental condition.

Let's understand some anxiety disorders:

There are several anxiety disorders. Let’s review these disorders.

• Generalized Anxiety Disorder- Patients with GAD worry and feel tense about everyday things. They worry about many issues.
• Panic disorder - These patients have repeated panic attacks. They worry about having more.
• Agoraphobia- People with agoraphobia fear getting stuck in certain places.
• Specific Phobia- People with specific phobias fear certain objects or situations. Their fear is intense. They feel symptoms like vomiting or choking. They may even get sick after such encounters.
• Social anxiety disorder- It makes it hard to speak, eat, or write in public.
• Separation anxiety disorder- It causes extreme anxiety when a person separates from loved ones.

ICD-11 and DSM-5-TR are helpful guidebooks that explain the diagnostic criteria for each anxiety disorder. Post-traumatic stress disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder are some of the disorders that also cause anxiety.

To understand anxiety and mental disorders, we should check their impact. First, assess the intensity, duration, and impairment in a person's life. When there is a disorder, the symptoms are more distressing. A person suffers from it for weeks or months. Their functioning also declines.

Coping with Anxiety:

One can manage mild to moderate anxiety. One must use relaxation techniques, make necessary lifestyle changes, and have brief counseling. At a severe level, one needs a mix of treatments. It may include therapy and medication from a psychiatrist.

In tough times, we can seek help from a nearby therapist or a helpline. We should share our thoughts and feelings to gauge our anxiety. Otherwise, anxiety can develop into a mental health disorder. It's normal to feel anxious. But talking about it and getting expert help can prevent complications.

As we have seen, anxiety has its different shades. We assess the situation and react with a fitting response. It means people act or plan to avoid harm or danger. When overwhelmed, people often think about the worst consequences. They cannot make appropriate decisions ahead. They feel helpless and get stuck most of the time. This unreal threat shows that their anxiety is not helpful.

For example: An anxious person is waiting outside an interview hall. He is reading his notes. Planning and structuring his answers in his mind is an example of helpful anxiety. If, after the interview, he can't sleep by repetitively thinking about the answers he had given, or starts assuming that he will never get a job then it is unhelpful anxiety.

Some amount of anxiety helps us take appropriate precautions. It helps us be aware of future danger. It helps us think about different probabilities. On the other hand, unhelpful and unreal threats may lead to mental health disorders. Thus, we can understand the connection between anxiety and mental health disorders.

Here, a mental health care professional's role is important. They help people identify the feelings and thoughts tied to that situation. A mental health professional can explain the cause of anxiety. They will do this after observing the symptoms and taking a detailed history. They will decide the need to know if anxiety is a mental health issue or if a brief intervention will be helpful.

Mental health is crucial for living a happy and satisfying life. If someone is facing symptoms like anxiety, there is a need to get help from a nearby therapist at the right time.