My Interest With an Anxiety Disorders - Essay Example

Anxiety disorders qualify to be the most common problem in mental health across the world. The condition has lifetime prevalence on the population with varying rates across countries. Since 1990, anxiety disorders have stood out to be the leading cause of disability, and there is no evidence for any noticeable change over the years. There is also evidence to indicate that anxiety disorders may cause instances of stroke. Stroke is however identified as the second cause of death not just in the United States but also across the world. It is also the third leading cause of DALYs or commonly known as reduced disability-adjusted-life-years (Perez-Pinar et al., 2017).

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Every individual has an encounter with an anxiety episode at one point in his or her lives. People feel anxious from time to time, and the feeling may be because of an important task one needs to accomplish, when one feels threatened or during an exam or job interview. Such instances of anxiety are often occasional, mild, and brief and the individual will recover without much effort. It is, however, different for a person who has an anxiety disorder. In most instances, their episodes of anxiety are often more intense and will last longer even for days. Research identifies that anxiety disorders are most common in women and are comorbid in men who have substance abuse disorders.

Anxiety triggers will have adverse effects on the individual from three perspectives including the cognitive, physical, and behavioral. When one experiences anxiety, attention will immediately shift to where the person perceives to be a threat. It is an effect felt at the cognitive level, and the consequences on the thought process may range from worry to extreme cases of terror. Physical effects will include freezing, shortness of breath, nausea and much more. Anxiety disorder will make individuals engage in behavioral actions like social isolation to avoid people or places that they view as a threat to their safety.

Being a victim of anxiety disorder, I understand clearly all the implications that come with having the condition. I get a first-hand experience of how it feels to always be in extreme terror of people and things around. It is never easy to have to put an extra effort to deal with the condition that makes social life almost unbearable. Many factors surround the anxiety disorder many other people, and I go through, and I feel that the public lacks a clear understanding of anxiety and what it takes to live with it. My interest in the disorder comes from the desire to get a deeper understanding of what I go through to ensure that my coping mechanisms are well developed.

Through research and greater knowledge of the condition, I will have the ability to not only help myself but other individuals who experience a similar condition. Society remains ignorant about anxiety disorders, and there is an absence of giving serious dedication to the condition. My focus in therefore to get the necessary expertise on the disorder to ensure that I sensitize the community on anxiety and enlighten every individual on how to care for people experiencing the condition.

Some people suffer in silence within the society because of anxiety disorders. The people feel vulnerable each time and would want to avoid instances and individuals who might take advantage of their condition. The condition impairs their personal and social functioning, and they find it hard to live healthy lives. Therefore, my interest and further studies on anxiety disorders will enable me to identify a way of ensuring that these individuals face the condition other than hiding from the society. It will also create an opportunity to develop means of diagnosing the disorder early enough for those affected to get the appropriate help.

It could also be that an individual is experiencing other psychiatric issues that are accompanied by an anxiety disorder. Many people will not identify this aspect of the disorder, and therefore they will not get treatment for the conditions. In many instances, the individual may be more vulnerable to suicide when the anxiety disorder occurs with a depressive disorder such as the major depressive disorder. Therefore, a drive in the better understanding of the disorder means that I will identify such instances in individuals to ensure that they get the needed help. It will also mean that they are safe from risky behaviors including suicide.

Families have a significant role in taking care of those affected by an anxiety disorder. However, due to lack of the appropriate knowledge concerning the condition, the family may not recognize the psychological distress the individual is going through. They may view it as a phase especially in adolescents when it could be a cry for help from the person. Therefore, I would like to focus on dealing with families and equipping them with the appropriate knowledge and skills to take care of those who are affected. I want to get a comprehensive understanding of the condition of every aspect the surrounds anxiety disorders to help other victims of the condition and provide the assistance they may not otherwise get.

References

Perez-Pinar, M., Ayerbe, L., Gonzalez, E., Mathur, R., Foguet-Boreu, Q., & Ayis, S. (2017). Anxiety disorders and risk of stroke: A systematic review and meta-analysis. European Psychiatry, 41, 102-108.