Wildcat Pause: The Anxiety Issue

Refuse getting help? This may be why
John Basile
Staff Writer
Find yourself stressing over everything? Waking up and feeling
miserable and thinking “what can go wrong today?” Feel
embarrassed to ask for help? Is there any hope?
People who have these thoughts may benefit from therapy,
and there are many studies that prove this. According to an
alustforlife.com article, people who attend therapy have their
thoughts interpreted from a different perspective, making them
feel that they are not alone.
Therapy is stigmatized as only needed when in a crisis.
However, according to a refinery29 article titled Reasons To Go
To Therapy, “It can certainly be helpful if you’re
suffering from a diagnosed mental health
problem (or looking for a mental
health diagnosis), but it can also
be beneficial for anyone, at
any point of their life.”
According to psychiatry.
org, “more than 40 percent
of people have sought
psychological help in their
lifetime, and 75 percent of
those who go to therapy
report that they show some
benefit from it.”
Some think that
therapy is only for people
with severe mental
distress. However, according to the Mayo Clinic, reasons
for going to therapy include resolving conflicts, relieving stress
or anxiety, coping with major changes, coping with the loss of a
loved one, or learning to manage unhealthy reactions. Therapy
Sasha Medvedeva
Editor-in-Chief
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD):
People with GAD don’t know how to
stop the worry cycle and feel the cycle
is beyond their control even though they
usually realize that their anxiety is blown
out of proportion. All anxiety disorders may
relate to a difficulty tolerating uncertainty,
and therefore many people with GAD
try to plan or control situations. They may
be anxious about day-to-day things or
about something weeks beforehand.
They may also experience dizziness, lightheadedness,
sweating, trembling, heart
pounding, and headaches.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD):
Occurs when a person gets caught in
a cycle of unwanted obsessions and
compulsions, or intrusive thoughts, images,
or urges that trigger intensely distressing
feelings. Compulsions are behaviors an
individual engages in to attempt to get rid
of the obsessions and/or decrease his or
her distress.
Panic disorder: Causes panic attacks,
which are sudden feelings of terror when
there is no real danger. People with panic
disorder may feel as if they are losing
control and have physical symptoms, such
as a fast heartbeat, chest or stomach pain,
breathing difficulty, weakness or dizziness,
sweating, feeling a hot or cold chill, or
tingly or numb hands. Panic attacks can
happen anytime, anywhere, and without
warning. People who experience these
attacks may live in fear of another attack
and may avoid places where they have
had one.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD):
Develops in some people who have
experienced a shocking, scary, or
dangerous event. These people may feel
stressed or frightened even when they
are not in danger. While most but not all
traumatized people experience short-term
symptoms, the majority do not develop
ongoing (chronic) PTSD. Some experiences,
like the sudden, unexpected death of a
loved one, can also cause this disorder.
Symptoms usually begin early, within three
months of the traumatic incident, but
sometimes they begin years afterward.
Symptoms must last more than a month
and be severe enough to interfere with
relationships or work to be considered
PTSD. Words, objects, or situations that are
reminders of the event can also trigger reexperiencing
symptoms.
Social Anxiety Disorder: An intense anxiety
or fear of being judged, negatively
evaluated, or rejected in a social or
performance situation. People with this
may worry about acting or appearing
visibly anxious (e.g., blushing, stumbling
over words), or being viewed as stupid,
awkward, or boring. They also experience
strong physical symptoms, such as a rapid
heart rate, nausea, and sweating, and
may experience full-blown attacks when
confronting a feared situation. Although
they recognize that their fear is excessive
and unreasonable, they often feel
powerless against their anxiety.
Chronic Stress: This is stress resulting from
repeated exposure to situations that lead
to the release of stress hormones. This type
of stress can cause wear and tear on
your mind and body. Many scientists think
that our stress response system was not
designed to be constantly activated. This
overuse may contribute to the breakdown
of many bodily systems. Chronic stress
may cause symptoms of headaches, high
can resolve issues as serious as agoraphobia (fear of leaving
the house to go to social events) and as common as sleeping
problems.
School psychologist Dr. Peter D’Elena has been in practice for
25 years, 19 of which have been at SWR. Dr. D’Elena said therapy
is a scientific-based strategy by clinical origin to help people
return to functioning optimally. He said going to therapy has two
main benefits: to treat a disorder that interferes with daily function
and for personal growth. Therapy can also help elaborate on
a person’s strengths and weaknesses to make them feel more
comfortable talking about them.
Dr. D’Elena said it’s unfortunate that the stigma of therapy
keeps students away from getting help.
However, he said the best way to
overcome stigma is just to talk
about it. Talking about problems
can help people get their
feelings out to someone who
may understand.
Dr. D’Elena said that females
face higher anxiety than
males, but males are more
stigmatized than women for
going to any sort of therapy
for treatment.
Going to therapy
won’t likely be a
one-time thing. According
to a goodtherapy.org article, therapy can last
for many years. It will last as long as the person needs it.
Someone who goes to therapy has to work hard to follow
what the therapist suggests, and over time, the hard work
should pay off to give that person hope and happiness.
Definitions of anxiety-related conditions
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blood pressure, and chest pain as well as
heart palpitations, skin rashes, and loss of
sleep.
Stress: Generally, stress is a response to an
external cause, such as a tight deadline at
work or having an argument with a friend,
and it subsides once the situation has been
resolved.
Anxiety: Anxiety is a person’s specific
reaction to stress; its origin is internal.
Anxiety is typically characterized by a
“persistent feeling of apprehension or
dread” in situations that are not actually
threatening. Unlike stress, anxiety persists
even after a concern has passed
Avoid and escape: People sometimes
try to reduce anxiety by avoiding
the feared situation altogether. This
avoidance instantly decreases the anxiety
because they have not put themselves
in a distressing situation. However, while
avoidance makes anxiety better in the
short term, they have made it worse
in the long term. An illustration of this is
when teenagers avoid joining a club
or attending a party because that’s
where they experience fear. As a result,
they successfully avoid the distress they
associate with social events. In the short
term, they do not feel anxious. However,
in the long term they become even more
unwilling to confront anxiety. They continue
to believe that emotion is dangerous and
should be avoided at all costs. Escaping
a situation that causes anxiety is also a
coping mechanism, like leaving a social
event because of too much anxiety. In
reality, this causes more worry, loss of
confidence about coping, and increased
use of safety behaviors.