By: Zeinab esseili
What would you do if you woke up every day dreading life, or scared to start your day due to your intolerable thoughts? What if excessive worrying about different things, and situations you experience was a norm? “What if…” are a dreadful cycle of recurring thoughts that keep a person from enjoying life. Anxiety disorders are a group of mental disorders that cause significant distress or impairment to the lives of those who have it. Those with an anxiety disorder constantly worry, avoid going places, or being in situations that trigger their anxiety. They are the most common mental disorder in the United States, yet they are often not taken seriously. There are three types of anxiety disorders: generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), panic disorder, and social anxiety disorder. GAD involves general and persistent feelings of worry and anxiety about practically anything –although usually, the occurrence of the anxiety has little or no reason. Panic disorder involves recurrent attacks of unbearable fear. Panic attacks are sudden feelings of extreme distress and panic lasting between five to thirty minutes. They must include at least four of the following symptoms: palpitations of heart, tingling in the extremities, shortness of breath, sweating, hot and cold flashes, trembling, chest pain, choking sensation, faintness, dizziness, and a feeling of impending doom. Social anxiety disorder is characterized by intense and distressing fear of social and presentational situations that may cause them to face scrutiny or embarrassment. It involves a fear of being separated from people he/she is very attached to. These feelings occur in extreme proportions. Anxiety disorders are a serious mental illness, and it is crucial that they be taken in all seriousness and treated properly; because people’s pain is unbearable and causes significant distress on the individuals who are living with one or more of the anxiety disorder. In the Arab-American community there tends to be a stigma when it comes to mental health, anxiety or any other health related issue. People tend to say that people with anxiety disorder are doing it “all for attention”, that you are being “too whiny”, that having an anxiety disorder “is your choice”, or that “it’s all in your head, you can get over it.” Reading these commonly used phrases right now makes you realize how ridiculous and cold hearted this is. Because of this stigma, only a small percentage of those with an anxiety disorder are actually seeking treatment. “Would you think any less of someone who has to take a daily medication like Insulin? Would you blame someone for having an asthma attack?...You wouldn’t” (“Anxiety Is Not”). Now ask yourself this: Why do you think anything less of someone with a mental health disorder? Why is there such a big stigma revolving around anxiety disorders and all mental health illnesses? It is necessary to raise awareness and spread positivity so that all individuals who are battling an anxiety disorder can recover, by knowing that there are a lot of people who can help who genuinely care.