Anxiety
Anxiety is that intense persistent state of worryness and fear that you just can’t seem to shake off. It can be normal under some stressful conditions, but when it negatively affects the way you live day to day it can be very damaging. Anxiety does not discriminate by age, race, gender or social class- it affects all kinds of people all over the world due to various reasons. It’s important to recognize and help yourself understand your anxiety and triggers specifically because everyone experiences it in different ways.
Trevor Clifford
Trevor Clifford is a 30 year old white male, who was diagnosed with General Anxiety Disorder in 2014. Clifford is a video producer, and claims that film and television do not do justice showing experience of people with anxiety. “Anxiety is constantly being redefined by its clinical understanding, and also by each individual’s relation to it, but it’s not something I’ve ever seen examined faithfully in film or TV – which means we are still invisible.” (adaa.org).
Trevor remembers his first anxiety episodes back to when he was about 13 years old. He first noticed his nervousness in regards to food and eating. His parents went through a divorce and that is when he saw his first therapist. Trevor spent his college years in New York city studying photography and film. After graduation, is when he was first diagnosed and prescribed medication for anxiety (Xanax). He began his new career with a nightly crying spell and simultaneously self-medicated with marijuana and alcohol. Trevor had experienced panic attacks, one which led him to the hospital. He always felt like his experience with anxiety was not taken seriously by others. Now, he is feeling more confident but still deals with anxiety symptoms. He wants to use his filmmaking to bring light to anxiety and share with others that anxiety does not need to be shamed for, or invisible.
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah is a 65 year old African American woman who is best known for her own talk show “The Oprah Winfrey Show”- which was one of the highest-rated television programs of its kind in history. Oprah opened up about suffering from anxiety following a rough upbringing in her life. Oprah revealed that during childhood she was sexually abused for several years putting a huge toll on her mental and physical health. Unfortunately as a result of this abuse, at the age of 14 she gave birth to a premature baby that didn’t make it. Oprah’s outlook on life was tremendously impacted by these experiences, causing her to have bad self-esteem and anxiousness while interacting with people.
In Oprah’s early adulthood one of the ways she dealt with her anxiety was through religion, having a strong faith and belief system helped strengthen her mental state. Once Oprah gained a platform to help others, she found it healing talking about her experience with others and helping others going through similar situations. She has created many different foundations that focus on helping women all around the world get educated about sexual abuse and rape.
Diversity of Experiences
Social determinants don’t discriminate. Trevor is a Caucasian male who can trace back his first experiences with anxiety at thirteen years old. Oprah is an African-American woman who would later experience anxiety after having dealt with a difficult and traumatic childhood. Although the two are completely different in terms of race, social class and location, Trevor and Oprah both have one thing in common: They’re both battling with anxiety. With both of these stories, it’s important to keep in mind that the social determinants of health regarding anxiety can be intersectional.
Conclusion
Anxiety affects more people than we know, and it affects people from different backgrounds, races, ethnicities, and social classes. Some people who have Generalized Anxiety Disorder deal with it by taking anti-anxiety medications, like Trevor Clifford. Others cope by turning to spirituality and religion, like Oprah. There are many different coping mechanisms people with anxiety can use, but making society aware and knowledgeable of anxiety as a disease is very important. People who are in the television and film industry can use their roles in the industry to bring awareness of anxiety through the means of television and social media. More knowledge is power, especially when it comes to mental health education.
https://adaa.org/living-with-anxiety/personal-stories/trevors-story
DO YOU HAVE ANXIETY? 