DO YOU HAVE ANXIETY?

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FACTS & FIGURES.

WHAT IS ANXIETY?

Have you ever experienced that constant feeling of worry? It’s that gut-wrenching feeling we get when we’re constantly and consistently stressing over something. Often times we stress over things big or small, or spaces that we’re currently in, or future events approaching; like a big presentation. And even more often, we can be stressing over something that really is nothing at all. That feeling is called anxiety. According to the ADAA, Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is characterized by persistent and excessive worry about a number of different things. Anxiety can come in many forms; such as: Generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, and even Obsessive Compulsive disorder. But no matter how you label it, anxiety tends to affect our lives and how we live it.

SYMPTOMS OF ANXIETY

Difficulty controlling worry
Increased heart rate
Paranoia
Restlessness
Hyperventilation
Insomnia
Gastrointestinal/digestive issues
Irritability
Difficulty concentrating.

HOW DOES ANXIETY START?

Generalized Anxiety Disorder can be caused by many different factors, including : genetics, trauma, environmental factors and brain chemistry. Though it is unclear on where or when anxiety can start for an individual, anxiety.org states “Individuals who have experienced long-term stress, chemical imbalances, or a family history of anxiety have an increased risk of having GAD.”

WHO DOES ANXIETY AFFECT?

Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S., affecting 40 million adults in the United States age 18 and older, or 18.1% of the population every year .
Out of the 40 million affected in the U.S, 6.8 million adults are affected by GAD (Generalized Anxiety Disorder), with only 43.2% of this group receiving treatment.
Given all of these numbers, studies have shown that GAD is twice as prevalent in females than in males because of their sensitivity to low-levels of a hormone called CRF (Corticotropin-releasing factor), which is what organizes the stress levels in mammals .

HOW IS ANXIETY TREATED?

There are many ways to treat anxiety, depending on which route you would like to take. Medications like Benzodiazepines work with a specific receptor in your brain that helps with giving you calmness. Antidepressants are one of the more popular medications prescribed, as they help regulate the serotonin levels. Psychotherapy is another form of treatment for individuals with anxiety. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a common type of therapy given that conditions the individual to think and behave in different ways regarding situations that would normally stress them out.

OUR MISSION.

Everybody has experienced anxiety to a certain extent. Anxiety comes in many different forms with no discrimination of whom it affects. With all of the hustle and bustle in today’s society, it may be hard to differentiate between what really is anxiety and what may feel like anxiety. With our health blog, we hope to bring a more in-depth understanding on what GAD is.

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Popular News, Media & Anxiety

Anxiety

The media not only portrays anxiety in a certain way but can also contribute to one’s own anxiety. Generalized Anxiety Disorder is described by the ADAA as persistent and excessive worry about a number of different things. The media commercializes anxiety so that businesses can profit off of consumers buying anxiety-related products. The media also contributes to the issue of people misdiagnosing themselves because they believe what they read about anxiety instead of getting an actual doctor’s opinion. Many people in today’s society have shared that social media apps actually contribute to their anxiety instead of offering a place of relief.

Social Media Causes of Anxiety
Social media causes anxiety because of the fear of feeling self-conscious or that you’ve personally failed. People compare their lives and personal experiences to what they see of others online. Most social media posts glamorize the good moments in ones’ life, and leave out a whole realistic picture. People may use likes or comments to build up self confidence–or vice versa, increase anxiety and self doubt, if lack thereof. Social media is addicting and that is why it makes us so anxious. “The University of Chicago found that it’s also more addictive than cigarettes, and harder to abstain from than a cocktail might be.”¹

Commercialization of Anxiety

Social media platforms have become safe spaces for people to form and become apart of communities with other like-minded people. There is specifically a “sad culture” that has taken over these platforms, So Sad Today twitter account (at 855,000 followers) gets thousands of depressinging relatability retweets daily.² (Jess Joho, Mashable.com). There’s also a social media based brand called “Sad Society Clothes”– Instagram markets for this company with 99,000+ followers. The brand sells “anxiety queen” influencer t-shirts and necklaces. Some may argue that this merch is not encouraging a movement of mental illness and anxiety, but it’s more of a form of political protest. Others are concerned that there needs to be conversations about how serious these illnesses are, and a larger emphasis for people to seek help instead of going off of influencers experiences- because it could be “glamoured” for likes and views.³ The commodification of mental illness, and these companies and specific influencers gaining a profit without responsibly educating their supporters can be very damaging and could lead to wrongful self-diagnosis and a world-wind of issues.

The Media is Not a Doctor

While the idea of relating to a public figure with anxiety can give an individual a sense of relief in regards to “not feeling alone,” the common misconception about anxiety that the media somewhat portrays is that symptoms of depression, stress and anxiety can be the same. Along with this, individuals can take whichever parts of anxiety they feel they relate to and run along with the idea that they have anxiety without being professionally diagnosed. This can then cause a split between those who have unknowingly joined the train of “making anxiety a trend”⁴ (such as consumers who buy items from Sad Society Clothes), and the groups who have actually received a clinical diagnosis. Media can spread awareness of a disorder, but it can also do the damage of misinforming individuals who are actually seeking answers.

Conclusion

People with anxiety disorders should be weary of the harm social media can cause, and always keep in mind how life on social media is far from reality. Additionally, individuals who believe they have some or even all of the symptoms of Generalized Anxiety Disorder should seek support and help from licensed mental health practitioners, such as medical doctors, therapists, and psychiatrists. Having health literacy skills can help one identify their anxiety symptoms and can also help one make smart decisions when choosing a therapist or psychiatrist. The safest practice for mental health is to seek treatment from those who are licensed in those areas of mental health, instead of relying on the internet and social media to diagnose one’s symptoms.

¹ https://www.anxiety.org/social-media-causes-anxiety

^2,3https://mashable.com/article/anxiety-depression-social-media-sad-online/

^4.https://adaa.org/understanding-anxiety/myth-conceptions

Personal Experience

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

https://www.beyondanxietyanddepression.com/women-anxiety-celebrities-anxiety/oprah-winfrey-and-her-unknown-anxiety-story

Scholarly Communication Research

Media creates a platform for people to share experiences with generalized anxiety disorder. One of the main reasons people research health on the internet, is to learn how to deal with the emotional side of the health issue. Many people use cyber social support to cope with health diagnoses. However, the media has also led to public stigma with mental illness and may even prevent people from getting proper treatment. The YouTube videos are analyzed in the study to understand the information shared in the most popular videos focused on GAD. Health professionals are learning how media influences patients with GAD, and how they can better assist patients knowing the influence media and the information on the internet may have over them. The objective of this research was to break down and analyze the content of YouTube videos pertaining to General Anxiety Disorder in 2016. The findings resulted in an analysis of the 95 most popular YouTube videos about GAD, “…which had been collectively viewed 37,044,555 times.” (MacLean et al., 2017).

The authors used a method using two coders to review a set of videos relating to the search phrase, “generalized anxiety disorder”. One coder analyzed all videos in English with at least 50,000 views, while the other coder analyzed a random sample-set of videos. Using a fact sheet from the National Institute of Mental Health, the coders were able to categorize these videos and form statistics based off of their sample analysis’. (MacLean et al., 2017). For example, “65% of these videos were uploaded by consumers and 56% were about a personal experience.”Focusing more on the videos that specifically mentioned generalized anxiety disorder, “The most common symptoms mentioned were worry or panic (72%), social anxiety (46%) and panic attacks (44%)”.¹ Though the research goes more in-depth with detail, these are just a few of the statistics pulled from two categories.

According to the article, the search returned 95 videos with at least 50,000 views. The cumulative view count for all videos was over 37 million. 7% of the videos featured a celebrity, which relates back to Health Blog #3 where we focused on popular news media and how anxiety disorders are becoming commercialized partly due to our society’s obsession with celebrities. The study found that videos did not vary significantly in recent or overall popularity based on whether they were uploaded by consumers versus professionals, or whether they focused on a personal experience. There were 37 videos that specifically mentioned ‘Generalized Anxiety Disorder.’

In Health Blog #1, we touched on the different treatments for Generalized Anxiety Disorder, such as medication and psychotherapy, and how GAD is caused by many different factors, such as genetics, trauma, environmental factors, and brain chemistry. In the research study, the authors found that many videos mentioned at least one treatment (63%), most commonly self-help or support groups (32%), medications (27%), or cognitive behavioral therapy (20%). Additionally, only 26% of the videos mentioned any causes of anxiety, including trauma (16%) or genetics (13%).

The authors concluded their study by discussing how they hope that these results can “guide health professionals in understanding what messages are being shared in the most popular videos on YouTube.” They believe that this could help professionals to better assist their patients, since these patients may be directly viewing these videos online or hearing about them through their peers or other sources.

Source Cited
¹ MacLean, S. A., Basch, C. H., Reeves, R., & Basch, C. E. (2017). Portrayal of generalized anxiety disorder in YouTube^TM videos. International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 63(8), 792–795. https://doi.org/10.1177/0020764017728967