Anxiety and Depression

Abbey Hymas
What is Anxiety? Anxiety- the feelings of stress or worry
that arise before, during, or after a
particular situation.

Everyone experiences feelings of

anxiousness especially in stressful
situations. It’s when these feelings
persist for weeks, months, or even
years at a time that it becomes a
serious problem and help should be
sought out.
Types of Anxiety
There are many different types of anxiety that an
individual can experience, some may include:

● Agoraphobia - to avoid or fear specific places or

situations because of the panic,
embarrassment, or helplessness it may cause
● Generalized anxiety disorder - excessive
unnecessary worry, difficult to control
● Panic Disorder - episodes of intense anxiety,
panic attacks (fear or terror that reach a
maximum within minutes)
● Separation anxiety disorder - anxiety caused by
separation of parents or those who hold
parental roles, typically a childhood disorder
● Substance-induced anxiety disorder - intense
panic or anxiety due to misuse of drugs,
medications, exposure to toxic substances, or
drug withdrawal
Symptoms of Symptoms may include:

Anxiety ●
●
hot and cold flushes
shaking/trembling
● tight feeling in the chest or chest pains
● struggling to breathe or breathing rapidly (hyperventilation)
● snowballing worries that are consistently getting worse
● a racing mind full of thoughts
● a constant need to check things are right or clean
● persistent worrying ideas that seem 'silly or crazy'
● Feeling nervous, restless, irritable, or tense
● Having a sense of impending danger, panic or doom
● Having an increased heart rate
● Sweating
● Feeling weak or tired
● Trouble concentrating or thinking about anything other than the
present worry
● Having trouble sleeping
● Experiencing gastrointestinal (GI) problems
● Having difficulty controlling worry
● Having the urge to avoid things that trigger anxiety
Symptoms Cont. All of those symptoms listed are intense, long
lasting or fluctuate up and down throughout
time, and negatively impact the human mind
and body. Anxiety is hard to deal with as an
individual making life not enjoyable. It changes
one’s unique personality which can result in
damaged self confidence. If anxiety persists, it
can increase the severity of the symptoms
making them even worse. Severe anxiety may
also lead to additional health problems like
heart disease or diabetes.
 ● Traumatic childhood experiences (death of a
Causes and Triggers family member, divorced parents, drug or
alcohol use, abuse, etc.)
● Major life changes whether expected or
unexpected ex. loss of job, relationship
break-up, or a death of a close friend or family
member
● Changes in one’s individual role ex. goals in life,
becoming a parent, retiring, or beliefs
● Ongoing challenges ex. Failure of achieving
goals, money problems, discrimination, or
ongoing difficulties with people in life
● Trauma
● Medical problems ex. heart disease, diabetes,
drug misuse, alcohol withdrawal, etc.
● Stress buildup or stress from an illness
● Personality - some personality types are more
vulnerable
Facts and Statistics ● Only ⅓ of people suffering from anxiety
receive treatment
● Anxiety is one of the most common global
mental disorders
● Yearly, 40 million people in the US
experience an anxiety disorder
● Someone with an anxiety disorder is three to
five times more likely to go to the doctor for
psychiatric disorders
● Anxiety disorders affect about ¼ of children
between the ages of 13 and 18 years old
● Anxiety is just as common amongst older
people as it is children
 What is Severe feelings of hopelessness and
dejection.
Depression?
Similar to anxiety, depression too
becomes problematic when one is
consistently experiencing those severe
feelings and they are interfering with
everyday life. It is hard to focus on or
accomplish the task at hand when one
has depression which is why it makes
day to day living so difficult.

Anyone at any age can get depressed.

The rates of depression diagnosis are increasing throughout the years to people of all ages.
Symptoms of ● Feelings of hopelessness, guilt,
worthlessness, or pessimism
Depression ●
●
Loss of interest in pleasurable activities
Loss of energy, fatigue
● Restlessness
● Low appetite
● Insomnia, early-morning awakening, or
oversleeping
● Thoughts of death or suicide, suicide
attempts
● Difficulty remembering, focusing, or decision
making
Facts and Statistics ● 85% of people who are diagnosed with major
depression also have one or more additional
serious chronic health conditions
● Nearly 30% of those people have four or
more other conditions.
● 4.4% diagnosis rate in United States of
America
● Depression is the second most impactful
health condition in the country
● 1 in 6 adults will have depression at some
time in their life affecting 16 million
American adults every year
Women are diagnosed with depression at double the rates of men.
 Although anxiety and depression are two separate
Anxiety and mental illnesses, people tend to suffer from both
simultaneously due to the effects they have on the
Depression body. It was discovered that about 1 in 5 people with
anxiety or depression will experience both at the
same time.

Both of these illnesses have similar causes or

triggers like a traumatic childhood experience,
specific phobias, etc. They also have similar
effects to the mind and body such as negatively
impacted thoughts, irregular sleep, trouble
focusing, etc.

In spite of how severe these illnesses can be, there

are people and tools out there that can help one
cope with and possibly eliminate their mental
challenges.
 The most important step when treating anxiety or
Getting Help depression is to get help immediately before any
symptoms or bad habits become too severe. The
two most popular treatments suggested are
psychotherapy (talk therapy/counseling) and
physical exercise.

Other helpful treatments include:

● Informing yourself about the illness you have

● Medication - talk to a doctor first to see if
there is a medication he or she can
prescribe and see if medication is something
you should do
● Practice managing stress and relaxation
● Eat healthy
● Sleep - must be a priority
Getting Help Cont. ● Create a plan and stick to it- take
medications when indicated, show up to and
participate in counseling sessions, sleep
regularly, etc.
● Keep track of events and life plan through a
calendar or journal
● Join a support group
● Socialize
● Break bad habits and cycles when they arise
(use activities or happy thoughts to
participate in or think about when caught in
a bad habit or cycle)
● Improve time management skills
Prevention Many prevention methods are the same steps one
with a mental illness would follow to get back to a
Methods healthy state of mind. So whether one has a
mental illness or wants to prevent getting one,
many of the same steps would be taken in either
scenario.

● Get help early

● Be active ex. Talk to people, exercise, get
outside, etc.
● Avoid use of alcohol and drugs
● Find any sort of activity that you enjoy and
makes you happy
Stay Informed
It is important to make sure you keep yourself
informed about mental illnesses just as well as you do
physical illnesses. Know what its causes are, its
general symptoms, what help to get and where to find
it.

If you know the answers to all of those questions, then

you will be prepared if you or someone you know or
love develops a mental illness. It would be helpful to
spread the word and inform others as well and
encourage them to learn more.
Works Cited
"Anxiety - What you need to know | Depression and ... -
Depression NZ."
https://depression.org.nz/is-it-depression-anxiety/anxiety/.
Accessed 11 Apr. 2019.

"Depression | Anxiety and Depression Association of America,

ADAA." https://adaa.org/understanding-anxiety/depression.
Accessed 11 Apr. 2019.

"Major Depression: The Impact on Overall Health | Blue Cross

Blue ...." 10 May. 2018,
https://www.bcbs.com/the-health-of-america/reports/major-depre
ssion-the-impact-overall-health. Accessed 11 Apr. 2019.

"Anxiety disorders - Doctors and departments - Mayo Clinic." 4

May. 2018,
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/anxiety/doctors-
departments/ddc-20350971. Accessed 11 Apr. 2019.

"Mental Health Conditions: Depression and Anxiety - CDC."

https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/campaign/tips/diseases/depression
-anxiety.html. Accessed 11 Apr. 2019.