If you look around, everyone cares about mental health. People appear to want to be part of conversations and spread awareness. We want to do whatever we can to “show” we care; but do we really? When it comes to dealing with someone, a friend perhaps, who deals with a mental disorder, or illness, how do we behave? There is a massive difference between having mental health issues, and a mental illness/disorder. Every mental disorder results in a person behaving a certain way. However unfortunately, people do tend to fake these illnesses many times for attention. This results in overshadowing the people who do need help. Now I’m talking about ACTUAL mental illnesses. The real ones; not the anxiety that takes shape in the form of a shy frail little girl, or the messy room melancholy side of depression that is often romanticised. I’m talking the ugly, real side of mental health; because unfortunately, people need to understand it and stop condemning people who go through it to a life of solitude. If someone describes their feelings due to anxiety symptoms, do we claim that they’re victimising themselves? The hard truth of the matter is, you cannot expect someone with a mental illness to behave like a normal human being. Insensitivity is prevalent and empathy unfortunately, isn’t. We wouldn’t bash a person with diabetes for exhibiting signs of high blood sugar, so why do we attack people with anxiety for something that is beyond their own control? The words anxiety and nervousness, are often confused; According to the World Health Organisation, Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) affects 3.6 percent — or about 264 million individuals worldwide — have an anxiety disorder. Additionally, 4.6 percent of females and 2.6 percent of males globally are affected by anxiety. In the early days, anxiety was referred to as a danger signal sent from your brain to the rest of your body. The term anxiety itself is defined as the anticipation of future threat. During the 16th-17th century, the term melancholia was coined to encompass both depression AND anxiety, meaning that anxiety and depression will always be interlinked to some extent. When you have a mental illness, the processes that go through your brain, as well as the structure of your brain, differ from that of a normal person; - 1.Your brain is always flooded with stress hormones When you deal with anxiety on a daily basis, your amygdala (a small structure located in the brain responsible for emotions and moods) grows larger. This results in a lot of false alarms sent by the limbic system to the rest of the body which can be damaging to your fight or flight response over time. This is why our response to certain situations may be confusing or even alarming at times. However, it is never intentional. 2.Your brain is always on high alert When you feel anxious, your body goes on alert, prompting your brain to prepare itself for flight or fight mode. In an attempt to help you fight off whatever has made you anxious, your brain floods your central nervous system with adrenaline and cortisol. These hormones tell your body that something scary is about to happen. In a non-anxious brain, when the danger is gone, the sympathetic part of your nervous system takes over and calms you down. But when you suffer from anxiety, you may not be able to reach that sense of calm. Instead, the rush of stress hormones causes your brain to release even more stress hormones until you’re simply overwhelmed. 3.Anxiety makes you lose the ability to make rational decisions Anxiety weakens the connections between the amygdala and the prefrontal cortex (PFC). When the amygdala alerts the brain to danger, the prefrontal cortex should kick in and help you come up with a rational, logical response. The PFC ensures that you’re capable of processing information analytically and can make informed decisions, as well as helping you solve problems. You can think of the PFC as your brain’s wise counsellor. In non-anxious brains, the prefrontal cortex responds rationally when the amygdala sends out alerts. This process doesn’t work the same in anxious brains. Instead, when the amygdala alerts the PFC to danger, the connection is weak. Thus the rational, problem-solving part of the brain isn’t heard, which can lead to irrational thoughts and erratic behaviour. Anxiety disorders can have a negative impact on a person’s relationships with friends, family members or romantic partners. Anxiety involves excessive worrying, heightened stress and a fear of negative experiences. These feelings can lead to irrational thoughts that can impact how a person views their relationships. The two main ways that anxiety makes maintaining healthy relationships difficult is through dependence and avoidance. Some people with generalised anxiety disorder may desire close bonds with their peers and try too hard to please others. Others may want detachment, which closes themselves off from friends and family members. Aside from generalised anxiety, other types of anxiety disorders (such as agoraphobia, panic disorders and social anxiety) can strain relationships too. Agoraphobia is a fear of panic attacks occurring in public places, being unable to escape to a private place and suffering embarrassment in front of friends or family. This type of anxiety disorder can cause people to avoid public places or social interaction altogether, potentially ruining their chance at developing meaningful relationships with new people. Social anxiety is the type of anxiety disorder that most often links to the quality of a person’s relationships with others. For example, someone with social anxiety may fear that their peers think poorly of them. Feelings of jealousy and inferiority are common among people with social anxiety, and these internal struggles can cause people to close themselves off as protection from potential pain. Additionally, people with social anxiety may overvalue their relationships with others and become too reliant on validation from their friends or family members. This dependence is unhealthy. Along with being overly dependent, people with GAD may find themselves prone to overthinking, planning for all worst-case scenarios, being indecisive, fearing rejection, and seeking out constant communication (and getting anxious if a partner or friend does not respond quickly) As mental health awareness grows, so do misconceptions. People who suffer from anxiety find it daunting to just get through the day, if you choose to be a part of their life, the least you could do is understand the way they behave, and act accordingly. Don’t preach mental health if you don’t understand it. Take some time to research the symptoms of a loved one with a mental disorder. Imagine having to explain to someone why your head hurts the way it does. Imagine having to justify your stomach ache, or a physical injury. Why is it that mental illnesses aren’t taking as seriously? The brain is the most important organ in your entire body. Yet an illness that affects it, is taken lightly. Please always remember that you never have to justify a mental illness EVER. It is not your fault you have anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, or paranoia. It is okay to show symptoms. The people who really care will never put you in a position where you will have to justify having a mental illness. It is okay to deal with your mental illness in whatever way you choose in order to survive. Citations: https://pronghornpsych.com/how-does-anxiety-affect-the-brain/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4610616/ https://www.therecoveryvillage.com/mental-health/anxiety/related/anxiety-disorder-statistics/ https://www.crisisprevention.com/Blog/Challenging-Myths-About-Mental-Illness https://www.therecoveryvillage.com/mental-health/anxiety/faq/how-does-anxiety-affect-relationships/ https://www.verywellmind.com/how-anxiety-can-cause-relationship-problems-1393090
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