Mental wellness is a vital component of overall health, to the NIMH. Symptoms of Recognition of that significance has increased in recent GAD may include: years, but a number of people across the globe are still ■ Feeling restless, wound-up confronting an array of mental health issues, including oron-edge anxiety.
■ Being easily fatigued Unreported cases can make it hard to quantify the prev- ■ Experiencing difficulty alence of anxiety around the world, but a recent study from concentrating the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation estimated ■ Irritability that 4 percent of the global population was experiencing ■ Experiencing headaches, an anxiety disorder at the time of the study. That estimate, muscle aches, stomach offered prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, may understate aches, or unexplained pains the current threat of anxiety, as the World Health Organi- ■ Difficulty controlling feelzation notes that the first year of the pandemic triggered a ings of worry 25 percent increase in the global prevalence of anxiety and ■ Sleeping problems, such depression.
When discussing anxiety disorders, it's important to rec- asleep ognize that anxiety is a normal part of life, as the National Institute of Mental Health notes people typically experience temporary feelings of anxiety related to health, money or issues or problems affecting their families. When such feelings are more than temporary, a person might have an anxiety disorder. There are many types of anxiety disorders, and the NIMH notes symptoms can vary depending on which type a person has.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
GAD can interfere with a person's daily life because it is characterized by persistent feelings of anxiety or dread. This anxiety can last months or years, according as difficulty falling or staying
Panic Disorder
Johns Hopkins Medicine notes that panic disorder causes bouts of overwhelming fear when there is no specific reason to be fearful. This fear is intense and uncomfortable and can make people feel as though they're losing control even if there is no evident threat. Panic attacks and panic disorder are not one and the same, and the NIMH notes some people experience panic attacks without developing panic disorder. People with panic disorder live in frequent fear of the next attack, and will often go to great lengths to avoid places, situations or behaviors they associate with past panic attacks.
Social Anxiety Disorder
The NIMH notes social anxiety disorder is characterized by an intense, persistent fear of being watched and judged by others. Individuals with social anxiety disorder may experience an intense fear of social situations, which might compel them to miss work, school or other daily activities.
Social anxiety disorder may be marked by fear of social settings, but the condition also can produce some notable physical symptoms, including:
■ Blushing, sweating or trembling
■ Pounding or racing heart
■ Stomach aches
■ Rigid body posture or speaking with an overly soft voice
■ Difficulty making eye contact The NIMH notes people with social anxiety disorder also may have trouble conversing with strangers and harbor a fear that people will judge them negatively.
Anxiety affects a sizable percentage of the global population. More information about anxiety disorders is available at nimh.nih.gov.
