Anxiety Disorders: Research Paper Example

Everyone feels  anxiety one way or another. To some it may be crippling and to others they can brush it off or talk themselves out of it. Anxiety is an important part of human nature and is instrumental to our classic fight or flight reflexes. Lots of people have varying opinions on the reality of anxiety, many people accept anxiety for what it is and are empathetic of individuals who may have more difficulties managing anxiety. On the other hand, some believe anxiety is a fabrication of one's imagination and can simply be overlooked.

People in their day to day life may experience anxiety in different ways. By definition anxiety is “A feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease about something with an uncertain outcome”, which can be caused by anything. As long as you have some kind of fear about something you are more than likely to feel anxiety about it. To dive deeper, in addition to these natural reactions to fear some people have been diagnosed with anxiety disorders. The Nation Institute of Mental Health explains the difference between typical anxiety and a disorder:

Occasional anxiety is an expected part of life. You might feel anxious when faced with a problem at work, before taking a test, or before making an important decision, but anxiety disorders involve more than temporary worry or fear. For a person with an anxiety disorder, the anxiety does not go away and can progressively grow worse over time. The symptoms can interfere with daily activities such as job performance, school work, and relationships. (“National Institute of Mental Health”)

Essentially if anxiety is keeping a person from performing normal activities it may be characterized as a disorder. These disorders can go long undiagnosed due to many people grouping their issues into the typical everyday anxiety. 

Continuing, anxiety has been on a steady incline for years with only inklings of a cause. More and more today are teenagers unable to do normal activities such as give presentations and participate in public acts. “In 2016, 41% of students said "yes" compared with 28% in 2000 and 18% in 1985” (McCarthy). That is almost a 15% increase in anxiety in students in 16 years. Although the increase isn’t astronomical, it still shows each year more anxiety develops. This can prove to be an issue because teens that fail to learn how to deal with anxiety or find help with their disorders will be set up for failure later in the workplace. Often in elementary and highschools, students have learned ways to remove themselves out of situations which may cause them anxiety. They have realized if they often  claim they are too scared to present they often will be allowed to do an alternative assignment. This although a great opportunity for those who may suffer from anxiety it can be abused by other students who want to work the “system”. A great example of this is what happened a few years ago in Columbia High School with nurse Westfall. Some kids felt anxious about sitting in the lunch room with everyone because of some preexisting fears and concerns and Mrs. Westfall allowed them to come eat with her. People started to realize she allowed anyone to join them and it spiraled out of control. This goes to show even though policies and options need to be in place for people who have real issues with anxiety, it may be necessary for them to be reserved for true cases of anxiety or alternative disorders. 

On the other hand anxiety is believed to be the fabrication of one's imagination and with enough will power can be fought through in order to overcome past worries and fears. Some people say they have severe anxiety so they are able to sit out, such as presentations, driving, shopping, or even going to family events to avoid doing activities. Anxiety is just something people make up in their heads and most of the time it can be solved. Anxiety isn't a thing, I think it's just trauma which stems into bigger problems and people need a name for it. Most of the time anxiety can be solved by just realizing it's not the end of the world and everything is going to be fine. Some people also believe others fake anxiety to obtain prescription medicine so they can abuse it and sell it to others. Furthermore, people believe others fake anxiety to obtain extra needs and different accommadies such as, extra time on a test, no presentations, ect. 

Anxiety can be perceived through many lenses and it is up to the individual if they believe it is real or not. However, no matter what someone might believe everyone feels anxiety one way or another. It is left up to society to not abuse these disorders affecting the credibility for the people who truly need it the most.