We all have a friend,
relative or a colleague who is always tense and anxious! Ever wondered why is
he/ she so anxious all the time? Or, is it that you are the one who is anxious
and made fun of? So what is this condition and how can we ‘solve’
it? Is this normal? This is the focus of discussion today.
Being anxious sometimes is a good thing and helps us
correct mistakes and prepare well for the future. However, when anxiety is
present all the time, it is not such a good thing. Why? Because, being anxious
all the time makes you feel bad and prevents you from enjoying life. It also
impacts your physical health and can be detrimental to organs such as the
heart. Additionally, being tense and worried all the time impairs your ability to
concentrate, plan and solve the problem at hand, thereby defeating the whole purpose
for which the nature probably designed anxiety for! And more the problems
persist, more the anxiety – a vicious cycle that many find difficult to come
out of!
So what causes some people to be more anxious than
others? Is it that their lives are more difficult than others? Well sometimes
yes, but not always! So if there are no more problems, why this excessive
worry? Let’s find out!
Broadly, we can view the problem
to be related to two kinds of issues – one, personality style and two,
psychological disorder.
Certain persons have a
personality style that is prone to worry. It is not that they are suffering
from a mental disorder that is making them anxious. It is just the way they
have always been, since their childhood days! And why have they been that way since
childhood? Genetics, family and cultural background, events in early childhood,
chemical changes in the brain and so on. Personality styles characterized as
anxious-avoidant, anankastic and paranoid are often prone to this kind of
anxiety.
The second group of
psychological disorders includes a wide range of anxiety and depressive
disorders. Unlike personality styles, they often have a definite onset and
sometimes a definite end point. In other words, there have been periods when
the person is not so worried and periods when he/ she is markedly worried.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is a well known disorder in this category.
As the name suggests, the persons suffering from this disorder have worries
related to multiple areas of life even though they sometimes recognize or have
been told by others, that this anxiety is unwarranted.
SO
WHAT IS THE SOLUTION?
Let us consider the second
group of psychological disorders first. This group is often treatable with
medicines. A disorder implies a specific abnormality and hence the ability to
correct the abnormality with medicines. Psychotherapy is also useful but tends
to be used in those with milder symptoms.
The first group, i.e., problems
associated with a personality style, is generally corrected, with
psychotherapy. Medicines are generally not useful, except in very severe cases
or in the presence of additional psychiatric complications. Can personality
styles be changed or corrected? Yes, contrary to popular belief, it can be
changed to a significant extent!
So that was it for this week friends! Hope
you found it useful!
Please let me know if you want me to
discuss any specific issue by typing in the comments section below.
Write in at stayhappy.prakash@gmail.com
So until next time, STAY HAPPY!
Dr. Sathya Prakash, MD, Dip. CBT
Consultant Psychiatrist, Psychotherapist
and Behavioural Sciences Expert
Well written sir , yes this problem do persist with many people ,specially in teenage .I think there should be more awareness camp for these type of problem in schools ,it will save lot of students from getting bullied . From RAHULJAIN
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