If you are
or have been one of the 40,000.000 US Adults (18-54 years old) that have
experienced Anxiety (NIMH), then you know what we are talking about. And
believe us, we also have first-hand experience for decades and can speak from
experience.
The
ridiculousness of Anxiety is that only 10% of people receive effective help,
which means that 36,000,000 people are having to go day to day dealing with its
terrible symptoms.
The most
common form is Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) which consumes some 34% of
sufferers. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) 20%; Obsessive Compulsive
Disorder (OCD) 20%; Phobias 13%; and Panic Disorder 13%.
With these
different manifestations, you could experience interruptions in your daily life;
suffering and dysfunction; sleep problems (50% do); irrational fears; muscle tension;
chronic indigestion; stage freight; self-consciousness; panic attacks; flashbacks;
perfectionism; and self-doubt/second questioning. You may experience any number
of the above symptoms which will make your life a “living hell”. Add to that
that 90% are trying to deal with these symptoms without valid professional
help, some for budget reasons and some from embarrassment or the “stigma” of it
all.
Even with
proper mental health treatment and medications, it can take decades before a
person can regain their life back to live without debilitating anxiety. So
there is no mystery why anxiety is the most common mental health issue
accounting for nearly 1/3 of the $148,000,000,000 in US Annual Healthcare
costs (The Economic Burden of Anxiety
Disorders, a report commissioned by the ADAA). And the bad
news is the incidence and hospitalization increases with age with the majority
of known sufferers being women (it is fair to say that these numbers may be
skewed since most men will not admit to any type of anxiety/mental health
condition or seek help due to the social stigma or just being macho and deemed
weak).
So what do
we do now? It would seem that since there still is a very real social stigma to
mental health and seeing mental health professionals, the on-line counselor
sites (yes, we have one too) is a fantastic way for more people, particularly
men, to seek help in the privacy of their own home. Medications are primarily
prescribed by the Primary Care Doctors anyway, so you can get the proper
combination of therapy and medication, as needed. More and More states are letting
Psychologists prescribe medications and the word on the street is that most
psychiatrists are just writing scripts and letting most of the patient volume
go to the Psychologists.
No matter
what you have or think you have, do yourself a favor and go see a mental health
professional or on-line to discuss your options. It may take longer that you
want, but it sure beats having to always be saddled with this tremendous burden
that can ultimately be controlled and/or eliminated.
