Linat Bakman
Katharine Rauk
ENGL 1202-13
6 December 2017
The Rising Anxiety Epidemic
My heart is racing, my hands are sweaty, I feel like there is a fifty-pound weight on my chest. Why, you ask? I’m working up the courage to order my coffee from Starbucks. This is how anxiety works. It takes something small and simple and turns it into something overwhelming and unbearable. Day to day tasks that most people don’t think twice about are seemingly impossible. It’s frustrating. It’s time consuming. It’s embarrassing. And unfortunately, it’s something that far too many of us have to deal with.
Anxiety is a prominent issue all over the world, but in the last few decades it has become a growing epidemic for specifically adolescents and young adults. Anxiety disorder is one of the most common mental health conditions in adolescents according to a study done by Child Adolescent Psychiatry in 2009. A 2000 study by the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that anxiety levels in the 1980’s outscored psychiatric patients in the 1950’s among a wide variety of college students and have continued to rise. Many studies have drawn conclusions to rising anxiety levels such as an increase in workload, social pressure linked with the rise of technology, genetics, low self-esteem, environmental threats, depression, and substance abuse. The anxiety epidemic is a serious issue that needs to be addressed. It is extremely important to decipher what causes anxiety and what has changed over the past few decades that has caused this increase.
Anxiety is often dismissed as stressed. Stress is a natural and healthy feeling that every individual feels. It is caused by a stressor, or an already “existing stress-causing factor” (8). Stress turns into anxiety when the stress continues after the stressor is gone. Anxiety is defined as “emotion characterized by feelings of tension, thoughts of worry, and physical/psychological changes” according to the American Psychological Association. Anxiety is often brought on by intrusive, reoccurring thoughts or concerns of danger or threatening situations. For example, many college students suffer the reoccurring concerns of meeting deadlines. Anxiety can manifest itself in many different ways affecting both the body and the brain. According to the Mayo Health Clinic, anxiety can cause sleep problems, an upset stomach, headaches, muscle tension, and chest pain. Anxiety left unchecked can also lead to high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, and diabetes. According to a 2017 study done by the Universal Journal of Educational Research, anxiety can affect a person’s body fat and muscle mass, which leads to psychological issues of self-esteem and body image. An example of anxiety affecting the body is the ‘freshman 15’. Many students get to college and are overwhelmed by stress and anxiety to the point of gaining weight or the supposed extra 15 pounds (‘freshman 15’). This leads to lower self-esteem, which subsequently can lead to even higher anxiety levels. A student’s normal amount of stress can quickly turn into an anxiety disorder because of this unfortunate effect of anxiety. It is important to be aware that anxiety does not just affect your mental well-being, but also your physical health.
Over the past few decades, there has been an increase in workload expectations. Increasing workload intensity has led to major increases in mental health according to the Journal of the International Society for Investigation of Stress. The increase in workloads have shown to affect a person’s work performance along with anxiety. According to the Journal of Occupational Therapy, people are under a lot of pressure because of the need to maximize their efforts to maintain concentration and then there is always the overwhelming possibility of an anxiety attack followed by the preoccupying thoughts of the next anxiety attack. High workloads mixed with long hours and demanding supervisors make for an increase in anxiety. On top of high intensity jobs, many adolescents are fighting to get into competitive schools, maintain their grades, and balance a social life. A lot is expected of young adults, and the pressure is exhausting. Over 62% of college dropouts withdrew due to mental health problems (5). The increase in demands among young adults has taken a toll and added to the epidemic of increasing anxiety levels.
One of the biggest causes of anxiety in adolescents and young adults is the rising use of technology and social pressure. Social media and technology has become a way of life for adolescents. It is how people communicate, stay in touch with current events, and often where people portray their life. Social media creates a gap in relationships with one another due to the avoidance of physical communication. Personal interactions and social bonds is an important aspect in lowering anxiety rates. This generation of young adults has some of the highest divorce rates, the highest percentage of people living alone, and high unemployment rates (15). All of these statistics lead to a strain in social bonds. Social media has made it easy for us to avoid personal interactions, which create a social gap. In order to lower anxiety rates, we need “improvements in these statistics—and a general feeling of belongingness and closeness in our communities—which would likely decrease feelings of anxiety” (15). Social media is an added pressure to many adolescents. They have to constantly stay connected to their phones and continuously check their social media to stay in touch with what is happening to their friends and the world around them. This constant pressure that social media adds makes people feel like “they can’t turn off their brains” (16). On top of the feeling of needing to stay connected, this is how people communicate. Many people stay glued to their device in order to receive and respond to text messages or answer and make phone calls. Part of anxiety is the feeling of “not being able to turn off your thoughts, or a feeling that you can’t be at ease or at peace for prolonged periods of time” (16). Being inseparable from your device can add to this feeling and make it worse. Technology has many advantages, but its effects on anxiety comes with an excessive use and fear of turning off your device.
Your college years are supposedly the best four years of your life. However, nearly one in six college students have been diagnosed with, or treated for, anxiety (Brown). Going from a high school environment to a college environment can be a huge culture shock to some students. Students who could pass tests without studying realize that it is going to take a lot more effort. College brings on fears that a person probably never had to think about before. What school do you want to go to? What do you want to major in? Should you take a year off? What do you want to do for the rest of your life? College students are also feeling the pressure of succeeding in school. 21.9 % of students said that within the last 12 months, anxiety had affected their academic performance, defined as receiving a lower grade on an exam or important project, receiving an incomplete, or dropping a course (Brown). Anxiety for me has always revolved around school. I would worry about not doing well on a test or an assignment, so I just wouldn’t do them. I would worry about not passing a class, so I just wouldn’t go. I told myself if I didn’t try, then at least I had a reason behind the result rather than actual failure. I never wanted to admit that I had anxiety. To me, seeking help meant admitting that there was something wrong with me. Many college students face this same problem. College is the epitome of ‘fake it ‘til you make it’. Everyone seems like they have it all together, and when you have anxiety, it just makes seeking help a lot harder. College students not only have to face academic anxiety, but social anxiety as well. You’re in a new environment with new people. Many can find this overwhelming. Anxiety has topped depression as the leading mental health issue for college students (4). Anxiety is a growing issue in college students that needs to be addressed more openly and comfortably.
Anxiety is not only a problem for adolescents/young adults, but for earlier generations (specifically our parents’ generation). Anxiety can be linked to genetics and often people who report having anxiety also have a parent or family member with anxiety. In fact, according to BMC Psychiatry, parental history of anxiety is the strongest, and most consistent factor for the development of anxiety in offspring. Many people diagnosed with anxiety are diagnosed early on in childhood or adolescence. While it is known that two-thirds of people that report having anxiety are girls, it is more predominately the mother who passes down anxiety. Anxiety passed down through family makes up for over 40% of anxiety cases (Walker) which is a significant amount considering the multiple other variables that cause anxiety. Having a family member with anxiety does not mean their offspring will automatically also have anxiety, but the chances are higher than most.
A huge contribution to rising anxiety levels are environmental threats. Many writers have named the twentieth century the “age of anxiety” (Walker). It is said that “anxiety stems from a disorder in perception of reality as dangerous” (Walker). Some of these dangerous threats fall under categories like terrorism, violent crimes, and changes in education and the workforce. Over the past few decades these threats have increased. A study done in 2000 by the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology proved that societies with higher levels of environmental threat produce adults with higher anxiety. This study was done before the terrorist attacks on 9/11. Keeping with this study, the attacks on 9/11 would increase environmental threats and therefore increase overall anxiety. In today’s day and age, there is a serious fear of WWIII and many fears under our new president. People fear for their freedom and safety (environmental threat). There has also been changes in the work force throughout the years as women have gained rights. This can be scary for many people. There are constant environmental threats such a black lives matter, the issue of illegal immigrants, a new president, etc. Anything that is considered new or scary can be considered an environmental threat. As people continue to live in constant fear, anxiety levels will continue to rise.
Differentiating anxiety from depression can be difficult even for professionals (Kaufman). They have very similar symptoms including nervousness, irritability, and problems with sleeping and concentrating. Depression and anxiety frequently occur simultaneously. Approximately 50-60% of people with a lifetime history of major depressive disorder report a lifetime history of one or more anxiety disorders. Approximately two-thirds of those with generalized anxiety disorder have a lifetime history of major depressive disorder (Kaufman). The coexistence of anxiety and depression is called comorbidity. Having anxiety and depression can impact your relationships, work, and significantly raises suicide risk (Marano). In high school I couldn’t differentiate my own anxiety and depression. Was I having a panic attack because I was overwhelmed or was it because I was sad? Living with depression and anxiety can be very confusing and difficult. I had always wondered if one caused the other. According to physicians Edward Shorter and Peter Tyrer, “the prevailing view of anxiety and depression as two distinct disorders, with multiple flavors of anxiety, is a "wrong classification"”. However, anxiety can fuel depression. For example, I have anxiety about school. If I start to think about failing a class or not finishing a project, depressing thoughts start to pour into my brain. It can go from, “I won’t pass this class” to, “If I don’t pass this class then I’m a failure” which leads to staying in my bed for three days straight. Jerilyn Ross, president of the Anxiety Disorders Association of America says, "In many cases, the depression exists because the anxiety is so draining. Once you treat the anxiety, the depression lifts." Anxiety and depression go hand-in-hand and negatively affect one another. Although anxiety is not a cause of depression, treatment of anxiety can relieve symptoms of depression.
People have many different ways of dealing with their anxiety, but substance abuse is one of the most self-destructive. People with anxiety disorders have an increased risk of substance abuse (Kushner). When anxiety goes untreated, people feel the need to find ways to cope. Not everyone has access to a therapist or understanding friends and family to turn to, so the easy route is abusing drugs or alcohol. When I became stressed or anxious I would turn to marijuana. It felt like an easy way to calm my nerves. After a while, though, it wasn’t enough. Seeking professional help wasn’t an option for me and finding hard drugs was surprisingly easier than I thought. First it was psychedelic mushrooms, then acid, then MDMA, and eventually cocaine. I knew that what I was doing was self-destructive, dangerous, and not going to help the situation that I was in. That’s the thing with substance abuse, it’s not easy to just stop. Overall, researchers estimate that 20% of people with an anxiety disorder are also addicted to alcohol or drugs (Ansorge). Having anxiety makes a person easily susceptible to substance abuse. For example, a study from the journal Psychiatric Services found that of 326 patients with substance abuse disorder, 48% also had anxiety or anxiety mixed with depression (Scharff). One symptom of anxiety is impulsivity which can lead to substance abuse. You may not even think twice about what you’re doing to yourself and later become addicted to alcohol or drugs. My drug of choice was MDMA, also known as “the happy drug”. My anxiety mixed with depression made induced feelings of hopelessness. I felt like things couldn’t get any worse, so why not feel happy and forget about my thoughts and feelings for a couple of hours? Many people think that substance abuse causes anxiety and that if you treat the substance abuse the anxiety will fix itself. Treating substance abuse without treating the anxiety is almost inevitable to result in relapse. The anxiety is almost always the reason for the substance abuse, therefore treating the substance abuse can and most likely will end up in relapse.
Anxiety can be treated but cannot be cured. There are many suggestions for anxiety treatment, but the first step that needs to happen is bringing awareness to the problem. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, anxiety is the most common mental illness in the United States affecting 40 million adults age eighteen and older. Out of those 40 million, only 37% receive any type of treatment. This also doesn’t account for the undiagnosed people with anxiety. Bringing awareness to this issue will allow people to feel more comfortable coming forward with anxiety and for more people to go seek treatment. There are many treatment options. Therapy or counseling is one of the biggest and most common options for treatment, followed by medications. Through therapy, “patients also find ways of coping on their own” (16). For example, someone may find a good way to cope with anxiety is through playing music and exercising your emotions through song, or going on a run and exhausting your emotions of anxiety. Medication can also be a very useful way of coping with anxiety. In fact, according to the Anxiety Center, Paxil and Zoloft (two of the most popular anti-anxiety medications) were ranked 7th and 8th in the top 10 prescribed medications in the United States in 2002. There are many treatment options, but most importantly the stigma that anxiety is bad needs to be addressed and people need to understand that anxiety does exist and isn’t a subject to be avoided.
Anxiety affects approximately 15% of the United States population and is a prominent issue worldwide (Baldwin). The anxiety epidemic has been increasing and is something that needs to be addressed. Due to increasing workloads, social pressure, depression, stress of college, and the rising use of technology, genetics, low self-esteem, and environmental threats, levels of anxiety have grown and become a problem. Anxiety also carries over into all parts of life. For example, anxiety about social pressure can lead to anxiety about your self-esteem which can lead to anxiety in the work place. It builds on itself creating an overbearing issue. Anxiety has affected my academic, social, and family life immensely. After years of trying to figure it out on my own I finally told my family and sought professional help. We cannot change every problem prompting anxiety, but we can work towards smaller solutions. Some of these solutions being cutting back on technology usage, becoming aware of how anxiety personally manifests within us, and seeking treatment. Anxiety is growing and will continue to grow unless we make a conscious effort to help those who need it.