Anxiety Disorders
There are 7 Anxiety Disorders, 5 of which pertain to young adults and adults.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
This is the most common Anxiety Disorder. There is excessive anxiety and worry that is difficult to control (i.e. you worry about worrying and then you are worried about the next thing and so on…)
Social Anxiety Disorder (Social Phobia)
This is characterized by a disabling fear of 1 or more specific social situations—this may result from a fear of exposure to scrutiny and potential negative evaluation…
Panic Disorder
Reoccurring panic attacks that seem to come “out of the blue.” These panic attacks may be accompanied by physical symptoms such as rapid heart rate and perspiration, as well as a sense that you’ve lost control…
Specific Phobia
A strong and persistent fear—excessive or unreasonable—of a specific object, activity, or situation that results in a compelling desire to avoid the object, activity, or situation…
Agoraphobia
Anxiety about a variety of public places and fear that escape from these situations might be difficult. This is commonly triggered by large crowds and high traffic areas…
Treatments
Treatments for anxiety disorders range from numerous kinds of therapy to medications. Finding the right treatment can be a challenge. Here are 7 options that might work for you…
Student Experiences:
“So freshman year, my anxiety and insomnia got worse and worse. It felt like I was developing ADHD or something, because I was extremely distractible. Many of my decisions were extremely impulsive, because the ones that weren't were agonized over. When I would lay down to go to bed every night, it felt like my brain didn't get the memo to ‘flip the light off’, and I would just lay there with racing thoughts for hours. It got worse and worse, and started to manifest physically (heart racing, tunnel vision, sweating, mild breathing difficulties) so I started going on long aimless walks in the middle of the night, because that was the only thing that would help me escape from the thoughts, the heart palpitations, etc... It continued to get so bad that I was having panic attacks frequently (as I know now).I finally went to my doctor, and they diagnosed me with adjustment disorder and they put me on an SSRI immediately because of the severity. I went to a therapist and that diagnosis got switched to panic disorder. After not having a panic attack for a while and doing a TON of therapy work (which I am still in now as a senior), that got switched to GAD.The SSRI really took a decent chunk out of the most severe symptoms, but the rest took years of weekly therapy. Still not totally there, but I'm so much better than I was.”— The George Washington University Student
“Anxiety has been something that I have been working on throughout my high school to college life. Oftentimes I will get anxious about the smallest things and forget to think rationally. One way I combat this is by bringing my center of focus back to myself and breaking down the situation into pieces. As I proceed through the pieces of the situation, I am able to reassure myself that there really isn’t anything to be worried or anxious about.”— The George Washington University Student
Useful Resources:
DSM-5: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th Edition)
by The American Psychiatric Association (APA)The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM–5) is the product of more than 10 years of effort by hundreds of international experts in all aspects of mental health. Their dedication and hard work have yielded an authoritative volume defines and classifies mental disorders in order to improve diagnoses, treatment, and research. DSM–5 is the standard classification of mental disorders…
First, We Make the Beast Beautiful: A New Journey Through Anxiety
by Sarah WilsonIn First, We Make the Beast Beautiful, Wilson directs her intense focus and fierce investigating skills onto her lifetime companion, looking at the triggers and treatments, the fashions and fads. She reads widely and interviews fellow sufferers, mental health experts, philosophers, and even the Dalai Lama, processing all she learns through the prism of her own experiences. Wilson offers readers comfort, humor, companionship, and…
Badass Ways to End Anxiety & Stop Panic Attacks!
by Geert Verschaeve"Managing" your anxiety and panic attacks belongs to the past. It's time to recover. Most people who suffer from anxiety and panic attacks are told by their well-meaning friends, doctors, therapists and psychiatrists to "manage" their anxiety. Some are prescribed pills in an effort to calm their anxiety down. Breathing techniques, mindfulness and more are advised as well. Needless to say, that isn't a very effective approach, and it never was…
Unhealthy vs. Healthy Coping Mechanisms
Anxiety can feel overwhelming at times. What may feel like a solution right now could cause harm in the long run. There are many healthy ways to manage your anxiety and regain control of your life. Here are a few of the healthy coping mechanisms to master and unhealthy ones to avoid…
Relation to College Students:
College is an intense and challenging experience. The demands are not just endless, you are pretty much alone in getting everything done. There are due dates, projects, exams, and grades, just to name a few things that college students regularly worry about. And that only scratches the surface considering those are only academic stressors. There are also social and environmental stressors that college students are concerned about as well—roommates, financial aid, fitting in, culture of the university and the town the university it in, etc. In addition, for many first-year students, and beyond, they are managing their lives 100% on their own for the first time. Often times, parents managed many facets of their lives and, now, they are on their own.
All this is to say that, due to all of the many stressors, it is understandable why so many college students develop anxiety. It is a common for college students to struggle with anxiety. Not to mention some students may enter college with a pre-existing history of anxiety or an already-exiting anxiety disorder, which can make college more difficult than it already is. Anxiety is rooted in pervasive feelings of worry and, when college students have so much to worry about with so little support, that inevitably can lead to intense struggles such as anxiety. This anxiety can become acute or chronic (lasts only a short while or become a life- long issue). There are ways to manage anxiety and there are treatments to help those with more any level of anxiety. Hope is not lost.