Anxiety and Depression in Society

Anxiety and depression are no jokes. Millions of Americans suffer from daily attacks of these mental and emotional demons. What causes these onsets to take over peoples' minds, even souls? Is it something that they did to hurt others or make them angry? Is God punishing them for sins committed? Why does Mom or Dad look so glum? Why does a friend constantly dwell on morbid thoughts? Where do we go? What can we do? Is all of this torment a hopeless case? What does this mean to our society?

Anxiety is the beginning

What are people anxious about? Getting good grades, seeing children become successful as they grow, wanting to catch that foul ball in the left field stands or witnessing the climax to a favorite movie, to mention a few. However, what if anxiety becomes all pervasive, culminating in that gut wrenching feeling upon awakening in the morning, with little or no reason for explanation? What are these unexplainable fears and their aftermaths to do with reality, or with whom people are inside themselves and what they can actually do in their occupations or other endeavors? What causes anxiety to happen, anyway?

Chronic symptoms of anxiety are caused by biochemical imbalances in the brain or other endocrine glands in the human body. Overabundances of cortisol and adrenaline lead to episodes of panic attacks evidencing quick shallow breathing, heart palpitations and clammy sweating. What triggers these episodic displays can be attributable to innate physiological causes that may have hereditary bases. Phobias are common manisfestations of these chemical imbalance "triggers" which may be exacerbated by the use of caffeine and nicotine. Mental Health Professionals are in agreement that chronic anxiety can and usually does lead to depression, triggered by other chemical imbalances, or to more serious mental disorders, such as bipolarism.

Millions of people are affected by the symptoms of anxiety and depression. How to recognize, accept and treat these problems offer challenges that are sometimes too overwhelming for many to overcome. Modern mental health experts offer guidance, treatment and relief to those who would otherwise suffer agonizing debilitation and often times death from suicide and improper care. Anxiety and depression are social problems with dire consequenses if ignored.

Depression is the End Result

Depression is the unavoidable end result from untreated chronic anxiety. Depressed people have a never ending cycle of anxiety and depression slamming their minds and bodies with chemical imbalances, convoluted and confused mental processes, irritability, overreactive stress catalysts, crying jags and other variable emotional disturbances. If left unnoticed and untreated, these can lead to clinical depression, mood disorders and bipolarism. Many sufferers for lack of knowledge or others' insight may self medicate with alcohol or drugs. These episodes and behaviors become progressively worse over time, with the victims, totally unaware, resistant or reckless, succumbing to what is traditionally known as the "nervous breakdown". These processes may take years to develop, or can manifest themselves in a relatively short time. This depends on the physiological and hereditary make-up of the individual. It has absolutely nothing to do with being "strong" or "weak".

Depressed people often times go on to hurt themselves and/or others. Suicides and homicides have been committed in the throes of depressive episodes. Many depressed victims languish in misery and despair, not attending to their health needs, and may go on to die a lonely and totally avoidable "natural" death. Many more people suffering from depression are rummaging around in the "outside" world as opposed to those institutionalized or under the care of health professionals administering psychotherapies and/or psychotropic medications. These individuals can be known as the hostile coworker, the people who constantly "job hop", the angry "bullyboy", the screeching, abusive parent, the "hoarder", the hermit or the smiling "niceguy" whom others thought wouldn't commit "the act" in a million years!

Societal Responsibility for the Mentally Ill

So, where does America go from here? Does society keep turning its back on the mentally ill, hoping that they dry up and go away? Or, even more tragic, laughing and shrugging its shoulders? Would they laugh at a cancer patient? "By rights, everyone has their cross to bear. "They" need to pull themselves up by their bootstraps and stop feeling sorry for themselves!" Really? America needs to listen, get educated and become more concerned and tolerant of anxious and depressed people.

Tell me what you think. What needs to be done for those who suffer from anxiety and depression, which left unchecked, could lead to mental disorders? How can people support those who are affected? Is modern mental health doing enough to combat these problems?