Why are there so many people with "anxiety" these days? Serious question.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Speed of life is also a reason. I also think being out of tune with nature - nature deficit disorder - leads to increased anxiety.Go out in nature for a hike or a walk- and both the exercise, the nature, and the slowdown can all help the mind quiet and reduce anxiety.

+1 I was just going to say the same thing.

[Anonymous]

There are absolutely people who have depression, anxiety, OCD and the like, no doubt about it and I am not downplaying it at all. There is also a trend, that I find really offensive, of people saying they have anxiety when they don't.

You can be anxious, it does not mean you have an anxiety disorder. People toss this term around very loosely. Same with OCD. Having an organized closet does not mean you are OCD, changing out of the clothes you just put on does not make you bipolar. It pisses me off when I hear people make frivolous statements like this.

[Anonymous]

We are not taught to honor our parts that are vulnerable, needy, sensitive etc. To operate in our society we have to be highly desensitized to sexualized messages, violence, our own and other's humanity, among many other things. Everyone has a breaking point.

[Anonymous]

Anxiety is an excuse to be medicated.

If you cry, scream into a pillow, run around the block a few times, your anxiety goes away.

pills kill.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Anxiety is an excuse to be medicated.

If you cry, scream into a pillow, run around the block a few times, your anxiety goes away.

pills kill.

Please do be quiet. This is objectively untrue and you are being a jerk just to get a rise out of people. Find something better to do.

[Anonymous]

Severe loss in self-confidence and the ability to endure trials, both large and small. I don't know if this is because children are coddled and not allowed to become independent problem solvers, but there seems to be a tremendous lack of faith in ourselves to weather through problems and tough times. I think people have always had challenges, but we are relying increasingly on psychiatric medications and psychotherapy for life's normal ups and downs.

[Anonymous]

I am someone who suffers from extreme anxiety and panic. And I agree that there are probably a lot of people with normal worries who are medicated. In my case, I get physical symptoms that are so debilitating that I have been hospitalized on more than one occasion.

It is genetic

But I also think our current culture aggravates it. Being on-call 24-7. Cell phones. Internet culture. Facebook. Increased violence. Constant media and news alerts. Emails flooding your personal and professional inbox.

I also am a full-time working professional with an excessive Type A personality and am trying to raise a family of 5 with a spouse who just isn't understanding.

Gender roles still play a large part for women.

In this area there are also many financial pressures. Cost of living is extremely high. Competition for everything, from schools to ballet lessons, to househunting for that one affordable place under $1m in a good school district (that has 5 other offers).

The DC area is filled with driven and competitive professional women who want to do and have it all, but something has to give.

In my case, it's my mental health.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Poorly compensated people hired to care for babies and toddlers who don't really care about them. I see it every day. If you think it doesn't matter down the road, think again.

Little children need to be loved and well-cared for. Really.

+1000

[Anonymous]

I might get flamed for this but I think there has been an increase since 9/11. I think collectively we are all waiting for another horrible unspeakable thing to happen, for it to be us in the buildings/planes this time. I think we focus on the bad, all the things that can go wrong. I think collectively we have PTSD.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are absolutely people who have depression, anxiety, OCD and the like, no doubt about it and I am not downplaying it at all. There is also a trend, that I find really offensive, of people saying they have anxiety when they don't.

You can be anxious, it does not mean you have an anxiety disorder. People toss this term around very loosely. Same with OCD. Having an organized closet does not mean you are OCD, changing out of the clothes you just put on does not make you bipolar. It pisses me off when I hear people make frivolous statements like this.

+1

I do think people are better at recognizing when they need help, however. That's not a bad thing. Women were expected to grin and bear it, and men were expected to tough it out, otherwise they were unmanly.

Daycare, CIO, "the news," being busy, etc., -- please. Every generation thinks they have it bad. What a crock of shit. Anxiety, depression, OCD, and the like are illnesses, not weaknesses.

[Anonymous]

Meds are HUGE business, not just here, but Chinese imports.

[Anonymous]

Since when does Tom Cruise post here?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Poorly compensated people hired to care for babies and toddlers who don't really care about them. I see it every day. If you think it doesn't matter down the road, think again.

Little children need to be loved and well-cared for. Really.

My mother SAH with me for 10 years and was extremely loving. Yet I suffer from anxiety. As did she. And other members of my family. It's an inherited illness, like many things.

[Anonymous]

Interesting thread. I agree with the reasons cited in some many of the comments. Here"s another: I don't think people are raised to be as emotionally resilient as the once were. The overprotective, helicopter parenting of the past few decades has led to young adults who lack the skills to overcome challenges, and they are often fragile because even small setbacks threaten their self-esteem. I work with college students and see this a lot. If you've been brought up believing that you must get all As and excel at everything, and if you've come to expect this, you won't know how to handle the stress of competition and fear of even minor failure. Hence, overwhelming anxiety. We need to do a better job inoculating our kids from stress.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Poorly compensated people hired to care for babies and toddlers who don't really care about them. I see it every day. If you think it doesn't matter down the road, think again.

Little children need to be loved and well-cared for. Really.

My mother SAH with me for 10 years and was extremely loving. Yet I suffer from anxiety. As did she. And other members of my family. It's an inherited illness, like many things.

This. I am a poster from above with severe anxiety. My mother went back to work when I was 10 as well. I had an idyllic childhood. Wonderful. Supported. Loved but not spoiled. My parents werent perfect, but I wasnt a daycare kid and I still developed debilitating mental illness.

I only hope I am not destroying my kids since they are all in daycare and have been since infancy.