Is Anxiety a Disease/illness/Chemical inbalance

[ohwell123]

Hi

whats peoples thoughts on this how can something that plagues me, debilitating my life not be ?

I used to live such a happy life Im sure others did to!

I went out last night for a meal and felt great I had my mind occupied by about 6 people talking and laughing it crushed my anxiety etc there was nothing but the old me! That pain that could be this or that wouldnt wait till Ive had a meal to finish me off(looking at it in a sarcastic way):D !!!!! I know all this but still cant stop it ?

but then BANG alone at work today its back knocking on my door elastic band feeling on my head... pain here pain there etc etc

mine even manipulates itself I got used to the electrical feeling now I get more of a someones actually pricking me with a sharp pin feeling

unbelievable

take care
kris

[MrAndy]

I believe its a condition and I also believe its a condition that can be reversed :)

[Lilharry]

I think it's a number of things, but I don't believe it's an illness all on it's own, it's a symptom of imbalance - be it vitamin deficiency, eating the wrong food, stress etc. It can absolutely be addressed if you find the right people who can help. I think diet is a great place to start. I have suffered for most of my life, but over the past 6 months have a changed my diet and lifestyle dramatically and am starting to feel like a normal person for the first time ever! Gluten can be a major problem for a lot of people - it tears your gut to shreds and can let things into your blood stream that shouldn't be there causing a whole heap of problems while at the same time it blocks your body from absorbing vital nutrients. I never linked any of my anxiety symptoms to food because they seemed so random - I could feel fine for a few hours then all of a sudden this sense of dread would overcome me and I may not have recently eaten anything out of the ordinary. But having cut a lot of damaging things out of my diet and eating a diet of whole foods, no grains and no vegetable oils I feel like a different person. Happy to discuss further.

[Althea]

There also seems to be a genetic basis to anxiety. That doesn't mean you'll necessarily have it even if your twin has it, or that everybody has the same kind of anxiety, but it means some of us are more likely to develop anxiety if life leads us that way.

[saab]

I don't think it is, otherwise the anxiety would never subside, whereas most people acknowledge that they do feel better at certain times.

I think anxiety is more a product of a stressed and tired mind that gets stuck in a pattern of thinking. Swe get good at what we practise and we have practised feeling anxious.

[Freaked]

Most of the time, like depression, anxiety is a cycle. They're known as 'mood disorders', meaning that you're emotionally unhealthy when you have them and they have effects on the brain and body, but there normally isn't anything innately *wrong* with your brain or body. Some people are of course more prone to them than others, while others need more extreme events to trigger a mood disorder. Unfortunately, once you've had one once, it can make you more prone to having one again. But if you manage to break the cognitive cycle, with the help of meds or without, then it is entirely possible to recover. For most people, these things are temporary or come up as the occasional blip. This makes quick management very important if you notice you're starting to relapse.

[Andrash]

I believe it's a disease.

[ohwell123]

ok some good points im still on the fence I can see how we sometimes have good days but I also dont see how something that puts the person under distress debilitating there life cant be anything less than an illness etc

[Fishmanpa]

I think to answer the question, one must look at the actual definitions of the words.

dis·ease

1. a disorder of structure or function in a human, animal, or plant, esp. one that produces specific signs or symptoms or that affects a specific location and is not simply a direct result of physical injury.

ill·ness

1. a disease or period of sickness affecting the body or mind.

chemical imbalance

A term which refers to the belief that many in the field of psychiatry/psychology, that many if not all mental disorders are attributable to a disequilibrium of one or more neurotransmitters.



Based on the definitions, it would be a combination of the three which falls into my thinking as well. Mental illnesses, whether it's depression, anxiety or more severe maladies are a result of various factors, including in my opinion, hereditary and environmental factors which can also dictate their severity.

Positive and chemically balanced thoughts ;)