Is Anxiety On The Rise
Some researchers suggest that anxiety disorders are not necessarily increasing, but people are more open about their anxiety and actively seeking treatment. Years ago, mental health disorders and anxiety were taboo topics, but now anxiety has become a constant topic of discussion. Were rates of anxiety mostly underreported in the past?5 Even if this is the case, anxiety is certainly a topic that should be at the forefront of our conversations. With 6.8 million Americans currently struggling with Generalized Anxiety Disorder, 6 million Americans with Panic Disorder, 15 million Americans with Social Anxiety Disorder, and 19 million Americans with Specific Phobia Disorder, anxiety is not going away any time soon.1
If you suffer from anxiety or another mental health disorder, you are not alone. Anxiety is so common and often linked to co-occurring disorders. Whether you or someone you love is looking for a mental health program, or specifically foranxiety treatment in Boca, we can help. We also provide co-occurring disorder treatment in Boca.
Seek immediate help by calling. Our mental health facility can provide you with more information on how we may be able to improve your mental health and treat your anxiety.
Finding The Right Resources To Answer Your Questions And Meet Your Complex Needs
Just as anxiety and depression tend to be worse when occurring together, treatment of these disorders is most effective when both conditions are addressed at the same time.1
Hartgrove Behavioral Health System provides integrated care that treats these and other mental health issues simultaneously. As part of our comprehensive care, medical specialists and therapists work together to help bring healing and balance in our patients lives a feeling of being in charge of their inner self again.
Science Explains Why Were Lonelier Than Before
Science has answers for many things, even why were more depressed and lonely now than weve ever been before, and we are. There are more mental health clinics and hospitals opening than before and more people constantly seeking happiness outside themselves.
Yes, science has reasons for this modern increase in loneliness and feelings of depression, and its interesting, to say the least.
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Depression Grows In Us And Pharmaceuticals Aren’t The Answerare Hallucinogens
Time announces:
Americans are more depressed than ever, and getting more so: From 2011-2014, 13 percent of Americans 12 and older took an antidepressant up from 11 percent in 2005-2008 and 8 percent in 1999-2002.
Many Americans don’t respond to antidepressants, and there has been no new depression drug in 25+ years. The biggest treatment development is the “rediscovery” of ketamine, a club drug/hallucinogen.
Why are we depressed?
Americans have less human interaction and sense of community, the greatest proven source of happiness and reassurance. This reality won’t be reversed in our lifetimes, but only grow worse with our children, who will be ever more addicted to electronic substitutes for human interaction.
Young adults’ diagnoses of mental disorders continue to grow. SAMHSA sounded an all-points alarm around older adolescents’ and young adults’ deteriorating mental health in 2014, calling for more of them to receive treatment. In 2016, mental illness among young adults continued its upward trend to new record levels.
Ketamine?
Antidepressants claim, inaccurately, to address the sources of depression. Ketamine allows people to rearrange their cognitions, to put things in some greater semblance of rational importance. Any chemical solution for any mental health issue will likely be imperfect, miss most people, and not address the sources of depression in people’s lives/society.
How about you?
Are you depressed, and why ?
They May Start Needing More From You
A depressed person legitimately cant function like a mentally health person. There will be things they will no longer be able to do as much of, as often, or at all. Pestering or shaming them about it will only hurt, not help. If theyve been keeping their depression private, it will be that much harder to deal with others getting irritated with them because they cant perform at the level thats expected of mentally healthy people.
This is why its always best to be understanding with those in your life, both work and personal. You dont know if someone isnt just slacking off, but is struggling with a real health problem.
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Why Are Anxiety And Depression Often Co
Its a cycle, says Sally R. Connolly, LCSW and therapist. When you get anxious, you tend to have this pervasive thinking about some worry or some problem. You feel bad about it. Then you feel like youve failed. You move to depression.
These two disorders anxiety and depression have a complicated relationship:
- The chance of acquiring depression is much higher when an anxiety disorder already exists. Nearly half of those with major depression also suffer from severe and persistent anxiety.
- People who are depressed often feel anxious and worried. One can easily trigger the other, with anxiety often preceding depression.
- People with post-traumatic stress disorder are especially prone to developing depression.
- A biological predisposition for both of these conditions if often at the root of an individuals battle. This seems to be true with anxiety disorders even more than with depression. Connolly explains, Some people are just worriers and pass it down.
People with an anxiety disorder should speak with a psychiatrist, therapist or other healthcare professional about their symptoms. Treatment for an anxiety disorder should not be delayed. If not caught in time, depression may find the door wide open for moving in and setting up house in those individuals.2
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About 35% Of Adults Who Have Had A Major Depressive Episode Did Not Receive Treatment
An alarming number of adults who havent received treatment for depression may be explained the following way. First, those affected by depression may not want to report the disorder to healthcare professionals. Second, these people may be unaware of their condition. That said, US depression statistics also show that 65% of adults who have had a major depressive episode were tended to by a medical professional and received medication treatment.
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Genes’ Effect On Mood And Depression
Every part of your body, including your brain, is controlled by genes. Genes make proteins that are involved in biological processes. Throughout life, different genes turn on and off, so that in the best case they make the right proteins at the right time. But if the genes get it wrong, they can alter your biology in a way that results in your mood becoming unstable. In a person who is genetically vulnerable to depression, any stress can then push this system off balance.
Mood is affected by dozens of genes, and as our genetic endowments differ, so do our depressions. The hope is that as researchers pinpoint the genes involved in mood disorders and better understand their functions, depression treatment can become more individualized and more successful. Patients would receive the best medication for their type of depression.
Another goal of gene research, of course, is to understand how, exactly, biology makes certain people vulnerable to depression. For example, several genes influence the stress response, leaving us more or less likely to become depressed in response to trouble.
The evidence for other types of depression is more subtle, but it is real. A person who has a first-degree relative who suffered major depression has an increase in risk for the condition of 1.5% to 3% over normal.
How Common Is Depression
Major depression is one of the most common mental illnesses in the country. An estimated 17.3 million adults in the US reported having at least one major depressive episode over the course of a year, a 2017 report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration shows.
Thats 7.1% of all adults ages 18 and older. Women have a higher prevalence of experiencing a major depressive episode than men .
Depression is especially crushing for the workforce: Its the number one leading cause of disability worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. The total economic burden of MDD is estimated to be $210.5 billion per year in the United States alonea figure that reflects costs associated with missed days, reduced productivity, treatment for depression, and suicide.
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How Generalised Anxiety Disorder Is Treated
GAD can have a significant effect on your daily life, but several different treatments are available that can ease your symptoms.
These include:
- medicine such as a type of antidepressant called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors
With treatment, many people are able to control their anxiety levels. But some treatments may need to be continued for a long time and there may be periods when your symptoms worsen.
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Why Does Depression Occur
There is no singular reason why depression symptoms occur. Instead, depression symptoms may occur for several reasons, including:
- Genetics: An individual may be more prone to depression than others if a blood relative has experienced depression symptoms.
- Medical Illness: Chronic pain associated with a medical illness sometimes causes stress, anxiety, and low self-esteem that lead to depression.
- Drug and Alcohol Use: Drugs and alcohol may affect the brains cognitive functioning, and ultimately, trigger depression symptoms.
- Daylight: Short days and extended periods of time indoors may make it tough for the brain to produce sufficient amounts of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that contributes to well-being and happiness.
- Life Events: A death in the family, divorce, or other negative life events may increase a persons stress levels, as well as trigger depression symptoms.
There is no telling when depression symptoms may occur, but individuals who can identify these symptoms can treat them appropriately. In fact, if you seek out depression therapy, you likely will find lots of great options at your disposal.
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Why Is America So Depressed
Its no coincidence that our politics and our mental health have declined so rapidly, at the same time.
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Mr. Siegel is the author, most recently, of The Draw: A Memoir.
Everyone has his or her own definition of a political crisis. Mine is when our collective mental health starts having a profound effect on our politics and vice versa.
It cannot be a simple coincidence that the two have declined in tandem. The American Psychiatric Association reported that from 2016 to 2017, the proportion of adults who described themselves as more anxious than the previous year was 36 percent. In 2017, more than 17 million American adults had at least one major depressive episode, as did three million adolescents ages 12 to 17. Forty million adults now suffer from an anxiety disorder nearly 20 percent of the adult population.
The really sorrowful reports concern suicide. Among all Americans, the suicide rate increased by 33 percent between 1999 and 2017.
Out of this dark cast of mind arose the hunger for a strong, avenging figure whose arrival has sent even more mentally harrowing shock waves through society. If President Trump is indeed mentally ill, as so many of his critics claim, he may well be the most representative leader we have ever had.
Who Is At Risk For Depression
Depression can affect anyone, no matter their age, gender or circumstances. About 16 million Americans experience depression each year.
Women may experience depression more often than men. And your genetics or other health conditions can increase the likelihood that youll have at least one depressive episode in your lifetime.
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Why Is Anxiety So Common In America What Changed
Unfortunately, no one seems to have an exact answer as to why anxiety is so common, but many attribute this presumed increase in anxiety disorders to factors such as social media, poor sleep habits, lowered stigma, and underreporting in the past. In particular, the United States has one of the highest rates of anxiety at 6.64% compared to most other countries that fall below this level.2
It should come as no surprise that many mental health consultants blame the rise of the internet, and social media especially, for anxiety in teens and twenty-somethings. It is thought that the various social media effects on mental health are largely negative. Comparing lifestyles depicted in social media and a fear of missing out are likely causes of anxiety as well as the way social media ironically makes people feel lonely.3 Not to mention the fact that social media is addictive, producing the same increase in dopamine that drugs give you. At this point, it appears anxiety and millennials are intertwined.
With the rise in technology also came an increase in artificial lighting and bad sleep habits. The blue light waves from your phone or computers late at night can have twice the adverse effects on your bodys production of melatonin, the sleep hormone, than normal artificial light.4 Could something as simple as unplugging alleviate some of the anxiety in millennials?
They Might Frequently Turn Down Activities They Used To Love Or Would Otherwise Enjoy
Unless other explanations could equally be possible, an uncharacteristic lack of interest in activities over an extended period of time could be a sign that someone has depression. As mentioned above, depression is just as physically draining as it is mentally draining, which makes enjoying all the things you usually do difficult.
Previously-loved activities can even lose their appeal in general, because depression also commonly makes it difficult to enjoy or feel fulfilled by much at all. If you have no other way of explaining their decreasing interest, it could be a symptom of clinical depression.
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How Stress Affects The Body
Stress can be defined as an automatic physical response to any stimulus that requires you to adjust to change. Every real or perceived threat to your body triggers a cascade of stress hormones that produces physiological changes. We all know the sensations: your heart pounds, muscles tense, breathing quickens, and beads of sweat appear. This is known as the stress response.
The stress response starts with a signal from the part of your brain known as the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus joins the pituitary gland and the adrenal glands to form a trio known as the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, which governs a multitude of hormonal activities in the body and may play a role in depression as well.
When a physical or emotional threat looms, the hypothalamus secretes corticotropin-releasing hormone , which has the job of rousing your body. Hormones are complex chemicals that carry messages to organs or groups of cells throughout the body and trigger certain responses. CRH follows a pathway to your pituitary gland, where it stimulates the secretion of adrenocorticotropic hormone , which pulses into your bloodstream. When ACTH reaches your adrenal glands, it prompts the release of cortisol.
The boost in cortisol readies your body to fight or flee. Your heart beats faster up to five times as quickly as normal and your blood pressure rises. Your breath quickens as your body takes in extra oxygen. Sharpened senses, such as sight and hearing, make you more alert.
Early Trauma And Abuse
One of the more well-studied depression risk factors is trauma in early childhood. Adverse Childhood Experiences are known to increase a persons lifetime risk of developing both mental and chronic physical illness, including depression. Research into ACEs is ongoing, but previous studies have confirmed a strong link between specific childhood experiences and depression later in life.
The CDC groups ACEs into three types:
- Abuse: Physical, emotional, sexual
- Household dysfunction: Domestic violence, divorce, substance use, a parent who is mentally ill, a parent who is incarcerated
- Neglect: Physical, emotional
An individuals ACE score is strongly linked to their risk of mental and physical illness, poverty, and even early death. Risk increases as the number of ACEs increases and a person with four or more ACEs is at the highest risk.
Researchers believe that child abuse may change the brain physically, as well as alter its connectivity structure. Studies have also shown that neuroendocrine function may be altered in people who experienced high levels of stress as children.
A 2019 study from the Massachusetts General Hospital has even proposed that traumatic experiences in the first three years of life may even change a child’s DNA.
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Alcohol Tobacco And Other Drugs
Misusing alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs can have both immediate and long-term health effects.
The misuse and abuse of alcohol, tobacco, illicit drugs, and prescription medications affect the health and well-being of millions of Americans. SAMHSAs 2020 National Survey on Drug Use and Health reports that approximately 19.3 million people aged 18 or older had a substance use disorder in the past year.
How Many People Have Depression
Clinical depression has surged to epidemic proportions in recent decades, from little-mentioned misery at the margins of society to a phenomenon that is rarely far from the news. It is widespread in classrooms and boardrooms, refugee camps and inner cities, farms and suburbs.
At any one time it is estimated that more than 300 million people have depression about 4% of the worlds population when the figures were published by the World Health Organization in 2015. Women are more likely to be depressed than men.
Depression is the leading global disability, and unipolar depression is the 10th leading cause of early death, it calculates. The link between suicide, the second leading cause of death for young people aged 15-29, and depression is clear, and around the world two people kill themselves every minute.
While rates for depression and other common mental health conditions vary considerably, the US is the most depressed country in the world, followed closely by Colombia, Ukraine, the Netherlands and France. At the other end of the scale are Japan, Nigeria and China.
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