In our previous post, we highlighted the signs and symptoms of Major Depressive Disorder. In keeping with the theme of sharing what you need to know about the most common mental illnesses, let’s turn today to another of the most diagnosed psychiatric disorder in the United States: Generalized Anxiety Disorder.

At different points, most everyone has experienced symptoms of anxiety or panic: a racing heart, rapid, shallow breathing, that clawing feeling of the walls closing in, and the absolute inability to just rest and relax. For most of us, fortunately, this feeling goes away on its own after a short time. For others, though, anxiety and panic can arise just about any time and is much harder to get rid of.

Believe it or not, symptoms of anxiety and panic were designed to be helpful! Anxiety is, at its root, our body’s response to a potential threat to our safety—formulated to help us recognize when we might need to run, hide, or fight. Unfortunately, our brains have a hard time differentiating between a real threat (being chased by a bear) to an imagined one (watching a scary movie) or a perceived one (being alone in a dark house and hearing a creak in another room). Anxiety can also be a response to situations that we believe are overwhelming, or potentially embarrassing, such as a presentation at work or getting ready to take a big test.

When anxiety starts to become a problem is when we find ourselves trying to avoid situations that provoke the feeling: skipping work to avoid giving a presentation, procrastinating studying for a big test, using drugs or alcohol to numb the symptoms, not leaving the house for fear of something bad happening while you’re out. While avoiding the scary or overwhelming situation makes us feel less anxious in the short-term, avoidance ultimately leads to the fear and anxiety about those situations growing until the very thought of the situation provokes a sense of panic.

The key to recognizing when “everyday” anxiety becomes more serious is when your feelings of worry, tension, or panic feel constant, difficult to control, or are out of proportion to what’s happening around you. Though worry may focus mostly on one area of your life, in most cases, it impacts how you think about your work or school performance, your perception of your personal relationships, your financial situation, and/ or your health.

At some point in their lives, 1 in 18 American adults meet diagnostic criteria for Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). Women are roughly twice as likely to have GAD. Symptoms tend to peak in adults between ages 30 and 59, though rates of GAD are rising steadily in younger adults, too. Unfortunately, over 40% of adults who meet criteria for GAD do not seek treatment for their symptoms. Many people who are diagnosed with anxiety also have depression or other mental illnesses at the same time. (References for this data are listed at the end of the post if you’d like more information.)

Determining whether you’re just feeling unusually nervous, or whether you may have Generalized Anxiety Disorder, requires careful discussion with a therapist, counselor, psychiatrist, or other healthcare professional who will assess your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. When diagnosing someone with Generalized Anxiety Disorder, clinicians are looking for someone who:

1.     Feels anxious or worries most days for at least six months.
-The worry might shift from one topic to another but rarely lets up completely.

2.    Finds it difficult to stop or control their worrying.
-Even when things are going fine, their mind may keep searching for something to be anxious about.

3   Notices physical or emotional symptoms connected to the anxiety, such as:

1. Feeling restless, tense, or “on edge”
2. Getting tired easily
3. Trouble focusing, or feeling like the mind goes blank
4. Irritability or feeling short-tempered
5. Tight muscles or body aches
6. Difficulty falling or staying asleep, or restless sleep

4.   These symptoms can make it harder to relax, concentrate, or enjoy daily life.
-For a diagnosis, they need to be present most days and cause noticeable distress or disruption in work, school, or relationships.

5.   The anxiety isn’t caused by substances, medical conditions, or another mental health disorder.

Fortunately, Generalized Anxiety Disorder is very treatable with a variety of therapeutic treatment modalities. In some cases, your therapist may recommend you talk with your doctor or a psychiatrist for medication management, but this is not necessary for most people living with anxiety. Talking with a therapist can help you learn ways to retrain your brain to cope with anxious thoughts, and change your behaviors so that you can confront stressful situations with confidence. If you are ready to talk with Megan or Kristi about your symptoms of anxiety and how it impacts your life, give us a call today at (336) 427-9022. Our intake team will work with you to verify your insurance and schedule your first session within a couple of weeks. 

 You're Not Alone:

Understanding Depression Together

By Megan Cole, MSW, LCSW

We live in a time when, gratefully, there is increasing awareness, acceptance, and support for people struggling with mental illnesses. The other side of this coin, however, is that we are bombarded with social media influencers' posts that, while often informative and helpful, also may offer information and pop-psychology "advice" that is confusing and contradictory. When you are struggling with feeling overwhelmed by strong emotions, trying to sift through everything we can find online can be a daunting task!

In our next few blog posts, I want to share with you the information that you need to know about some of the most diagnosed mental health disorders. Knowing what licensed clinicians use to identify and diagnose these disorders may help you recognize these symptoms in yourself and recognize when it might be time to schedule a meeting with a therapist or psychiatry provider.

As the title suggests, today, let's start with depression, one of the most-diagnosed mental illnesses among Americans today. The statistics are sobering. A national survey conducted in 2023 by Gallup Polls asked respondents if a doctor or nurse had ever told them they had depression. The results indicated that nearly one in three American adults reported having been diagnosed with depression at some point in their lives, and nearly two in ten were currently experiencing or being treated for depression.

Rates of depression diagnoses vary significantly based upon age, gender, race, and other demographic distinctions. Women are diagnosed nearly twice as often as men with depression, highest among ages 18-25, and among women who are multiracial. Those residing in Appalachia and residents of Southern states, people with disabilities and chronic illnesses, and those with lower income, lower educational attainment, and those who are unemployed are linked to significantly higher rates of depression diagnoses. (Links to all the studies these data are pulled from is at the bottom of this post.)

The point of sharing these statistics is to help raise awareness for just how common it is to experience symptoms of depression, or to be diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD).

So, how do you know whether you’re just in a slump, or whether it might be something more? Here are some of the most common signs and symptoms of MDD based upon the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, 5^th Revision (DSM-V):

• Feeling sad, empty, or hopeless most of the day
• Losing interest or enjoyment in things you used to like
• Changes in your appetite or weight
• Trouble sleeping, or sleeping too much
• Feeling tired/ low on energy, even after rest
• Feeling worthless, guilty, or overly self-critical
• Trouble focusing, making decisions, or remembering things
• Moving or speaking more slowly, or feeling restless/ unable to sit still
• Thoughts of death or wishing you weren't alive.

If you are experiencing several of these for most of the day, nearly every day, for at least two weeks, you may have depression. Reaching out to a mental health professional can help you get support and guidance. Depression is highly treatable with therapy, self-care practices, and/ or medication management.

Help is just a phone call away. If you are having thoughts of harming yourself or someone else, please call or text 988, the national mental health crisis hotline, anytime, day or night.

We believe that you deserve to be heard, encouraged, and supported in finding a renewed sense of hope, healing, and wholeness. If you would like to schedule a session here at the Counseling Center to discuss the signs of depression that you are experiencing, reach out today by calling (336) 427-9022.

Sources from the article for more information:

U.S. Depression Rates Reach New Highs

Major Depression - National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

Women and Mental Health - National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

National, State-Level, and County-Level Prevalence Estimates of Adults Aged ≥18 Years Self-Reporting a Lifetime Diagnosis of Depression — United States, 2020 | MMWR

Gender Differences in Depression in Representative National Samples: Meta-Analyses of Diagnoses and Symptoms - PMC