Are We Drowning In Depression and Anxiety?

depressionIt’s been estimated that some 350 million people worldwide suffer from depression. In fact, the World Health Organization predicts that depression will be a second-leading cause of disease burden globally by 2020, and outpace ischemic heart disease as the number one cause of disease burden worldwide by 2030. And the outlook for anxiety disorders is even worse: at present anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the United States, affecting some 40 million adults or over 18% of the population,

However, there are some who maintain that this “epidemic” of mental health disorders is little more than a conspiracy between big pharma and psychiatrists which is effectively medicalizing too many human troubles and making pots of money in the process. Perhaps – but the good news is that there are alternatives to prescription psychotropic drugs. If you want to know more about these, Reviewy will have more info.

As a matter of interest, the Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR), a US-based non-profit mental health watchdog, claims that psychiatric drug use (and abuse) is surging worldwide with over 1 billion prescriptions for antidepressants alone written in 2002 at a cost of $19.5 billion. The implications are that is now considerably higher.

Be aware, however, that Major Depressive Disorders and Anxiety Disorders are very real problems and ditching your prescribed meds in favor of natural or alternative supplements, without discussing this with your doctor, could be asking for trouble.

In addition, there may be instances when self-medication may simply not work effectively to treat or ameliorate the often hugely debilitating, and potentially fatal symptoms of these mental illnesses. According to Mental Health America, of the 18% of American adults who have a mental health condition, just under 10 million think about or have an unusual preoccupation with suicide

What’s The Difference Between Anxiety And Depression?

While anxiety and depression are recognized as two separate disorders, it is not unusual for someone with an anxiety disorder to also suffer from depression. It has been estimated that almost 50% of people who have been diagnosed with depression are also diagnosed with anxiety disorder. A quick aside: nearly half of all these individuals also have a co-occurring substance abuse disorder.

There are many different type of anxiety disorder, the most common of which is Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Women are twice as likely to be affected by this as men and it is believed to affect over 3% of the US population. The most common symptoms, many of which occur in a similar list of Major Depression Disorder symptoms, include:

♦  Excessive worry
♦  Restlessness
♦  Being easily fatigued
♦  Trouble concentrating
♦  Irritability
♦  Sleep disturbances
♦  Muscle tension

However, key distinguishing features between anxiety and depression include the tendency of people with depression to move slowly, with flattened or dulled reactions; while people with anxiety tend to be more keyed up and often have a fear about the future.

Other Anxiety Disorders

♦  Panic Disorder: affects about 2.7% of the US population.

♦  Social Anxiety Disorder: equally common among men and women. People with SAD commonly experience symptoms for about 10 years before seeking help.

♦  Specific phobias: women are more than twice as likely as men to be affected; and it is believed to affect about 8.7% of the US population.

♦  Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD): equally common among men and women, affecting about 1% of the US population.

♦  Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): women are more likely to be affected than men. Childhood sexual abuse is a strong predictor of the likelihood for developing PTSD; while rape is the most likely trigger of PTSD with most men who are raped and almost half of all women who are raped developing the disorder.

Both OCD and PTSD are closely related to other anxiety disorders, some of which may be experienced at the same time, along with depression.

The Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) warns that it is not uncommon for someone with an anxiety disorder to also have a co-occurring disorder such as an eating disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHA); or even have a physical illness, which can make their symptoms worse and recovery more difficult.

If you believe you suffer from an anxiety disorder or depression, and you believe it is affecting your day-to-day ability to function, it is probably a good idea to seek help from an appropriate healthcare practitioner.

Shift Frequency © 2018 – Educational material

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