What Is Generalized Anxiety?
A symptom is the physical or mental manifestation of a condition, while a syndrome is the cluster of a certain set of symptoms. Anxiety is a syndrome that serves several important roles, including adaption and motivation. It prepares the body to take action in a fight or flight situation and is normal in moderate amounts. It is the body’s response to a vague sense of being in danger. However, some people are anxious all the time to the point where they worry about everything. Being sad is a normal human emotion, but prolonged periods of depressed mood might indicate a larger problem. This paper argues that an anxiety or mood syndrome becomes abnormal when it’s symptoms causes severe distress to the point where it begins to disrupt daily life functions or threatens the wellbeing
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of an individual.
Anxiety is characterized by high stress and high dysfunction. Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is more likely in people who are faced with dangerous social conditions, such as poverty or discrimination. It is caused by dysfunctional ways of thinking, including pessimism, negativity, and feelings of loss of control. For example, African Americans are 30% more likely to be diagnosed with GAD than Caucasians. They experience social discrimination and are often lower income and less educated, which causes an increase in stress. People worry about food, money, and housing. Basic human needs are not always met, causing distress. In addition, transgender individuals are at a heightened risk for mental health issues, including depression and anxiety (Timmins, Rimes, & Rahman, 2017). Transgender individuals experience social stigma for acting outside culturally accepted norms for a certain gender. In the United States, research has
shown that people model their behavior to culturally defined gender roles and interact with individuals on the basis of gender stereotypes (Arnett, 2008). They face certain prejudices that can be severe in frequency and intensity. This prejudice and stigma leads to psychological distress, social anxiety, and even attempted suicide in extreme cases (Timmins, Rimes, & Rahman, 2017). Social interactions can thus be the cause of great anxiety and distress for transgender individuals. Maladaptive cognitive processes caused by social stigma can lead to dysfunction in day to day life. When dysfunction becomes too great, some become unable to cope. Individuals who are unhappy with themselves and under stress to conform to cultural norms might become a danger to themselves, resulting in thoughts of suicide. When suffering becomes too great, individuals may turn to suicide as a mode of escape; though, the reasons for distress and suicide vary across ethnicities and cultures. For example, Chu et al. (2017) found that most Caucasians and Asian Americans in the United states believe that suicide stems from maladaptive cognitions about the self, as opposed to Latin Americans, who see suicide as a means of escape from a state of emotional suffering or distress. This difference in views between ethnicities has cultural implications. Latin American communities are more interdependent than some other social groups, and they often experience economic disadvantage and discrimination living in the United States, which as been linked to higher rates of anxiety, depression, and suicide (Chu et al., 2017). Caucasian and Asian Americans, however, place a greater emphasis on intrapersonal perceptions, which includes feelings of low self-worth and hopelessness open associated with mood disorders such as depression. Feeling sad or anxious is normal and healthy. However, sometimes these feelings become overwhelming or prolonged, creating distress. Distress can be worsened by social stigma, gender prejudice, and ethnic discrimination. Symptoms of mood and anxiety syndromes can disrupt daily life, causing dysfunction. When distress and dysfunction get to be too severe, individuals may indulge in deviant and dangerous behaviors, such as attempting suicide, which is often seen as a way of escaping emotional distress.
of an individual.
Anxiety is characterized by high stress and high dysfunction. Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is more likely in people who are faced with dangerous social conditions, such as poverty or discrimination. It is caused by dysfunctional ways of thinking, including pessimism, negativity, and feelings of loss of control. For example, African Americans are 30% more likely to be diagnosed with GAD than Caucasians. They experience social discrimination and are often lower income and less educated, which causes an increase in stress. People worry about food, money, and housing. Basic human needs are not always met, causing distress. In addition, transgender individuals are at a heightened risk for mental health issues, including depression and anxiety (Timmins, Rimes, & Rahman, 2017). Transgender individuals experience social stigma for acting outside culturally accepted norms for a certain gender. In the United States, research has
shown that people model their behavior to culturally defined gender roles and interact with individuals on the basis of gender stereotypes (Arnett, 2008). They face certain prejudices that can be severe in frequency and intensity. This prejudice and stigma leads to psychological distress, social anxiety, and even attempted suicide in extreme cases (Timmins, Rimes, & Rahman, 2017). Social interactions can thus be the cause of great anxiety and distress for transgender individuals. Maladaptive cognitive processes caused by social stigma can lead to dysfunction in day to day life. When dysfunction becomes too great, some become unable to cope. Individuals who are unhappy with themselves and under stress to conform to cultural norms might become a danger to themselves, resulting in thoughts of suicide. When suffering becomes too great, individuals may turn to suicide as a mode of escape; though, the reasons for distress and suicide vary across ethnicities and cultures. For example, Chu et al. (2017) found that most Caucasians and Asian Americans in the United states believe that suicide stems from maladaptive cognitions about the self, as opposed to Latin Americans, who see suicide as a means of escape from a state of emotional suffering or distress. This difference in views between ethnicities has cultural implications. Latin American communities are more interdependent than some other social groups, and they often experience economic disadvantage and discrimination living in the United States, which as been linked to higher rates of anxiety, depression, and suicide (Chu et al., 2017). Caucasian and Asian Americans, however, place a greater emphasis on intrapersonal perceptions, which includes feelings of low self-worth and hopelessness open associated with mood disorders such as depression. Feeling sad or anxious is normal and healthy. However, sometimes these feelings become overwhelming or prolonged, creating distress. Distress can be worsened by social stigma, gender prejudice, and ethnic discrimination. Symptoms of mood and anxiety syndromes can disrupt daily life, causing dysfunction. When distress and dysfunction get to be too severe, individuals may indulge in deviant and dangerous behaviors, such as attempting suicide, which is often seen as a way of escaping emotional distress.