Anxiety disorders are among the most common mental illnesses in the United States, affecting nearly 40 million adults or nearly 18 percent of the population each year. Despite being highly treatable, only 37 percent of people receive treatment.
Those who struggle with anxiety disorders deal with common symptoms like shortness of breath, sweaty palms, chest pain, and nausea, among others. But, one can also struggle with some unusual symptoms, such as eating disorders and increased substance abuse, which may go unnoticed. Some of these unusual manifestations of anxiety are discussed below.
- Eating disorders – According to the American Anxiety and Depression Association (ADAA), anxiety and eating disorders can coexist in an individual. A person struggling with an eating disorder may end up eating too much or too much and also become extremely self-conscious about body weight and shape. He or she may be on an extreme diet or obsessed with exercise. All these manifestations can have a serious influence on the health and life of a person.
- substance abuse – Anxiety can sometimes be so unbearable that a person may resort to self-medication with alcohol, prescription drugs, or other illegal drugs. The high obtained from such substances can temporarily number the user’s thoughts and related distress. However, it is important to understand that a person can only get short-term relief from these substances, but they do more damage in the long term. They destroy relationships, career, finances, social life, physical and mental health, and can even cause death.
- Sleep disorders – Anxiety can induce sleep problems such as insomnia, lucid dreams, sleepwalking and even narcolepsy. When a person is anxious, they may have great difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, or they may also have problems with disturbed sleep in the form of night terrors and nightmares.
- Presence in social networks – A person suffering from an anxiety disorder can become hyperactive on social media. Anxiety induces a strong drive to reach out to others. Too much activity on social media can lead to withdrawal from real world interactions, restlessness when one can’t log in, loss of interest in other activities, etc.
- Desire to assert control – People who struggle with anxiety often think that they have lost control over many things in their life. This leads to obsessive-compulsive habits of doing something repeatedly until you are sure you are doing it perfectly.
- Itch, pinch and bite – Some people channel their anxiety through physical acts such as scratching repeatedly, picking a scab, and biting their nails. This could result from feeling anxious due to pressure at work, stress at home, or any other situation.
- developing phobias – Sometimes anxiety leads to the development of unexplained phobias. One might begin to fear heights, water, tight spaces, or people.
- social anxiety disorder – People who struggle with anxiety often avoid social interactions for fear of being rejected, ridiculed, or judged. Anxiety can force one to stay indoors and only interact with people when forced to.
- Gastrointestinal disorders – Anxiety can also cause gastrointestinal disorders because the intestine is sensitive to emotions such as anger, depression and anxiety. A person is likely to experience diarrhea and acid reflux or serious conditions such as gastroparesis and inflammatory bowel syndrome (IBS).
- various symptoms – Experiencing olfactory hallucinations (smelling a substance), excessive belching or farting, excessive yawning, cold hands and feet, dry mouth and nervous legs are some of the other symptoms of anxiety.
anxiety is treatable
Despite being a common mental illness, many people avoid seeking treatment because they fear stigma and discrimination. It is important that they and their families understand that anxiety can be controlled and that there is nothing to be ashamed of. With medications and therapies such as cognitive behavioral therapy, symptoms can be controlled and a person can return to being healthy and productive.