16 January,2017 08:20 AM IST | | Snigdha Hasan
As Hollywood celebrity Kendall Jenner opens up about dealing with anxiety, experts tell you how to come to grips with an all-consuming emotion
Kendall Jenner
Kendall Jenner is learning to cope with anxiety by diverting her thoughts. pic/AFP
"I once had a really bad attack on a plane and just had to ride it out...I felt my heart beating a million miles an hour and I even went a little numb," wrote Kendall Jenner, on her website recently, about a panic attack she suffered. The American model and television personality opened up on how anxiety had been a huge hurdle for her in the year 2016, which got further aggravated by the infamous incident in Paris where her half-sister Kim Kardashian was robbed at gunpoint.
We have all felt anxious more than once in life - before a tough exam, a job interview or while taking off in a plane. Certain unpleasant situations do set us back temporarily, too. But what causes a streak of worry or a transient state of mind to develop into a full-blown situation that seems to take over one's life? We asked mental health practitioners to give us the lowdown on anxiety and related disorders.
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What is this beast?
To put it simply, it is an uncomfortable feeling of apprehension. "We all need a certain amount of anxiety in life. That's how we know we need to be careful while crossing the road, for instance. It becomes a concern when the fear of the oncoming traffic restricts one to the footpath for 30 minutes, or when one avoids crossing the road altogether," explains city-based consulting psychiatrist and author, Dr Dayal Mirchandani. He further explains the difference between feeling anxious as a normal experience from a situation where one may do better with help, "It is a problem when it comes in the way of daily functioning. There is a sense of loss of control over one's life, which may impact job performance and/ or social life."
Several disorders of varying severities come under the umbrella of anxiety. Generalised anxiety disorders include free-floating anxiety about one or several aspects of life. Panic disorder or panic attacks may cause one to collapse or induce a feeling of having a heart attack. Anxiety also includes phobias and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
What causes it?
The cause of anxiety varies from person to person. "There can be a genetic predisposition to anxiety, or a it can be rooted in a traumatic past of bullying or abuse, especially during childhood," says Jehanzeb Baldiwala, family therapist and director of mental health services at Ummeed Child Development Center. Adds Dr Mirchandani, "Certain medicines for cold, too much caffeine, hormonal imbalance as in the case of thyroid could cause anxiety, too."
Causes, however, are different from triggers. "Our body keeps the score. If a certain situation, which a person didn't have control over earlier is repeated, he may still react anxiously despite being fully equipped to take charge of it," explains Baldiwala. Sleep deprivation, long commute or working hours, not being appreciated or being reprimanded at work are some other triggers.
What help can you get?
"Finding the cause of anxiety is the first step," says Dr Mirchandani. "If the cause is rooted in lifestyle, a conscious effort to make amends helps. Self-regulation through yoga, meditation, vipasana and other relaxation exercises is beneficial, too. Medicines can help bring anxiety under control, but not cure it," he adds.
"We work with the premise that the problem is not the person, but the problem itself," says Baldiwala, adding, "Thoughts lead to emotions, which lead to the behaviour, so working on the thought is important." Hypnosis and psychoanalysis help recognise the thoughts as well.
But even if people realise that they need help, is there a social stigma attached to anxiety? "What's still stigmatised in India is seeing a psychiatrist, where people would much rather visit their family doctor to get some tranquilisers prescribed," says Dr Mirchandani.
According to Baldiwala, anxiety still has better acceptance than depression in India, though she agrees that we still have a long way to go.
Support system matters
If the triggers are at home, the family should reduce its demands or stresses on the person, shares Dr Mirchandani. "It's important for family members to educate the sufferer and help them get help."
"Being supportive, and not dismissing a person as a weak mind, worrywart or a family joke is key. If he/she has a plan to combat anxiety, help them stick to it," adds Baldiwala. "Our society has a tendency of telling people to get on with their problems - we may need to reexamine that approach."
