Unit 3
By: Zach Panto
1. Depression distorts your thinking. When you are depressed, your mind can play tricks on you. If you have thoughts of suicide, please call someone immediately. Don't let a temporary glitch in your thinking cause you to harm yourself or another.
2. Depression makes you selfish. It's very hard to think of other people when you're wrapped in a prickly blanket of sadness, and all you can think about is your own pain. Be proactive and take the steps you need to heal.
3. Depression is experienced as anxiety 65 percent of the time. Make sure you get an accurate diagnosis, so you can get the most effective treatment available.
4. Persistent irritability can be a symptom of depression. If the world, your life, or your loved ones constantly tick you off, the cause might be something that's going on inside of you.
5. Chronic pain can be another symptom of depression. At the same time, being in continual discomfort can cause you to become depressed. When you are depressed and in pain, it can be hard to know which came first.
6. Anxiety is the most common mental illness in the United States.
As much as 40 million Americans aged 18 years and above experience anxiety. This corresponds to as much as 18% of the country’s population.
7. It is a huge economic burden.
As much as $42 billion is spent yearly by the American government for the diagnosis and treatment of anxiety disorders. This is roughly 33% of the national budget for mental health ($148 billion).
8. It is hereditary.
Anxiety is genetic – meaning if any (or both) of your parents suffer from clinical anxiety, there is a huge possibility that you might acquire it as well.
9. It upsets your balance.
Anxiety has many physical manifestations, and one of the many aspects that it affects is the individual’s balance. According to studies, anxious persons tend to sway more than unaffected entities. They get dizzy without any apparent cause as well.
10. Anxious people have bigger “personal space.”
Personal space is defined as one’s intimate boundary – one that should not be invaded by other individuals. In most people, this space ranges from 10 to 20 inches away from the face. But in persons experiencing anxiety disorders, this perceived space is gradually larger.