Blog 1 - Anxiety Disorders, Women and Technology
Anxiety disorders have been prevalent in our society since the beginning of time but we are just now beginning to understand them and provide the necessary treatments. There are several types of anxiety, all of which present themselves in a variety of different ways. The first and most common type of anxiety disorder is generalized anxiety disorder (NIMH, 2018). This is when an individual experiences excessive worry from things such as health, socialization and day to day activities (NIMH, 2018). Another disorder is panic disorder, this form of anxiety holds more physiological symptoms and can cause heart palpitations, sweating, trembling, shortness of breath, feelings of impending doom and being out of control (NIMH, 2018). This can be triggered by any one thing or by a compilation of things that becomes too overwhelming for an individual (NIMH, 2018). The third type of anxiety disorder is phobia related anxiety (NIMH, 2018). This means that an individual's intense fear of a certain object or situation causes them to have irrational and excessive worry, go out of their way to avoid certain situations and experience immediate intense worry when confronted with a situation or object (NIMH, 2018). An individual may suffer from one or multiple of the anxiety disorders at any given time and there is no one size fits all treatment for these conditions.
Women are more likely than men to suffer from anxiety and depression disorders which is why the topic of Women and Mental Health is so important (NIMH, 2019). Recent studies have shown some correlation between the severity of mental disorders and hormonal change (NIMH, 2019). During particular times in a woman's life, such as; the perinatal, premenstrual and perimenopausal periods, they are more likely to suffer from anxiety or depressive disorders (NIMH, 2019). Symptoms of mental health disorders in women are different for everyone, but commonly they include one or more of the following; persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, overuse of alcohol or drugs, dramatic sleep and eating changes, weight fluctuation, fatigue, excessive fear and worry, delusions, extreme mood swings, headaches, irritability, withdrawing and suicidal thoughts (NIMH, 2019). Again mental disorders can show themselves in many ways so if you suspect that you may be experiencing anxiety or depression but lack the above mentioned symptoms it is still very important that you seek help.
Technology has made many advances in the past few years and as such mental health treatment has become more readily available to the public. Patients are now not only able to access mindfulness apps that can work to help prevent the onset of a mental illness episode by redirecting negative energy into more constructive and positive energy, but they now also have a platform for professionals help that can be accessed from the comfort of their own homes (NIMH, 2019). Technology provides convenient treatment alternatives for individuals who may struggle to get to in person appointments or who may suffer from disorders that prevent in person treatments (NIMH, 2019). These services can also be accessed 24 hours a day so there is no need for a patient to wait a whole weekend or until morning to seek help for suicidal thoughts or anxiety disorders that become uncontrollable (NIMH, 2019). Individuals may also decide to remain anonymous if they find it difficult or embarrassing to disclose their identity, which then helps spread treatment to people who would have otherwise declined to prevent their identity being disclosed (NIMH, 2019). Above all else this method of treatment is also more cost effective for the patient, apps are generally free or cost significantly less than traditional in person treatment. Technology is a great ally for mental health treatment (NIMH, 2019).
Citations
Citation: NIMH. (2018, July). Anxiety Disorders. National Institute of Mental Health. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/anxiety-disorders/index.shtml.
NIMH. (2019, September). Technology and the Future of Mental Health Treatment. National Institute of Mental Health. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/technology-and-the-future-of-mental-health-treatment/index.shtml.
NIMH. (2019, May). Women and Mental Health. National Institute of Mental Health. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/women-and-mental-health/index.shtml.
Jade,
ReplyDeleteAnxiety is something that so many people suffer with everyday. I did not know that women were more likely to suffer from anxiety than men. Its so nice to hear about technology apps being used in such a positive way other than how negative we normally hear about apps. Thank you for sharing!
Hello Jade,
ReplyDeleteUnfortunate I know so many women who not only suffer from anxiety but depression as well. I read a few years ago about a big like between anxiety and depression. Many people who develop one are more likely to develop the other, and can often be at the same time. I also read that depression use to be more common than anxiety, but recently anxiety seems to be taking the lead and becoming more prevalent today. It is interesting to note that most anti-depressant medications are often times used to treat both depression and anxiety. Seems like these two are sisters from the same terrible family. I really wish hormones didn't play a factor in women developing depression or anxiety but it definitely explains why women are more likely to suffer from these disorders. Thank you for the insight.
-Learyn Perez
Hi Jade,
ReplyDeleteI feel like anxiety disorders have become more common now than they have been in any other time. It's nice to know that they are making new technological advances to help others with anxiety. I thought it was very interesting that they make apps to help with anxiety specifically. I remember going to this fair on campus and at one of the booths you would scan a QR code and it would send you to a page where there was this pattern like thing that when you stare at it it was supposed to help your breathing and calm you so thats what I thought of when I heard about the apps. Overall very interesting post!
Caylee Vensel
Hi Jade,
ReplyDeleteI think the three topics you covered are very important ones. Women with anxiety and depression is a hot topic because of the biological elements at play. Women are 70% more likely to suffer from anxiety or depression than men and this can trigger a whole slue of other diseases or disorders. Another basic trigger for women are pregnancy, birth, menopause and our menstrual cycles. With the inclusion of technology this has only heightened the female's culture of anxiety as there are basic standards of beauty and the such that we are supposed to meet. If one women does not look like how a supermodel does or even another friend, this triggers more anxiety and leads to a decline in mental health. Men of course do feel this way, but it is not as high statistically as women. Great post!
Kate
Hi Jade,
ReplyDeleteI also chose this topic to discuss over because I believe anxiety is a very important topic and is a mental health issue that needs to brought to attention more. A lot of people think of anxiety as a negative health issue to have when it is actually very common for people to experience anxiety because there are actually different types of anxiety. I like how within your discussion you brought forth the topic with how women are more likely to suffer from anxiety and depression then men are, I believe this is very accurate. Men don’t have all the hormones that women have to go through throughout their years so I can see how anxiety will affect women more then men.
Overall great post, thanks for sharing!
-Sydney Ledet
Hi Jade,
ReplyDeleteI chose this topic also. Researching it more in depth really gave a whole new insight on the disorder. I totally agree that there is not a 1 size fits all treatment. Everyone is different and will be helped differently. I really enjoyed reading your post and think it is very informative!
Hello Jade,
ReplyDeleteI found it great you chose this topic for your blog. Ironically your blog post directly correlates with a TED Talk I watched over perspectives on women’s health. It is surprising to me that women suffer from anxiety and depression more than men. Great job mentioning how technology has developed to assist in accessing certain services. Great job!
Great post and nice layout!
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting of how much information there is available to who are suffering from anxiety. Just as you mentioned in your blog post there are many apps available to men and women and even children who are having difficulty With their anxiety. They do not have to walk along this journey alone. Technology is also great to allow others to reach out to their primary care providers for referrals for specialists who can reach out their patients via tele conference. With everything going on nowadays it is great to see how convenience is at the touch of a button.