More Than Concern.
Could It Be Anxiety?

Feeling Worried? You’re Not Alone

About Anxiety

Anxiety is a normal feeling that everyone feels when we face a threat. Fear and anxiety are evolved responses to keep us safe. Fear leads us to a fight or flight response – to “flee” from the danger or “fight” it. We also feel anxious when we anticipate a bad situation that may or may not happen. Anxiety can also help motivate us to work towards a goal like studying for an exam if we anticipate not passing.

But sometimes the worry and anxiety doesn’t go away even when the stressful situation has passed, or the fear we experience is greater than the reality of the threat. When worries and fears are persistent and get in the way of you living your life, you may have an anxiety disorder.

Anxiety disorders are not a sign of personal weakness, neediness, or the lack of strength. Neither is it possession by a spiritual force or a sign that someone is going crazy. It is not contagious, although anxious tendencies can, in some cases, be inherited from our parents.

Every...

2 in 10

Malaysians have an anxiety disorder.

Women are...

50%

more likely to have an anxiety disorder than men.

More than...

60%

of adults do not receive treatment for their anxiety disorder.

There are...

40%

of Malaysian teens who experience high anxiety.

Symptoms

Anxiety is often accompanied by physical signs. When we are feeling fear, our body prepares for action. We may experience a really fast heart rate, sweating, stomach ache, dizziness, nausea, or even pins and needles. When we are anxious, we may experience muscle tension, fatigue and feeling on edge. Anxiety may also make it difficult to sleep, eat, or concentrate on the task at hand.

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Causes

What causes anxiety? Everyone’s case is different. There are many factors which can cause someone to experience anxiety, and it’s often a combination of things that can trigger the condition. However, causes of anxiety can generally be split into two main categories:

1. Those which are internal to the person (such as biological factors, personality traits, and physical health).

2. Those which are external to the person (such as a history of traumatic or stressful experiences, or family history of anxiety).

The Impact of Anxiety

122 567

healthy life years are lost to anxiety disorders every year.

1 700 000

RM is the cost of anxiety disorders in Malaysia every year.

1 300 000

Malaysians have an anxiety disorder.

Myths About Anxiety

“Acupuncture is just as effective as psychotherapy for anxiety disorder.”

Acupuncture is a traditional chinese medical practice that involves stimulating certain parts of the body to alleviate pain. There is some evidence that acupuncture can help reduce nausea and pain but anxiety is more than just physical pain. People with anxiety disorders have unhelpful thinking styles or traumatic experiences that acupuncture cannot take away.

Therapies, such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) address the way people think, feel and act, and nurture helpful thinking and behavioural habits to reduce anxiety over time. Complementary practices such as relaxation training, deep breathing and mindfulness are helpful things to do to temporarily calm the mind and body when feeling afraid or worried.

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“The best way of dealing with anxiety disorder is to handle it yourself.”

People with an anxiety disorder often struggle by themselves for a long time. We may not be aware of what we are doing and why we are even afraid. We recognise that the fears are irrational but we can’t seem to overcome them. Because anxiety makes it difficult to confront our fears, having someone else with you in the journey is tremendously helpful!

A mental health professional can provide insight, awareness and the support that we need to manage our anxiety and face our fears. If you don’t feel ready to talk to someone, perhaps you may find it helpful to work through some self-help material first such as Mind Over Mood.

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“The best way to help someone with an anxiety disorder is to reassure them or to force them to confront their fears (“tough love”).”

People with an anxiety disorder often turn to reassurance seeking or avoidance to help them manage their anxiety. They may constantly seek reassurance by asking questions such as “What if you are ill?” or “Are you sure you are not angry?” Similarly, many people with an anxiety disorder avoid situations that make them anxious, even when these are necessary tasks such as making phone calls or writing a report.

Both reassurance seeking and avoidance are double-edged swords: they help us feel better for a brief moment, but they maintain the anxiety in the long-term.As a result, we never learn to feel OK on our own, or that our fears may not be reality, or that the things we are afraid of are not so scary after all, and the worse case scenario is not as bad as we thought. Maybe, just maybe, you are stronger and braver than you feel inside.

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Types of Anxiety

It’s normal to feel nervous and worried once in a while, but if you are on edge or feeling panicky most of the time and it affects your daily life, you may have an anxiety disorder. It’s a condition you can treat with medicine, talking to a therapist, and by making changes to your lifestyle.

Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

People with Generalised Anxiety Disorder feel worried most of the time about a variety of situations and events such as personal health, work, social interactions and the well-being of others. They feel like there are endless concerns in their lives, and this makes it difficult for them to switch off from their worries.

Social Anxiety

People with social anxiety worry about social or performance situations. Social anxiety is more than just feeling shy. It is an intense fear of being in social situations where they might be judged negatively by others (even by family members and close friends), or do something that is embarrassing. This anxiety often leads them to avoid everyday social situations such as meeting new people and attending social gatherings.

Panic Disorder

People with panic disorder experience what is known as “panic attacks”, which leads to an overwhelming feeling of intense fear that can last between five to 30 minutes. Physical signs of a panic attack include heart palpitations, sweating, shaking, chest pain, difficulty breathing, nausea, and dizziness. Sometimes during a panic attack, people may feel like they are dying or having a heart attack.
While it is common for most people to experience a panic attack at least once in their lifetime, people with a panic disorder have repeated, unexpected panic attacks. They often worry about when the next panic attack will happen and actively try to prevent having another episode by avoiding places or situations related to the panic attacks.

Phobias

A phobia is an intense fear or anxiety about a certain object or situation such as flying, heights, or animals. The fear or anxiety is disproportionate to the actual danger caused by the situation or object, and makes it more difficult for people to do the things they desire. People with phobias usually take active steps to avoid the feared situation; however, intense fear or anxiety arises whenever they unexpectedly encounter the object of their phobia.

These signs and symptoms will affect the way you live your daily life. From the way you relate to family and friends, to your performance at work and your capacity to carry out your responsibilities, overwhelming anxiety cannot be glossed over for long.
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