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Hanna Lesko

Professor Hellmers

ENG Comp II

3 October 2021

Anxiety: The Spiral in Our Brains

There are many people around the world who are diagnosed with anxiety and continue to

struggle with its many different straining effects. Many of those individuals often struggle with

doing daily tasks, whether it’s going out in public, driving, talking on the phone, etc. However,

some don’t know exactly what it’s like dealing with anxiety or wondering what steps to take to

get it under control. What kind of impacts can untreated/undiagnosed anxiety have on an

individual, and what treatment can be provided? These many questions may seem

complicated, but diving into resources, these issues can be solved.

Among many mental health disorders, anxiety is the most common problem faced by

many individuals in the United States, as this disorder affects approximately 25% of the general

population. This disorder can occur at any age, and is not based on certain factors or criteria, as

this can also be chronic to the individual’s long-term health if not treated. These can lead to daily

distress among an individual, as many are afraid to get help due to the social stigma around

mental health. There are many different anxiety disorders, ranging from Post Traumatic Stress

Disorder (PTSD), panic disorders, phobias, acute stress disorder, etc. (Dubenetzky). With

untreated anxiety, there can be loads of short term, as well as long term affects to an individual’s

overall health, and other issues than the typical person would ever think of.
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Shockingly, only 40 percent of those who are diagnosed with an anxiety disorder get

treatment for it, which leaves a larger number of individuals multiple other issues not only

towards their emotional health, but even physical. Some of the most obvious complications

caused by anxiety disorders is panic attacks, in which are characterized by an overwhelming

sense of dread during these episodes. Along with this, other intense physical symptoms are

present, like that of a heart attack for some. These can include, but are not limited to muscle

tension, shallow breaths, elevated heart rate, increased blood pressure, and intense headaches

(GHBP).

According to a Harvard Health, reports have been made that chronic anxiety can also

cause heart issues, such as increasing the risk of a heart attack in women as high as 59%,

doubling the rate of heart attacks in adults with heart disease, along with many other issues. The

heart is not the only thing affected by anxiety, as higher amounts of stress hormones are

produced in the body, along with the issue of sleeping (GHBP). During a panic attack, there is an

increase of stress hormones as mentioned before, and this causes the body to go into “fight or

flight” mode. Amidst chronic anxiety, large amounts of stress hormones are produced, and can

cause multiple physical problems overtime. These can include worsening of the immune

system’s functions, lower ability to learn, trouble with memory, lower bone density, etc.

Many of these issues caused by anxiety are treatable, but they can cause a greater amount

of pain and discomfort, as some are even life-threatening. Among those who deal with anxiety

disorders, sleep is also an affected factor, as many experience insomnia, or other sleeping

difficulties due to racing thoughts and worrying. With the diminished amount of sleep due to

anxiety, this can lead to an increased development of diabetes, heart disease, common colds and

viruses, and obesity (GHBP). Anxiety is known to cause many issues but wondering what
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exactly the symptoms for this disorder can be beneficial to not only you but helping to notice

signs in the people around you as well.

Mental disorders are diagnosed under a specific set of criteria, known as the General

DSM-5. This book consists of many mental disorders, including the symptoms, effects, and other

information regarding them. In the listed criteria for general anxiety disorders, the following

included symptoms are some of the few that are required: excessive anxiety and worry

(apprehensive expectation), occurring more days than not for at least 6 months, about a number

of events or activities (such as work or school performance), anxiety and worry are associated

with three or more of the following six symptoms (examples include: restlessness, easily

fatigued, irritability, muscle tension) (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services

Administration). Other physical symptoms can include cold or sweaty hands, dry mouth, heart

palpitations, nausea, etc (Cleveland Clinic).

Although a lot of details and information was presented in this literature review, I did not

exactly pull every piece of important details from all sources but condensed them together.

During the rough draft process, my plan is to further go into more detail about the information

regarded in each source, as this will thoroughly provide me with even more information to

discuss. Furthermore, this will help me to discuss more options of treatment for anxiety disorders

and discussing the affects long term and short term for those that go untreated. Mental health is a

very difficult subject to talk on, but by making more people comfortable with the topic, and

discussing ways to prevent it from worsening, there is a possibility of seeing a decline.

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Works Cited

Cleveland Clinic. “Anxiety Disorders: Types, Causes, Symptoms & Treatments.” Cleveland

Clinic, 17 Dec. 2020, https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/9536-anxiety-

disorders.

Dubenetzky, Salome. “Differential Diagnosis of Anxiety Disorders.” Annals of Psychotherapy &

Integrative Health, vol. 16, no. 2, Summer 2013, pp. 40-46. EBSCOhost,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=91511570&site=ehost-live.

GBHP. “How Untreated Anxiety Affects Physical Health: GBHP Blog.” Georgia Behavioral

Health Professionals, 25 July 2019, https://www.mygbhp.com/blog/untreated-anxiety-

physical-health/.

Healthline. “Anxiety Prevention: Diet, Journaling, and More.” Healthline, Healthline Media, 19

Dec. 2017, https://www.healthline.com/health/anxiety-prevention#early-intervention.

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. “Table 3.15, DSM-IV to DSM-5

Generalized Anxiety Disorder Comparison - Impact of the DSM-IV to DSM-5 Changes on

the National Survey on Drug Use and Health - NCBI Bookshelf.” Impact of the DSM-IV to

DSM-5 Changes on the National Survey on Drug Use and Health [Internet]., U.S. National

Library of Medicine, May 2016,

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK519704/table/ch3.t15/.