Is anxiety really an illness or just another way of medicalizing the usual ups and down of life ?

Answer 1

I am sufferer of anxiety & depression. Truth is anxiety is part of everybody's life. Everybody at some point of time feel anxious. Getting anxious is ok. But if it bothers you so much that day-to-day task seems difficult then you have to agree with me that something is going very wrong & then you understand thats why its called illness. Nobody is going to go to psychiatrist just because he is anxious of the results of the exam he wrote recently. Anything is a illness if it disturbs the ability to do our day-to-day very difficult.
If you see from this angle ill persons are not people with strange things. They are ordinary people with ordinary emotions in extra-ordinary levels. I can go on speaking for hours & hours but we dont have the space or time.
Take care.
*******note**** I have a desire : if we all anxious & depressed people could meet & discuss on how best to tackle our problems. it would be great. If we form a club & help other anxious & depressed feeling people then our hearts would become lighter & happier & we would face a lot less tough days.

Answer 2

It is both normal and illness. Anxiety is absolutely necessary to lead a healthy and creative life,it enhances our sensitivity,it alerts, warms and warns us,goads us into action,it could be a motivating force in our lives.This should not be treated,warm of life would be sniffed away by treating it! However,anxiety beyond a point,call it over anxiety or whatever, would be debilitating,making us helpless and unfocused and that could be reduced by not necessarily only by medication but by relaxation exercises,interested music,indulging in activities that lifts and eases you,the activities for which you are cut out for( find it if you haven't!) and so on.Anxiety reflects our problems in living in this time and space, we should face it(not escape from it) and grow with it and eventually out of it too! Simply labelling it and hushing it up won't help,I agree.

Answer 3

Hi there,
To some extent, it is supposed to be "normal" and after a certain limit, when the body cannot cope up with the increasing anxiety levels, or
when the body cannot cope up with the increasing pressures which lead to this anxiety state, it becomes an illness.

best wishes...

Answer 4

Chickens and pigs are raised in crowded rooms. They get anti-psychotic medication to make them feel better. They cant talk out their complaints. We can but we dont have to . We can take the tranquilizers too.

Answer 5

In my opinion anxiety is real and can be very debilitating.