Personal Transformations from Anxiety Attacks & Depression

Anxiety disorders and depression are two of the most commonly experienced mental health problems in our society today. In fact, they are often connected together as people who experience regular anxiety attacks can end up depressed.

Similarly, it is not unusual for those who are severely depressed to begin experiencing anxiety attacks. Again, the second disorder in these cases is caused by the symptoms and emotional consequences of the first disorder.

For those suffering from just one of these disorders, life can become very difficult. For those dealing with both problems, medical intervention may be needed at some point since the mental chaos can become unbearable.

The Effects of Anxiety

There are different types of anxiety disorders ranging from general disorders where you feel anxious about life in general to panic disorders that cause intense waves of fear that can hit at any moment.

When someone who normally does not have anxiety attacks experiences one for the first time it is so terrifying that they begin fearing a repeat experience. The fear of having an anxiety attack can be so intense that it can actually cause an attack!

Those who experience anxiety attacks often have a fear of being in public situations. They worry who will see them have an attack and they are constantly making sure they have an exit route just in case it happens again. Any situation in which they feel they might not be able to easily escape can cause intense anxiety.

The mental effects of anxiety sufferers can completely take over a life. Who they choose to be with, where they choose to go, and whether or not they choose to leave their home for work and other normal everyday events is all dictated by their anxiety. They simply become fearful people and in severe cases it can cause them to pull away from friends and family members as they start to fear the anxiety more and more.

In these severe cases depression can easily set in, complicating the problem and making it seem to others as if the person has become someone else entirely.

The Effects of Depression

The most obvious signs of depression are isolation and a lack of interest in things that the sufferer was previously very passionate about.

For instance, someone who was on three adult softball teams and enjoyed a healthy social life may suddenly stop showing up for softball games and refusing to answer the phone when friends call. They pull away from others, sometimes a little and other times to the extreme.

There is also a deep sadness that comes with depression for many people. They may break down in tears a lot when there is no obvious reason to cry. They may not know why they are crying or why they have the intense desire to be alone.

Someone who is depressed will also display changes in sleeping and eating patterns. They may start binge eating and gaining weight, especially during the late night hours when they cannot fall asleep. They will then sleep all day.

In other cases someone who is depressed may sleep all the time and have no interest in food at all.

When anxiety and depression are mingled together the isolation tendencies may be even more pronounced.