Do you know that an estimated 2.2% of adolescents in the United States have Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD)? When translated into real numbers, that accounts for nearly 1 million adolescents in the US! Imagine this: you are sitting for an ungraded assessment, and all of a sudden, your mind goes blank. Unable to formulate your thoughts, you begin to feel restless or even apprehensive. As you occasionally fidget your legs, your palms grow clammy. “If I don’t do well for the test, I’m doomed! I won’t be able to ace again”, cue the uninvited intrusive thoughts that flood your mind. Evidently, GAD may be more familiar to you than you may think, in fact, many students are actually at risk of suffering from GAD.
Though GAD is more prevalent in older age groups, adolescents also display evidence of GAD. GAD is an anxiety disorder that is commonly caused by a myriad of environmental and biological factors. For instance, an imbalance in norepinephrine which supports the body’s fight or flight response and serotonin, a mood stabiliser, can lead to higher risks of suffering from GAD in teenagers. GAD is typically categorised by the displayed symptoms of excessive worries without definite reasons. Symptoms of GAD include, but are not limited to: Having trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, feeling irritable, persistently worrying about a number of areas that are out of proportion to the impact of the events, and overthinking plans and solutions to all possible worst-case outcomes. As trivial as it sounds, these symptoms, when amassed, can be detrimental to our study and social life, thus evoking a sense of helplessness in the patients over time, especially if apt medical attention and support is not provided.
Closer to home, results collected from student surveys in Hwa Chong revealed a concerning trend: a significant proportion of the student population has been shown to exhibit numerous symptoms of GAD. This can be clearly seen from 48% of the students that we surveyed being frequently or very frequently feeling irritable or “on edge” in a normal school week. (Figure 1)
Figure 1
Similarly, 56.9% of the students frequently or very frequently experience “mind blanking” or difficulty concentrating in a school day. (Figure 2)
Figure 2
Such a phenomenon is extremely disturbing as it shows the declining mental health of Hwa Chongians. Therefore, it is critical for us to observe and look out for any symptoms that our friends may display of this disorder.
If you suspect that your friends have this disorder, it is important to provide support to them. However, do remember that your mental health matters too and you are not responsible for your friend. At times, it might be more beneficial to both you and your friend if you were to alert a professional of their situation.
Nevertheless, if you are looking for ways to help someone with GAD, here are some tips!
Get a good understanding of their anxiety symptoms
Anxiety affects people differently. There is a wide range of anxiety symptoms that people can exhibit and reading up on their different symptoms can help you get a better understanding of what he/she is going through. This in turn would help with empathising and understanding their plight.
Let them know you’re there for them
Show them that you care! As cliche as it sounds, simple gestures such as dropping them reminders to show that you are here to support them can go a long way. If you wish to take it a step further you could gently bring your concerns about his or her behaviour to them privately and ask if they would like your help. This will typically come as a welcome relief to the person as they realise that they don’t need to carry the burden of their anxiety alone. Having this conversation also helps the person to realise that they are loved and they may feel better afterwards.
Listen about how they want to be supported
Sometimes, it is best to be straightforward and just ask them how they want to be supported! Listen carefully to their preferences and if you think you can help, follow through! They may want help breaking down a task they are anxious about, distraction from their anxious thoughts or just someone to talk to. By taking the time to listen and understand their needs, you can offer them emotional support that will really make a difference.
Fig 3: Some DOs and DON’Ts when talking to someone with anxiety
Keep lines of communication open
See the person regularly and spend more one-on-one time with them so that they have opportunities to talk about anything they feel anxious about. You can also keep in touch through phone calls and text messages every week, just to check in on them.
Here are some pointers to avoid:
Talk constantly about their anxiety
When you are with the person, or when you are talking to them over the phone, avoid constantly bringing up their anxiety or asking questions about it. Instead, keep the conversation flowing and let them talk about it if they want to. That way, they won’t feel uncomfortable and pressured into discussing their anxiety when they don’t want to.
Enabling their anxieties
When someone has anxiety, they may try to avoid certain places or scenarios due to certain anxieties that they may have. It is very common for people to then enable their anxieties by steering clear of these situations and although this may seem helpful in the short-run, their continued avoidance can perpetuate their worries and prevent them from recognising that they could manage in the scenarios that they are evading.
Pressuring them
In spite of that, it is vital that you do not force the person to go to places or enter scenarios that they are extremely uncomfortable in. This is something that they should gradually work towards with professional support.
Expecting immediate change
Mental health does not change overnight. It is not possible for someone to make a 180 degree turn overnight- people need time to heal. As a friend and confidante, it is imperative that you recognise that and try your best to be patient with your friend’s recovery.
In closing, GAD, just like other mental health disorders, deserve medical attention and the moral support from friends and family members. For people suffering from anxiety disorders, know that people are by your side and you are not alone. We can champion this battle against anxiety together.
Written by: Lim Yu Shu (21S74) and Goh Yu Le (21S79)
Edited by: Wee Yu Yan (21S66) and Tan Xuanmin (21S78)
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