Narrative Essay On Anxiety Disorder

923 Words2 Pages

Jessica James
Dawn White
English 151
20 February 2014
There is a Person Under all of this Armor
Everything suddenly becomes unfamiliar and I’m no longer comfortable in my own skin. I’m absolutely terrified and unable to collect thoughts properly. Tormenting-thoughts shoot left and right through my brain and after each hit I find my heart beating faster by the second. My chest becomes tight and it is hard to breathe. I’m paralyzed with fear; it is impossible to find the right words to say, and I have a sudden aura of loneliness. I am having a panic attack.
Anxiety disorders are genuine mental illnesses, and should be treated as such. Modern society doesn’t comprehend them as significant matters, and doesn’t understand how horrifying it can be to have this condition. A lot of people don’t fully grasp the severity of having this disorder, and thus are not sure how to help someone who is suffering with it. I was officially diagnosed with an anxiety disorder during my last year of high school. I was struggling to graduate because my nerves were taking advantage of me getting an education. I would stress out about minimal issues and would purposely skip school to avoid my negative feelings. I always thought I was simply too shy for my own good and overanalyzed everything, but I realized it is more complex than that once it was affecting my schoolwork. My family didn’t believe anything was wrong with me, so it took a long time for me to receive any sort of treatment that would benefit me in the slightest. I was on medication for it until I could no longer afford it. Now my only option is to deal with it to the best of my abilities while having assistance from my family. Having this disorder has limited me to a very sheltered and dull l...

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...e mental illnesses that are more common than our society realizes. The community should be more educated as how to properly handle someone who is affected by it. Facing your fears is not an option if you are scared of the fear itself. Having support from someone could prevent a panic attack and help tremendously because it is always comforting to know you are not alone. The most effective way to help someone with an anxiety disorder is first understanding the differences between feeling nervous and owning anxiety disorders. It is an illness that is capable of dealing a lot of damage to a person’s mental health, and without proper help can be fatal. Anxiety disorders can easily evolve into depression and can make a person feel trapped or even suicidal. Knowing the proper procedures can greatly affect people with these disorders and could possibly save someone’s life.

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