“This is giving me anxiety!” A phrase that we all can admit to using, and one which is commonly overused by teens in our community. Many individuals identify themselves as having “anxiety” when they become stressed. Yet, there are many more aspects to anxiety then just simply being stressed. Anxiety is a common disorder that has serious consequences, and impairs individuals from having a normal life. It causes several abnormalities such as nervousness, fear, apprehension, and worrying. One can identify themselves as having anxiety if any of the above symptoms interfere with the person’s ability to sleep or otherwise function. Personally I believe we should take a stand and ban the word “anxiety” as it is becoming to overused and applied in the wrong context. The severity of the disorder is undermined and many do not comprehend the horrid troubles which individuals struggled with.

There are 7 different types of anxieties which exist, and each differ in their severity, symptoms, and treatment. An individual can have any of the following anxiety disorders: Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, Phobias, Social Anxiety Disorder, OCD, PTSD, and Separation Anxiety. Each contains various symptoms and carious solutions and effects. As the semester progresses I will be looking into various anxieties on both teens and adults, effects, solutions, causes and potentially banning the word “anxiety” altogether.