Anxiety and stigmatization are they related?

rondanoh1 · Post by **rondanoh1** » 14 Aug 2020, 10:56

Anxiety and depression are much less stigmatized than they were a decade or more ago. As a society we are much more open about our mental health than we were and there are better treatments now. When I was younger if you told someone you were depressed or anxious you were told to snap out of it.

Howlan · Post by **Howlan** » 14 Aug 2020, 12:29

rondanoh1 wrote:
> Anxiety and depression are much less stigmatized than they were a decade or
> more ago. As a society we are much more open about our mental health than
> we were and there are better treatments now. When I was younger if you told
> someone you were depressed or anxious you were told to snap out of it.

Yes, society is changing for better or worse but as more people have access to information much social stigma has been erased though many are still prevalent today. I think the stigma of anxiety has really gone down nowadays too as due to today's busy life everyone is somehow or another a victim of anxiety.

NDeMeer · Post by **NDeMeer** » 15 Aug 2020, 02:50

I definitely believe the two are related. I wonder how culture affects this, too. In my country, stigmatization very often causes people to not seek help for a long time. However, I also believe this has decreased in recent times. I think people are now more likely to seek help (and sooner) than they did a decade ago.
An interesting discussion, thanks for creating this topic!

Joseph_ngaruiya · Post by **Joseph_ngaruiya** » 15 Aug 2020, 03:13

Ana Victoria2002 wrote:
> Joseph WK wrote:
> > Yes. Anxiety is related to stigmatization. There are a number of times I
> > have heard someone dismiss anxiety as a condition for privileged people.
> > Which means someone from difficult backdrounds won't get the necessary help
> You make such an excellent point. Anxiety is sometimes considered as a problem that
> only people with time and without any chores have. Up until I was 16 I considered my
> anxiety to be something dumb and that I felt because I was bored or because I craved
> attention, it is a very stigmatised diagnosis.
Naturally, we are inclined to our intuitions. And although anxiety may be linked to stigmatization, our notion of what needs to be addressed and what shouldn't can be the bridge to more stress.

Joseph_ngaruiya · Post by **Joseph_ngaruiya** » 15 Aug 2020, 03:17

NDeMeer wrote:
> I definitely believe the two are related. I wonder how culture affects
> this, too. In my country, stigmatization very often causes people to not
> seek help for a long time. However, I also believe this has decreased in
> recent times. I think people are now more likely to seek help (and sooner)
> than they did a decade ago.
> An interesting discussion, thanks for creating this topic!

Yes, in some countries, it's more likely for people to be stigmatized for their inadequacies. But the internet and books such as this one, have made it easier to cope with this situation in the comfort of your house.

OB Brian · Post by **OB Brian** » 15 Aug 2020, 04:52

Nerea wrote:
> There is a part where the author mentions that “most people will suffer
> from an anxiety disorder for at least ten years without seeking help”. Does
> it mean people living with anxiety disorder might also be suffering from
> stigmatization? Or something else is causing them not to seek help?
That is possible. Or, they are unware of their condition

AnnaKathleen · Post by **AnnaKathleen** » 15 Aug 2020, 10:44

I think any mental health condition can have stigma related to it, our society does not handle the discussion of mental health as well as it could. Many people feel worried from the anxiety but also what people will think or that they won't be believed. I personally have struggled with it.

AntonelaMaria · Post by **AntonelaMaria** » 15 Aug 2020, 13:08

I can speak in general about every country on this planet as I am sure we are not there yet. But overall, the conversations are happening, people are more aware, and there is less stigma concerning anxiety in let's say even five or ten years ago. There is a lot more to achieve on that front but we are making progress.

Howlan · Post by **Howlan** » 16 Aug 2020, 02:31

AntonelaMaria wrote:
> I can speak in general about every country on this planet as I am sure we
> are not there yet. But overall, the conversations are happening, people are
> more aware, and there is less stigma concerning anxiety in let's say even
> five or ten years ago. There is a lot more to achieve on that front but we
> are making progress.

Yes, we are definitely making progress. This is because in today's world we are literally facing some stressful situation every now and then. It makes ignoring the difficultes caused due to stress difficult to ignore.

Harty Muli · Post by **Harty Muli** » 16 Aug 2020, 02:35

I don't think they fail to seek for medical assistance due to stigmatization, as the condition may not be visible externally. I think it's just a case of them not knowing they can get medical help for their condition.

Howlan · Post by **Howlan** » 16 Aug 2020, 02:36

Joseph_ngaruiya wrote:
> NDeMeer wrote:
> > I definitely believe the two are related. I wonder how culture affects
> > this, too. In my country, stigmatization very often causes people to not
> > seek help for a long time. However, I also believe this has decreased in
> > recent times. I think people are now more likely to seek help (and sooner)
> > than they did a decade ago.
> > An interesting discussion, thanks for creating this topic!
>
> Yes, in some countries, it's more likely for people to be stigmatized for their
> inadequacies. But the internet and books such as this one, have made it easier to
> cope with this situation in the comfort of your house.

Yes, but nowadays you really need to seek help or read self-help books not only for stress but for any topic. You need to have a better understanding of what is going on and we can help to make things better.

Howlan · Post by **Howlan** » 16 Aug 2020, 02:37

OB Brian wrote:
> Nerea wrote:
> > There is a part where the author mentions that “most people will suffer
> > from an anxiety disorder for at least ten years without seeking help”. Does
> > it mean people living with anxiety disorder might also be suffering from
> > stigmatization? Or something else is causing them not to seek help?
> That is possible. Or, they are unware of their condition

There is a lot of reasons for that. They can be unaware of they are not willing to accept of they do not want to be dependant on medication or they do not trust medicine involved. There can be a lot of reasons behind this behaviour.

mmm17 · Post by **mmm17** » 16 Aug 2020, 19:43

Men sometimes feel they would be considered less capable if they express anxiety. Maybe that can factor in. In a culture that incentivizes competition, one rarely wants to be labeled weak, which can be damaging.

Joseph_ngaruiya · Post by **Joseph_ngaruiya** » 17 Aug 2020, 07:28

mmm17 wrote:
> Men sometimes feel they would be considered less capable if they express
> anxiety. Maybe that can factor in. In a culture that incentivizes
> competition, one rarely wants to be labeled weak, which can be damaging.
It's vivid that in the search for acceptance and for the sake of fitting in, some individuals will forego seeking help. The biggest contributor to stigmatization is lack of understanding.

Joseph_ngaruiya · Post by **Joseph_ngaruiya** » 17 Aug 2020, 07:29

Slater678 wrote:
> I don't think they fail to seek for medical assistance due to
> stigmatization, as the condition may not be visible externally. I think
> it's just a case of them not knowing they can get medical help for their
> condition.
Although it's not externally visible, anxiety impacts a person's behavior. Depending on whether the behavior is good or bad, stigmatization may occur.