Depression / Phobias / Panic Attacks

Dr. George Crile states: "We fear not only with our spirit but also with our heart, mind, and guts. Whatever the cause of Fear and Distress may be, the effect can be noted in the cells, tissues, and organs of the body." Dr. Stanley Blanton, a prominent psychiatrist, states: "Anxiety is the great modern plague." When individuals are stressed, they feel fear and tension. Furthermore, they may exhibit one or more unpleasant physical symptoms, such as tachycardia, palpitations, a feeling of unease, trembling, sweating, dry mouth, chest pain, headache, and rapid breathing. The physical symptoms are partially caused by the brain, which sends many messages through the nerves to various points in the body. The brain releases hormones and chemicals called neurotransmitters. These substances cause the physical and emotional symptoms of anxiety. Normal anxiety is an emotional reaction that is useful for every individual. For example, most people would feel anxiety if threatened by an aggressive person or before an important competition. Anxiety is considered abnormal when it is disproportionate to the stressful situation the individual has experienced or when it arises without an obvious reason.

Severe stress significantly contributes to psychological and physical disorders/diseases, affecting mental and physical health, and reducing quality of life. Therefore, anxiety and stress are emotional reactions but differ. Stress is a physiological response of the organism, usually triggered by an external cause, sometimes short-term, such as an exam in a difficult subject or a work deadline, and at other times long-term, such as unemployment or inability to work. Additionally, stress is an immediate defense mechanism against danger, which can have a positive effect as it keeps the individual alert. That is why it is called constructive or creative in such cases. However, it can often transform into a pathological condition and lead to serious problems in various areas of life, such as work and interpersonal relationships, affecting the individual's quality of life. In contrast, anxiety, derived from the verb "to stress," meaning to tighten or suffocate, is usually defined by internal causes, such as persistent, excessive worries that remain even when the stressor is gone. In other words, anxiety, which is linked to the feeling of fear, persists and negatively affects the individual’s mood and functionality, as it focuses more on an unknown, diffuse threat associated with the future. At this point, it is worth mentioning that anxiety differs from simple fear, which concerns a brief reaction to a specific (not vague) threat related to the present.

The depressed individual exhibits a continuous sadness, loss of interest/pleasure, and weakening especially of short-term memory, to the point that the individual may not remember the subject being examined and seems to be daydreaming. At the same time, as cognitive ability decreases, so does the feeling of self-confidence and self-esteem, resulting in the individual struggling with decision-making and taking any form of initiative as they feel incapable. It should be noted that the changes faced by students constitute stressors that increase the likelihood of mild or more severe depressive episodes. If depression is not addressed at an early stage, it can lead to problems such as failure, behavioral disorders, delinquency, eating disorders, phobias, or even suicide. Depression is an illness that affects more than 10% of the global population. Specifically, 350 million people face some form of it.

It is the leading cause of disability in the world and can affect people of all ages and genders. Children, teenagers, adults, and the elderly, men and women, can suffer from depression. Depression is far more complex than a simple emotional downturn or mood swings. It is considered a serious illness and in extreme cases, can even lead to suicide. It is the second leading cause of death among young people after traffic accidents. Depression often begins with a loss of interest and pleasure. The individual may experience intense and inexplicable fatigue and feelings of worthlessness and guilt. Sadness and melancholy begin to prevail daily, and there is withdrawal from social and interpersonal relationships. The individual feels helpless, the sense of being at a dead end intensifies, and they experience despair. At times, a low mood is a quite normal emotional state. However, when feelings of helplessness and despair dominate without receding over time, then there may be depression. It is an emotional disorder that prevents the individual from functioning satisfactorily and enjoying life. In its severe form, something as simple as just getting through the day can seem difficult, giving the sense that it exceeds their capabilities, or even leading them to contemplate ending their life. Although depression may manifest differently from person to person and from age to age, in most cases, its usual symptoms are: hopelessness and helplessness, the individual "sees everything in black," feels that nothing will get better and nothing can be done to improve the situation, loss of interest in friends, activities, and anything that previously brought joy and pleasure (e.g., hobbies, social activities, sex), a feeling of constant fatigue, changes in appetite and fluctuations in body weight, changes in sleep (either insomnia, especially in the form of very early awakening, or sleepiness throughout most of the day), difficulty concentrating and feeling that it is difficult to complete tasks that previously were done easily. The individual struggles to focus, remember things, or make decisions. A flood of negative thoughts about oneself, life, and the future, which the individual cannot control. Anger or irritability (especially in the case of men): the individual becomes irritable, nervous, and explosive, experiencing a sense of inner unrest. Loss of energy: a feeling of fatigue, sluggishness, physical weakness. Unexplained pains and physical discomfort: an increase in physical complaints, such as headaches, back pain, stomach aches, and muscle pain.

To be afraid means to live in a body that is always on alert. Fearful people live in fearful bodies. The ability to feel safe with other people is perhaps the most important aspect of mental health.

"Depression is the loss of the ability to play. And the most important thing for such clients is to do – to restore that ability. But they cannot do it if the therapist is too serious." - David Boadella

Stress and anxiety, although used as synonymous terms in everyday conversations and in scientific discourse, have distinct meanings. Anxiety, according to the psychology dictionary, is an emotion characterized by fear and intense physical symptoms as the individual anticipates impending danger, destruction, or misfortune. While anxiety is characterized by fear, it is also conceptually and physiologically distinct from it. In contrast, stress refers to the "physiological or psychological reaction to internal or external stressors, which includes changes that affect almost every system in the body, influencing how individuals feel and behave."