Social anxiety in India

Looks like anxiety disorders are increasingly becoming a problem in India, particularly among the new urban middle class. They don't seem that clear about the cures yet though, beyond 'healthy eating'.

Here's an article on it from an Indian website called Merinews:

ANXIETY HAS COME to rule our lives in the contemporary world. The metamorphosis of our life is centered at the core of a highly stressful environment that has given way to various psychological problems.

Neeti Mehta, 32, is a businesswoman in Delhi. She is crammed between her workplace and two kids, shuffling between daily chores, meetings and client visits. Off late she started to worry about small things. On being asked what was going on, she was clueless. She’d complain of heart palpitation, was always scared, developed a sense of insecurity and was never at peace with herself.

“I kept worrying endlessly about nothing. I started to feel as if something real bad was about to happen. Yet, I could not figure it out. I started to have bouts of anxiety accompanied by extensive crying. I could no longer focus on my work or give proper attention to my children. That was when my sister asked me to consult a psychologist.”

Neeti was suffering from an anxiety disorder. The stressful lifestyle she was leading paved the way for the disorder to sink in. Today, millions of people are prone to anxiety related disorders due to various reasons.

According to Dr. Vikas Mohan Sharma, consultant Psychiatrist, VIMHANS Hospital, “Anxiety is a by product of stress. Those people are highly prone to it that have fewer resources available and too much work.”

“Anxiety is often misunderstood as worry. Worry has a reason whereas anxiety does not have one. Anxiety is a normal reaction to stress but when it begins to affect our social, personal and professional lives adversely, it becomes a disorder,” opines Dr Sharma.

He further says that there are different types of anxieties ranging from acute to mild.

Panic Disorder:
The person gets repeated attacks or episodes of flooding anxiety characterized by intense fear leading to the patient becoming traumatized. It overwhelms the patient who tends to become scared. In severe cases the patient might even become homebound out of fear.

During a panic attack the patient feels increased heart palpitation, sweaty, nauseatic, faint or dizzy. At times it can also be accompanied by chest pain.

Generalised Anxiety Disorder:
This form of anxiety disorder is more generalised, as it is a continuous form of anxiety. It is likely to affect the performance criteria of the person on the social, political and professional level in a generalised way.

Social Phobia:
If a person is an introvert by birth and is characteristically shy then it is not a social phobia. A social phobia can be identified if the person was normal but has suddenly developed a phobia of mingling with people. This could be an outcome of various circumstances.

Kavita Elias, 34, is a teacher in Lucknow. She recently underwent a divorce. She stopped socializing with people out of fear about what they might think of her unsuccessful relationship.

“She was under constant pressure and we failed to see that she was developing traits of a psychological disorder. It was not until she collapsed in school one day and was rushed to the hospital that the problem was identified,” says her mother Kusum.

Kavita says, “I was petrified to go out of the house or even meet parents at school. I felt everybody was giving disdainful looks wherever I went. I was desperate to escape the stares and glances. Even if I’d go to the market and see two people talking, I’d felt they were speaking about me. This made me anxious.”

She added, “I knew this could not be for real but it was out of my control. I’d often feel my pulse racing, get sweaty and worry about absolutely nothing. I eventually broke down.

Obsessive Compulsive disorder (OCD):
Obsession is an anxiety disorder that needs to be taken seriously. All thoughts and images start becoming intrusive, repetitive and they do not go way from the patient’s mind. The disorder is characterized by repetitive behaviours such as washing hands, cleaning, counting, checking etc. Performing these rituals relieves the person temporarily but they get the urge to repeat the act sooner or later.

Soft Anxiety:
This is completely related to stress. When people come under a lot of pressure they are likely to suffer from this disorder.

Most people have their own way of coping with stress but when they are unable to handle it, the problem takes a form of a psychological disorder.

Dr Sharma also says that the physical symptoms of anxiety disorder can be easily identified as follows:
Palpitations
Shortness of Breath
Urge to pass urine
Tremors

Mental:
Sense of impending doom
Fearfulness
Restlessness
Negative thoughts

Dr. Sharma suggested various preventive methods. He says that we need to identify the stress level in order to cope with it. A healthy lifestyle needs to be maintained. One mustn’t ignore the benefits of healthy eating habits and regular exercise.

Regular exercise helps do away with stress by providing a means for the body to release pent up tension. Yoga and Ti Chi are also excellent means by which one can remain healthy.

“Early diagnosis helps one to identify the problem and it can be cured with counseling but at a later stage one requires medication along with therapy,” suggests Dr Sharma.

He furthers adds that almost all anxiety disorders are curable. It is not a disease. One must be very particular while identifying ‘Obsessive Compulsive Disorders’ as they have the capacity of becoming chronic.

Anxiety can afflict any strata of society. It is most likely to affect adolescents and people in their twenties.

We need to watch out for stress in a big way and keep it at bay. The moment it invites anxiety to enter your life, it can create havoc. People are constantly under stress nowadays. They need to drift towards a healthier and happier lifestyle in order to enjoy life to its fullest.