The least we can do is to allow for mentally ill patients to seek adequate support
ISLAMABAD: The American Psychological Association (APA) defines anxiety as “an emotion characterized by feelings of tension, worried thoughts and physical changes like increased blood pressure.” We are afraid of losing things and at the same time we have the urge to obtain it. At that time the heightened sense of feeling is called anxiety. Anxiety is a normal and often healthy emotion. However, when a person regularly feels disproportionate levels of anxiety, it might become a medical disorder. Similarly, panic disorder is that you feel terror that strikes at random. During a panic attack, you may also sweat, have chest pain, and feel palpitations (unusually strong or irregular heartbeats). Sometimes you may feel like you’re choking or having an attack.
All anxiety disorders share some general symptoms:
Panic, fear, uneasiness, sleep problems, not being able to stay calm and still, feeling cold, sweating, numbness or tingling in the hands or feet and palpitation. Pakistan has one of the lowest mental illness patient-to-doctor ratios in the world. It is the duty of our government to provide funds and the mental health professionals, especially psychologists, to provide leadership. Some changes in life- style help individuals to take control of it.
Moreover, stigma and shame must be uprooted from our communities. The least we can do is to allow for mentally ill patients to seek adequate support.
Bilal Shabbir
Published in The Express Tribune, October 14th, 2019.
Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.
