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Stress and Anxiety in Young Adults Evelyn V. Moreno University of Texas at El Paso

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Abstract Anxiety and depression has been a problem for many years. Depression leads to people feeling helpless, hopeless or empty. Warning signs for depression are feeling tense, or having trouble concentrating. Identifying what type of depression or anxiety is an important key to remedy the patient, especially since each individual reacts differently to each treatment. Another important action to be done is asking for professional help when the patient renounces to accept being in a worse condition or gives the impression of committing suicide. The differences between depression and anxiety will be independently explained on how they could affect the individual.

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Depression and Anxiety in Young Adults Young adults have a hard time to recover or get help with stress and anxiety. Some people struggle through it daily, some do not have an explanation as to why they feel lonely or isolated. Although there are several treatments that any individual can take, the important fact that is needed to know is what mental problem the patient suffers from in order to treat it properly. In the process of conducting the treatment the patient could have either depression or anxiety, sometimes it is possible to be diagnosed with both. The effect that it has on young adults if not treated could lead to interrupting the life of that person. For instance their job, education, relationships, and other activities. Despite the fact that depression and anxiety could come from no apparent reason, other factors of the causes of these two obstacles can also be the outcome from the loss of someone, or other problematic personal situations. There are ways to treat depression and anxiety but when the issue has gone too far, it is difficult sometimes to seek for professional help. Occasionally individuals try to help their loved one with their struggle but often they are not adequately informed about neither depression nor anxiety. Breaking down depression Depression is a leech that sucks out all of the joy, concentration, motivation, and the confidence of a person. There is hardly any consistency with being optimistic, or the energy to get anything accomplished. Depression is not a situation to be taken lightly and shouldnt be underestimated. It is a serious condition that must be carefully and must be immediately

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identified. Although an individual may provide their help or attention to the loved one, that individual should be willing to go through treatment. It is fundamentally up to that persons hands their road of recovery. Family members are often the immediate people who see a problem with their loved one. Some of the symptoms of depression are lack of interest of any hobbies or activities, loss of appetite, being careless of themselves or other people. Most likely these individuals will talk about how lonely and helpless they often feel. They usually repetitively moan about how tired they are and have no energy to get things done. Since there is loss of appetite, the person will start to somewhat lose weight. Being malnourished can make the individual start experimenting fatigue, insomnia, or hyperthermia. However, out of all these symptoms, the one symptom everyone should always look out for is if the individual is having suicidal anticipation or reoccurring thoughts of death. Types of depression are Major, Chronic (Dysthymia), Atypical, Postpartum, Bipolar, Seasonal, and Psychotic. Although these types may have similar symptoms, it is recommended to pursue help from a doctor. Going to a doctor provides you the security for finding the right treatment for the patient. See Figure 1 below describing the demographics of depression.

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Figure 1. Demographics of depression. Analyzing Anxiety Anxiety sprouts from the mental health of a person, and it is an emotion that usually comes from having a tough day at work, stress from school, or other activities. The environment plays an important role whereas anxiety can come from any type of stress that gradually builds up. Some of the causes of anxiety are any type of abuse, the loss of someone, stress from either school or work, troublesome relationships, money, or insufficient amount of oxygen for the brain. This disorder is associated with people who suffer from asthma, anemia, infections, any type of heart conditions, or sometimes inheriting anxiety through a family member. Symptoms for anxiety are feeling restless, consistently nervous, having cold or sweaty hands, inefficacy of staying calm and relaxed. People who suffer from anxiety often sense claustrophobic or shortness in breath when in public. They are in constant fear and are least likely to take a challenge or try something new in their lives. It is very tedious to concentrate so their minds are constantly in blank. Different types of anxiety consist of social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, phobias, and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Since anxiety is described as a human emotion, it isnt a light situation. As a matter of fact, it is a mental illness that needs to be taken care of immediately. A lot of cases of people who had suffered from anxiety, entice themselves in to cutting or self-harm. They have difficulty trying to talk to other people and feel ashamed to express themselves feely. With the lack of concentrating, the individual starts to become aggressive with those around them. Although anxiety is tougher to have a friend go see a doctor, it is not impossible.

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Conclusion Our society is negligent when it comes to mental problems. Since both depression and anxiety have similar symptoms, it is essential to be fully informed about the differences between these two mental issues. It is also important that our community accepts if their loved one or even they are going through depression or anxiety. Some dont want to admit that they have a problem and more than one occasion they feel offended. The community needs to be informed and should keep up with any new research that comes out referring to mental illnesses. Each year, research for depression, anxiety, or other mental problems update to support any individual who feels like they are alone. Hotlines that are 24/7, group sessions, and information from a doctor are always disposable for everybody. Talking with a doctor and having the mentally ill person tested helps to have the medication or knowing exactly what type of mental problem the individual is going through. The community should be open and welcoming for all of these people who find themselves struggling on their own without the support of anyone. People with depression and anxiety seek for support and with more clinics or anonymous support groups, these people would feel more welcomed. They need a helping hand, and as community we help each other out.

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References National Institute of Mental Health. (2013). Major Depressive Disorder among Adults. In nimh.nih.gov. Retrieved November 6, 2013, from http://www.nimh.nih.gov/statistics/1mdd_adult.shtml. Smith, M, M.A., Segal, R M.A., and Segal, J Ph.D... (July 2013). Dealing with Depression. In Helpguide.org. Retrieved October 18, 2013, from http://www.helpguide.org/mental/depression_tips.htm.

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Starr, D. (February 2012). Young adults and Depression. In psychcentral.com. Retrieved October 18, 2013, from http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2012/02/25/young-adults-anddepression/. DeNoon, D. (July 2006). Recognizing childhood depression and anxiety. In webmd.com. Retrieved October 18, 2013, from http://www.webmd.com/anxiety-panic/guide/recognizingchildhood-depression-anxiety. ADAA. (2010-2013). Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). In Anxiety and Depression Association of America. Retrieved November 6, 2013, from http://www.adaa.org/understandinganxiety/generalized-anxiety-disorder-gad. Healthline. (2012). Unhappiness by the Numbers: 2012 Depression Statistics. In Healthline.com. Retrieved November 7, 2013, from http://www.healthline.com/health/depression/statisticsinfographic. Save. (2013). Suicide Facts. In Save.org. Retrieved November 5, 2013, from http://www.save.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.viewpage&page_id=705d5df4-055b-f1ec3f66462866fcb4e6#top. Crosta, P. (January 28, 2013). What causes Anxiety? In medicalnewstoday.com. Retrieved November 8, 2013, from http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/info/anxiety/what-causesanxiety.