Anxiety is a Crystal Ball to Predict Physical Illness


by Carolyn Chambers Clark - Date: 2007-01-04 - Word Count: 257 Share This!

What is anxiety and why is it important?

Anxiety is that uncomfortable feeling that occurs in social, work, school, or family/friend situations. Anxiety often follows when people have to perform (take a test, do public speaking, go on a date, etc.) Phobias, which are really just fears, are also anxiety conditions. People have fears from animals, to insects, to flying, to heights, to even leaving the house. Anxiety only becomes a disorder when it interferes with daily living. For example, people who fear leaving the house may be unable to have a job, visit friends, or go to school.

Anxiety disorders and other mental health conditions are linked with and often foretell physical problems. Depression and substance abuse are also linked with physical ailments and often predate them.

New Study Provides Evidence Anxiety is Predictive of Physical Illness

A new study used records of psychiatric interviews and diagnoses and blood and urine tests and blood pressure measurements. The investigators studied 4,181 adults and they found that people with anxiety or mood disorder (depression) were 39% to 112% more likely than those without these conditions to have thyroid disease, digestive conditions, arthritis, migraine headaches, respiratory (breathing) conditions, or allergies.

Which Anxiety Conditions and Mood Disorders are Most Predictive?

What were the mental health conditions that foretold physical diseases? Anxiety, panic, agoraphobia, social phobia, simple phobia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression, and bipolar disorder were the conditions found to precede physical ailments.

What Do These Findings Mean?

These findings underscore the necessity of getting your mental health problem in hand as a way to prevent future physical illnesses.


Related Tags: anxiety, arthritis, agoraphobia, panic, migraine headaches, thyroid disease, social phobia

Carolyn Chambers Clark founded The Wellness Institute and teaches at Walden University in their College of Health Services. Twenty-two of her health-related books have been published by major New York publishers. For more information on staying calm, see her latest book, Living Well with Anxiety: What Your Doctor Doesn't Tell You That You Need to Know. You can find it at Amazon.com or get an autographed copy at http://www.carolynchambersclark.com

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