What Is Anxiety?

ANXIETY

Anxiety is an emotion distinguished by feelings of tension, uneasy thoughts and physical changes caused by anticipation of danger. Anxiety can also be defined as a critical developmental stage related to change, dispute, and perceived control of the environment (Potter and Perry, 2014). Encountering occasional anxiety is a normal lifestyle, as everyone feels anxious from stressful situations that might make him/her nervous or fearful. In fact, mild anxiety might help an individual be more observant and focused while facing challenges or frightening situations. Anxiety as a life altering condition affects even individual’s thought and feeling of certain lifestyles. It most commonly affects Americans, and also the majority of people all

A finding in literature verifies that 18 percent of the United States in any given year makes the United States the most anxious nation in the world. Anxiety disorders are common amongst older adults, but less common than in younger adults. Among adults, females are more likely than males to experience an anxiety disorder during their lifetime (National Institute of Mental Health, 2012). According to the National Institute of Mental Health, non-Hispanic blacks are 20% less likely and Hispanics are 30% less likely than non-Hispanic whites to experience an anxiety disorder during their lifetime (Gonzalez, William and Tarraf, 2010). Likewise, based on the diverse population of New York City, anxiety has been a prevalent illness amongst older adults, affecting as many as 10-20 percent of the older population, though it is often undiagnosed. Older adults with anxiety disorders do not recognize their symptoms and often go untreated because they feel an unwillingness to talk about their feelings with their health care provider. While some older adults may not seek for treatment, they also believe that the feelings are a normal part of life (Sam,