To think "I have anxiety" is becoming the new 'go to' armchair diagnosis?

[ClothEaredBint]

I'm saying this as someone who actually has an Anxiety Disorder, diagnosed, medicated, lived with it for 20 years and which has a serious impact on my ability to function day to day..

I seem to be spotting it being thrown out like a disclaimer for peoples neurotic behaviour on here just lately, and its really actually starting to get on my fucking nerves.

Yes, you might be anxious, it does NOT mean you HAVE Anxiety.

Anxiety is a recognised mental health disorder that seriously affects peoples ability to function, it filters into every aspect of their lives.

Claiming you 'have anxiety' when something is worrying you is as offensive to those of us who actually DO have it as saying 'a little bit OCD' when you like something done a specific way, or 'a little bit depressed' when you're a bit sad about something.

Stop it.

You're minimising a very real and very upsetting disorder that people actually suffer with.

Hmmm not necessarily. Bad therapy can be incredibly damaging, particularly if they push for too much too soon. Bad therapy (NHS) really tipped me over the edge at one point and I needed intensive further therapy to help recover from it.

CloudPerson I definitely agree about undiagnosed ASD and anxiety/mental health, particularly with things like BPD

OP, other people using the term anxiety does not invalidate your diagnosis.
I have a life threatening heart conditon. Lots of people have different heart conditions which are not immediately life threatening as mine is. I don't argue or get upset when they say 'Me too!'. It has taken me a long time to get to this point: those of us with difficulties are all struggling and we have that in common even if the specifics differ - including whether or not we have a diagnosis.

I have complex PTSD, social anxiety and a chronic health condition (aka a bad back).

My DD has just been diagnosed with autism and my other DD recently was diagnosed with dyslexia.

My dp also has PTSD (from a warzone).

I take medication and I have had counselling and CBT but nothing can get me out of my 'safe zone' which literally revolves around a very small number of places and actually going somewhere new, especially a social occasion where I need to dress up and talk to people leaves me a complete wreck and I will do absolutely anything to get out of going. I don't sleep for days beforehand, I have panic attacks and just can't cope with anything.

So if I say I have anxiety, depression and PTSD, it's because I do have those things. It's not self diagnosed off the internet.

I know a few people with BPD, and each and every one gives off Aspie vibes (in my untrained opinion, although I do seem to have a fairly accurate autism radar!)
It's frustrating that so many professionals are resistant to diagnosing autism, when quite often this can be the key for someone to understand themselves.

I work as a psychotherapist

I have seen a number of clients that will never go or have never gone to their gp with their symptoms as they are so fearful of what that might trigger, social services being involved, being on medication, some people do not want a diagnoses, they fear being sectioned and so on

coming to therapy is a start for them for some it has helped others I am not so sure I hope it has I am not expert but some of the most depressed and anxious people I have seen haven't had a diagnoses and then there is the work as to why they feel they cannot take those steps that might improve their life and that is very complex for some people

I get what another poster is saying about OCD but again this can only be diagnosed if someone engages with health professionals, and we can all experience times when we feel we are having instrusive obsessive thoughts usually at times of high anxiety it differes from person to person how it is managed and for some it will feel totally debilitating but may only be temporary but they feel totally overwhelmed

Agree I have debilitating anxiety and cyclothymia and it fuck me right off the way people self diagnose. Basically they are having bad day.

Is it possible that there is a higher than normal incidence of anxiety among people who spend a lot of time on chat forums?

(As it's a good way to socialise without having to deal with triggering situations).

I'm sure there are some bad therapists just as there are bad everything else. You're more likely to have a damaging experience of therapy when using a private practitioner though tbh, because they're not usually supervised as closely and don't always use evidence based practices (not always a bad thing but can be less safe).

My team are all very experienced and great at what they do, we help thousands of people with anxiety and other issues every year.

Good for you w1A, just because you couldn't do it doesn't mean others can't. Maybe it helps them calm down, maybe they have no one in real life to turn to

Totally agree CloudPerson, BPD and ASD can be v similar in women

My psychiatrist (is that a stealth boast in a twisted I have a real diagnosis way?!) was torn between BPD and Aspergers for me and ended up saying 'Highly complex, with features of.....' I did get diagnoses of major depressive disorder (with agitation) and of generalized anxiety disorder though. Lucky me!

I got very upset wjen I got my official diagnoses, prescriptions and work signoff for GAD and depression because I felt I'd become such a cliche.

I don't think YABU, OP. I'm sure some people do have serious anxiety without having been diagnosed (as just getting medical help would presumably be a huge hurdle) but I do think "I have anxiety" has become the new "I'm a bit OCD".

I was interested in a thread on chat a while ago about having anxiety. I read it and thought "I do most of these" - it was things like driving to a familiar petrol station rather than trying a new one (and potentially making a fool out of yourself if it's a different set up), not liking to stop and chat to strangers, checking out a venue on google maps before you go there etc.

I think we're very quick to put a label on things. When I was a teenager I HATED talking on the phone (even calling friends, in case their parents picked up) and was utterly terrified when I had to do it on my work experience placement. But nobody told me I had anxiety and the more I did it, the more confident I got. I still have to gear myself up a bit if I'm making a business-type call (and conference calls are awful) but I think this is relatively normal for an introverted person. (I'm NOT having a dig at people who genuinely do have anxiety about everyday things like phone calls, as I think a PP mentioned.) But serious anxiety aside, I think lots of people have moments of feeling awkward / shy and they think that's the same as having "ANXIETY". (To be honest what lots of people describe as their anxiety sounds to me exactly like Very British Problems on Twitter...)

psychedelic that is only true if you do not use a therapist who is registered with either the BACP or UKCP. They both have very high standards of training and supervision.

I absolutely take your point, OP. But then as PPs have said, there are those of us who don't have a diagnosed anxiety disorder but suffer from bouts of just feeling very very anxious about life, bad enough to seek professional help. I wouldn't say "I have Anxiety" but nevertheless my feelings of anxiety have had a very profound effect on my general levels of happiness. So - are there not shades of grey here? Is it as black and white as your OP suggests?

I have GAD. I thought very many other people had anxiety disorders, that it was extremely common.

It makes no difference to my life however many people say they have problems with anxiety.

My DM has anxiety & is on medication. I feel anxious from time to time, as many people do.

unfortunately there are bad therapists within the nhs, private, health authorities, who are registered (not particularly difficult to achieve) and have been accredited

the industry needs tighter regulations I'm afraid but its getting better

It seems to be bandied about by z list celebs on teen shows whenever they post a drunk tweet, or do something weird (or back out of professional engagements). I doubt any of them have anxiety.

Unfortunately until the titles 'counsellor' amd 'psychotherapist' are protected there will be more variation in quality than in other professions.

I totally agree.
It gets whipped out on loads of threads that I'm on. It's demeaning. Because if you really have it, it's a very serious condition that needs respecting.

If I'm working with someone for whom the 20 sessions we can offer clearly isn't going to touch the sides, I try to make sure the least I can do is give them a good experience of therapy so that they might be more inclined to seek more.

Anxiety is tricky isn't it , I have issues with what I think of as anxiety , it tends to appear out of nowhere in situations that are completely normal and mundane to me , so not being anxious about a certain normally anxiety inducing situation . One minute I am fine then bam ! my brain goes into a spiral , usually triggered by a random innocent comment by a friend or workmate , it can take me several hours , sometimes days to bring it back down to a normal level . I am I think very fortunate that it is relatively infrequent , so it occurs at most weekly as opposed to daily , hourly or continuously . I see people on a regular basis who suffer from a far more extreme manifestation of it , I think it helps me listen to them better, understanding how awful it makes you feel .