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Stage One
In this hypothetical timeline of a person living with anxiety, we will experience the stages of Sally's life. Sally was born into a very happy and loving family, despite her mother's history of bipolar disorder. Being a girl with a family history of mental disorders, it was already very likely that she would develop an anxiety disorder herself. -
Stage Two
As Sally grew up, she eventually had to go to school. She missed her mother all the time at school and would cry or cling to her when she got dropped off. Sally's mom didn't think much of it, but her child was exhibiting early signs to Generalized Anxiety. -
Stage Three
Sally grew out of the habit of crying over her mother, but she never stopped biting her nails. A lot of the kids in her class thought Sally was weird for doing this, which made Sally self-conscious. Going to school made her very nervous because not a lot of people liked little Sally. -
Stage Four
Sally approaching her teenage years and still didn't have many friends and suffered from frequent headaches. Going to school made her anxious and she was easily upset and frustrated. Her mother noticed her change in mood, as Sally seemed constantly on edge, but attributed that to her daughter's age, thinking it was just a teenage phase to be moody. Sally had turned 15 and her anxiety was still yet to be diagnosed. -
Stage Five
Sally had a mental break down at school and finally talked to her mother about getting help. Her mother took her to a psychiatrist who diagnosed her with GAD, prescribed her some antidepressants, and advised that Sally should see a therapist once a week. -
Stage Six
Sally attended her therapy sessions and began to feel a lot better. Talking about her issues seemed to calm her down and made going to school a little easier. Sally's mother talked to the therapist and they agreed Sally would be fine on her own again. -
Stage Seven
Sally continued taking her medication and seemed to be doing great: she felt more confident, she didn't have breakdowns anymore, and she made friends at school so it wasn't lonely anymore. Life was good for Sally. -
Stage Eight
During college, Sally stopped taking her medication frequently and started to get more anxious. It would come and go, but she was under a lot of stress and didn't think much of it. She knew how to better cope with anxiety like this. -
Stage 9
Sally talked to her doctor and stopped taking her medication completely. She no longer needed to be supported by medication and believed she was capable of handling herself again. She had good days and bad days but her anxiety never got as bad as it had been before. -
Stage 10
Sally is just an example of a what anxiety can be like for a lot of people. Anxiety disorders never fully go away, for most people it is a constant, on-going battle. Sally shows that with the right amount of help, no matter how long it takes, it will eventually get better.
