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1138687 tn?1548643978

Perhaps happiness is possible??!!

Ok I had a thought the other day, and it was regarding mental illness! I am aware that there are all different kinds of names for psychological/emotional difficulties, but I am wondering something interesting.. something hopeful!

I am wondering if it would be correct to say that all fear falls under the condition, ANXIETY. In other words, if you are fearing, you have anxiety, and nothing more!? I say this because if we consider other mental illness, in having anxiety we may fear that we have a suposedly incurable condition such as schizophrenia or bipolar or whatever. But here is the thing, I am wondering if people with mental illness such as bipolar and schizophrenia, if their condition is considered scary because of the nature of their condition, or is it because of the extent of how much fear they have. In other words, If all fear is anxiety, than it is possible for people with schizophrenia to not be afraid. Is this true? I mean, I know that such mental illness often coincides with anxiety/fear, but if mental illness such as schizophrenia does not mean greater fear, then I think there is absolute hope for everyone. There is hope for Schizophrenics because they have the ability to not fear, and it is hopeful for those with anxiety because they can know that there is no need to fear mental illness such as schizophrenia because schizophrenia is not a matter of fear, it is a matter of a condition which we either have or do not have, which can be determined through evaluation. In other words, the things that make mental illness like schizophrenia so bad are not fear, but rather conditions such as delusion, hallucination, etc. So after all, anxiety can be more scary than schizophrenia if bad enough, and depression can be more serious than schizophrenia if it makes us that hopeless. So if everything I stated is true, then in understanding mental illness and psychological health, if anxiety is fear that can be rationally eliminated, then everyone in the world can be happy, feel safe, be free, love, And not have to worry!

Sorry if this is a little confusing, it is highly philosophical, but maybe if you read it again it may make sense.

Really, this is a question I have! And I am really curious to know what others think about this! Am I wrong about something I said, am I right?

My main point is that fear is our real burden and no matter what our condition is, we can eliminate our fear.. and feel safe and free, and even happy!

:)

Ashleigh
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Avatar universal
I think it goes both ways.   A lot of these mental conditions cause extreme uncomfortable physical sensations, like agitation, irritability and sore muscles, if you are in pain its impossible to be happy.  I think when your body chemistry is unbalanced fear is just a natural reaction. But then again the anxiety of imagined problems might of caused real symptoms after years of worry and fear. So it best to eliminate anxiety before it turns into a serious downward spiral.
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1291268 tn?1274810922
'Anxiety' is a very varied thing.  Everyone experiences it to one degree or another.  So it's impossible to generalize about it because for some it's just getting 'nervous' or 'stressed', the result of normal things that come up in life, but for others it's totally disabling, impacting even the most basic elements of daily life.  It's the later that I believe have 'anxiety disorder'.
Personnally I believe 'Anxiety disorder' is an inherited, genetic illness.  Yes, normal life 'stressors' usually 'set it off', but our reactions to theem are far more severe and our ability to cope much more diminished.
Certainly fear plays a part with anxiety.  It's perfectly natural to be fearful when you don't understand what's happening to you. I think everyone who suffers a significant ailment lives with fear to some extent or other. Coping with the fear will help in keeping one's anxiety from spiraling continually downhill and help in seeking treatment.
Schizophenia is inherited as well and just as poorly understood as anxiety disorder.  It's symptoms are far more extreme and 'visible' for sure and treatment just as inexact.
Fear is one of many symptoms of anxiety and depressive disorders but perhaps one of the more difficult to deal with.
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