Living On The Edge

On the brink of a meltdown? It can be tough to tell when stress is just a day in the life and when it’s an anxiety disorder. Mental clarity, ahead

- Elizabeth Bacharach

On any given day, I can have a conversation with my sister exclusively in memes. We usually exchange pithy phrases like “OMG me”, “So real”, “Truuuee!” We’re millennials, after all. But the real stars of our Instagram direct messages are text-covered images that all speak to the same topic: anxiety. Or… Stress. Or… Both. One of my favourites: “Current stress level: Winona Ryder in every episode of Stranger Things.” And the real kicker: “Hey, I like your personality. Thanks, it’s a disorder.”

I was diagnosed with generalised anxiety disorder more than a decade ago. Today, it’s easy to engage in these meme-only back-and-forths about anxiety, but there are pros and cons to that. On one hand, people are talking so much about mental illness, which has helped destigmatise it. But the downside is the risk of diluting mental-health issues and blending things like stress and anxiety.

My concern is legit, experts say. Part of the issue is the colloquial use of both terms. In pop culture – memes, TV shows – anxiety and stress are used loosely and interchangeably, says Dr Jessica Gold, an assistant professor of psychiatry. Also muddying the waters is the fact that symptoms of stress and anxiety are very similar. Irritability, trouble sleeping – the list goes on. Yet only 18 percent of adults experience anxiety symptoms considered clinically significant (meaning intense or prolonged enough to interfere with life or health), per the Anxiety and Depression Association of America.