From the desk of Dr. Brkich:
Anxiety is a universal feeling that we all experience in times of stress, uncertainty, or danger. It is an innate, built-in, adaptive response that is initiated by internal mechanisms over which we do not have full control. Anxiety is triggered
automatically by the nervous system without the need for rational, deliberate, or conscious thinking, although thinking negative, scary, or irrational thoughts can bring it on.
In appropriate circumstances anxiety is appropriate. Anxiety is a normal survival mechanism and a part of the “fight or flight” or sympathetic division of our autonomic nervous system. If a grizzly bear is approaching us it is essential and
appropriate to be anxious. Anxiety that is felt when there is no reason to be anxious is a functional anxiety that is very common but is neither desirable nor beneficial. A persistent functional anxiety that doesn’t turn off may feel as if
something is wrong with the brain or nervous system. In medical terms persistent functional anxiety may be categorized as generalized anxiety disorder. In my opinion the hormones and neurotransmitters that underlie generalized anxiety
disorder are no different from those that trigger the anxiety that we would normally feel when we are faced with a stressful event or danger. Anxiety is anxiety no matter where it comes from. Putting a descriptive label on anxiety on
the basis of its symptoms or its severity doesn’t help us understand or treat it.
