People should avoid worrying about problems that go beyond their control or ability to solve, Turkish Association for Psychopharmacology (TAP) President Kemal Sayar stressed recently.
Sayar said in Antalya, where he came for the “17th International Congress on Psychopharmacology & Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology / Psychotherapy” organized by the TAP, in an interview with Anadolu Agency (AA), that anxiety is a very common disorder in the world.
He noted that as uncertainty increases, anxiety also increases. He explained that when there is no foresight about the future in society and the future is perceived as something that is “coming at us full speed,” anxiety disorders begin to rise in that society.
Pointing out that many factors – especially work, economic problems and political uncertainties – can lead to an increase in anxiety disorders, Sayar said: “Today, the world is going through a very interesting period. There is a global pandemic of anxiety all over the world. People are increasingly losing hope and beginning to think that tomorrow may bring worse things. Societies that came out of the pandemic already damaged have been even more wounded by global wars.”
Sayar emphasized that economic uncertainty and a lack of sufficient job security trigger anxiety in people.
Highlighting the importance of protecting against anxiety disorders, Sayar said: “To protect ourselves from anxiety disorders, each of us should focus on what we can do. We should stop dwelling on large problems that are beyond our control and that we cannot solve. We should focus on things like: ‘In our small corner, in our own lives, what can we do? If we do what we do well, what will make everything better?’ We should focus on these and try to do the best we can.”
Sayar added that if anxiety disorders are not treated, they can cause a person to be unable to work, to become detached from life, to become unproductive and unable to exist in society.
He underlined that anxiety makes a person unhappy and dysfunctional, and stated that people can improve certain anxiety disorders by changing their way of thinking and lifestyle.
Sayar concluded by saying that if individuals who fulfill their responsibilities still do not make progress in overcoming their anxiety disorder, they should seek help from medical professionals.
