Anxiety and Hypermobility
What is Anxiety?
The National Institute of Mental Health states: Occasional anxiety is a normal part of life. Many people worry about things such as health, money, or family problems. But anxiety disorders involve more than temporary worry or fear. For people with an anxiety disorder, the anxiety does not go away and can get worse over time. The symptoms can interfere with daily activities such as job performance, schoolwork, and relationships. There are several types of anxiety disorders, including generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, and various phobia-related disorders. Reference
What are the signs and symptoms of Anxiety?
According to National Institute of Health (NIH), some signs and symptoms of anxiety include:
- Feeling restless, wound-up, or on-edge.
- Being easily fatigued.
- Having difficulty concentrating.
- Being irritable.
- Having headaches, muscle aches, stomachaches, or unexplained pains.
- Difficulty controlling feelings of worry.
- Having sleep problems, such as difficulty falling or staying asleep.
In this short interview, Dr Jessica Eccles explains her research into the connection between joint hypermobility and anxiety.
“People with joint hypermobility are much more likely to suffer from anxiety and enhanced ‘fight or flight’ responses. Dr Eccles was the first person to connect this knowledge to structural changes in the brain, showing that the amygdala, associated with emotional processing, is larger in people with joint hypermobility. By clarifying the nature of this connection, she hopes to help develop more personalised and effective treatments. Dr Eccles is a psychiatrist and clinical research training fellow at Brighton and Sussex Medical School. “