Healthy Living May 2019

Deadly mass shootings...

Nonstop negative news stories... Rising cancer rates... Political polarization...

It’s probably no surprise that 40 percent of Americans felt more anxious in 2018 than they did one year earlier, according to a poll conducted by the American Psychiatric Association. Of the 1,000 U.S. adults surveyed, most attributed safety, health, finances, politics, and interpersonal relationships as the greatest sources of

will eventually develop a physical condition,” says Dr. Maxine Ruddock, clinical director of Comprehensive Psychological Assessment Services in Tavares. “If you’re feeling stressed or have anxiety, you don’t want to exercise, you’re not going to eat right, and you’re not going to get adequate sleep.”

Seventy-seven percent of Americans regularly

wedding, but once the wedding is complete, the stress disappears.

Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illnesses in the United States, affecting 40 million adults ages 18 and older, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. They include generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and social anxiety disorder. Unlike stress, anxiety is a sustained mental health disorder and is not necessarily related to a situational factor, Dr. Ruddock says. Instead, sufferers create disastrous scenarios in their head that “take on a life on their own.”

FACTS ABOUT ANXIETY

Anxiety disorders affect

25.1

percent of children between ages 13 and 18.

their stress.

Sadly, there’s no quick fix for any of this. Even sadder, few of those respondents sought out mental health care.

“Even if you are physically healthy and have no physical conditions, if you don’t take care of your mental health, then you

experience physical symptoms caused by stress, according to data from the American Institute of Stress. Dr. Ruddock defines stress as “physiological, emotional, and mental reactions to changes in your environment.” For example, a bride may be stressed over details about her upcoming

“A bride with an anxiety disorder would continue worrying after the wedding,” she says. “How will I pay my bill? Will the photos turn out OK? Why didn’t this or that person show up? Anxiety is predicting disaster and it’s irritational thinking.”

Both anxiety and stress bring similar symptoms, including increased heart

18.1

Anxiety disorders affect percent of the U.S. adult population.

While anxiety disorders are highly treatable, only

36.9

percent of sufferers receive treatment.

$42

Anxiety disorders cost the U.S. more than billion a year.

Sources: Anxiety and Depression Association of America “The Economic Burden of Anxiety Disorders,” a study published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry

“To me, mental health is one of the most important things people should take care of. Many physical conditions that people have is a result of their mental health not being balanced.”

—Dr. Maxine Ruddock

These medical professionals are in…

good health

Female providers at AdventHealth Medical Group share their views on staying healthy in body, mind, and spirit.

Paid Promotional Feature

With May hosting Mother’s Day, it’s natural to focus on women. Working women, busy homemakers, or retirees generally have to deal with full schedules. No matter what your age or the time of your life, stress is a part of it. Balancing life and career, caring for children, tending to older parents, or other life issues, you must take time for yourself. Time to relax, refresh, and renew your spirit.

Female medical providers at AdventHealth Medical Group in Lake County are no different from other working women, wives, and mothers who juggle busy lives.

Gathered in the AdventHealth Waterman conference room for dinner and discussion, the women gave a glimpse of their world.

“It is a juggling act; there’s always something to be doing,” says Dr. Valerie Thomas, a pediatrician who admits to working many hours yet has enjoyed three decades of caring for children while also being a wife and mother.