Anxiety affects everyone at some time in their life, whether it is a pending examination or a job interview. But when a person’s anxiety affects their everyday life and hinders their normal routine, then that is referred to as an Anxiety Disorder. That is the type of anxiety we are going to focus on in this article. Anxiety will interfere with your thought processes gradually and, unless you realise you have the disorder, it is almost impossible to control. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, and Social Anxiety all come under the umbrella of Anxiety Disorder.

Writing a Character that has Anxiety Disorder

Anxiety is not the same as a panic attack, which is short-lived and only happens when the person comes into contact with certain triggers or phobias. Anxiety, on the other hand, is slow to develop and once it takes hold of your subconscious and inner thoughts, it will engulf you. The progression is very subtle, and usually the person will be suffering from depression too, so they may not notice it taking hold of them.

Key Characteristics and Symptoms to Include:

Difficulty sleeping or relaxing

Lack of self-esteem

Pessimism

Self-consciousness

Paranoia

Dwelling on a negative outcome

Cannot make a decision

Finding it difficult to remember names or events

Physical Characteristics:

Constant thirst

Aching especially in the joints

Heart palpitations and the feeling you are having a heart attack

Trembling hands and unable to keep your hands still

Biting your nails or lips

Short of breath

Shaking and sweating palms

Insomnia or constant sleep

Taking medication or alcohol as a coping mechanism

Nausea

There are many more symptoms, but I think these will make a great start when you are creating your character.

If you want to include the treatment available, then there are a few to choose from. They can range from anti-depressants, counselling and other forms of medication. Exposing the person to their fear or phobia slowly and gradually is also an effective method. Over time the plateau of fear slowly becomes diminished.

So what causes anxiety to develop? There is research that shows some people are more genetically prone than others, but the truth is that anything can trigger anxiety. Children as well adults can suffer from the disorder. The disorder can stem from a worry about the world in general or far smaller problems. As the person thinks about the possible negative outcomes of a situation, the direr the consequences become. For example, a person may want to make a simple phone call to a friend, but by the time they have over analysed and reflected on the negative outcomes, the day has passed them by and the phone call has not been made.

When you are creating your character with a disorder, they can either already have it, or an event occurs and the symptoms slowly appear. You could show a person that is terrified of going outside or obsessed with cleanliness, and as the story progresses, the disorder slowly becomes better and they suddenly forget their cleaning rituals or find themselves opening the front door and venturing outside. You can also use anxiety disorder as a means of conflict in your story. How interesting would it be for a character that has a phobia to be placed in a situation where they have to face their greatest fear head on in order to reach their goal?

However, an anxiety disorder can never be completely cured; the person will always carry some elements of it, but the symptoms can be controlled.