Generalized Anxiety Disorder Analysis

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1. Constricted [Generalized Anxiety Disorder] (2015)
Pencil, charcoal, and ink on cardstock
(size)

Generalized anxiety disorder occurs when a person worries excessively over a large variety of different topics such as health, safety, relationships, and finance. The disorder has to be evident for 6 months and show evidence of triggers, which would require a record of anxiety (diary, therapist, etc.). Sometimes, the person may have anxiety from mood disorders like post-traumatic stress disorder, but it is not classified as generalized anxiety disorder when it is from any other disorders. Mood disorders can be very similar to GAD, but GAD can be mistaken for a phobia. Phobias cause worry for a specific item or topic, which is similar to GAD, however, GAD is not the same since it is not only one fear, it is multiple. Hence the word generalized, GAD is what patients are diagnosed with when it seems that everything worries them, not just one topic. The art piece created represents general anxiety disorder in a more interpretive way.
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The overall look of the piece is meant to be frightening or create worry in whomever is viewing it. In the center of the piece, a woman’s severed head is located as the main focus point. Her head has been ripped from her body to represent the feeling of constant pain and worry. Not only is her head teared off, but her neck is also being choked by the long optic nerve attached to the giant eye looming over the girl. The feeling of being choked-up is experienced by almost anyone who has ever worried. For someone with generalized anxiety disorder, the choking feeling is worse, and so, the pocket watch’s’ chain is also down the girl’s throat to further emphasize the idea of being choked. The pocket watch itself is intended to represent how the girl feels that she is out of time for everything in her life. To continue the idea of worry and the feeling of anxiety, the eyeball sits just above the girl’s head, staring at her constantly. This is the feeling of being watched and judged all the time, which is something that a person with generalized anxiety disorder tends to feel. Overall, the expression on the girl’s face purposely shows no emotion or movement whatsoever, because people with this disorder do not want anyone to know how they are feeling. They try to hide their emotions and their worry because they do not realize how intense their anxiety really is. General anxiety disorder is a constant gloomy mess of being worried about everything and greatly hinders a person’s life. 2. Chains [Clinical Depression] (2016) Pencil, ink, and paint on cardstock (size) Depression can sometimes to be difficult to classify as many people believe that the behaviour expressed by a depressed person is “normal.” To be certain that a person is depressed, they would need to be watched over to see how sever and how consistent their behaviours are. Depressed people mainly show lack of positivity, as they would be negative in most situations or not enjoy activities which they used to enjoy. Depressed people also have a range of mood that has a consistent low with little different reactions throughout the day. Socially, a depressed person has the common lack of wanting to socialize. Withdrawal and irritability in social circumstances is usually what occurs, but sometimes, a depressed person may do their best to fake being happy around their typical peers to avoid “annoying” anyone. In the artwork, the overall feeling attempted was sadness and gloominess. Because depression creates the feeling of hopelessness, it is represented in the person that is being dragged by the monster. In this case, the “monster” represents depression, which is dragging the person by chains that they cannot be released from. However, the artwork can be interpreted in different ways such as the monster actually being the person but in a depressed form and the same person being dragged as their older self. Whichever way the artwork is interpreted, the main idea was to give the feeling of being stuck or “trapped” in and endless cycle of sadness which is shown by the large white space. 3. Suffocate [Bipolar Disorder 1] (2016) Pencil and ink on cardstock (size) Unlike normal mood changes, bipolar disorder causes huge mood swings that last for so long that

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