Anxiety: Root of OCD, Paranoia, Panic Attacks
Channel: Prof. Sam Vaknin
Date: 2023-11-25

Anxiety is at the foundation of obsessive-compulsive disorders, paranoid disorders, and, of course, anxiety disorders.

The obsessive-compulsive fends off anxiety via rituals, the paranoid defends against it with grandiosity. Paranoia is anxiety coupled with grandiosity. The patient with anxiety disorders falls apart, suspends her/himself, thus attempting to avoid the anxiety. 

Anxiety is not fear: it is counterfactual, generalized (in search of a reason and an explanation)

Anxiety is anticipatory

People with anxiety disorders become anxious when they anticipate forthcoming anxiety and panic attacks. 

They prefer to be anxious because anxiety is familiar, a comfort zone, it is home. The aftermath of an anxiety or panic attack is anxiolytic.

So, ironically, anxiety is most triggered and at its peak when there is no reason to be anxious and when they are in a calm and tranquil state of mind. 

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