For 18 percent of the population, anxiety has become a daily part of life. While anxiety is treatable in many different ways, only one third of those suffering from anxiety get any kind of treatment. Anxiety disorders are normally the result of an imbalance of chemicals in the brain, namely dopamine and serotonin, both the most notable chemicals for impacting our sense of well-being and happiness. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA), “Anxiety disorders develop from a complex set of risk factors, including genetics, brain chemistry, personality, and life events.” The choice to take antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications is tough on some, so here are two individuals with anxiety who took different paths in assessing it.

Sydney (19/F)

I knew I didn't like the thought of change and assumed the inevitable would happen to me after I graduated from my hometown, but I never thought I would move between that time. I moved twice in one year. I despised everything after that, including myself. I started to think nothing would ever be alright after that. I stayed to myself and contemplated my life every night. Crying late at night and deciding I was no longer important to anyone anymore. I worried and stressed about my surroundings and what my life could even mean anymore. I'm a very happy person today, but something so small could trigger me to panic and have an anxiety attack. I stress to the point that I just can't do anything anymore, but slowly every day, I help myself believe in myself. Stay positive. I try to be calm about situations I'm not comfortable in and do breathing exercises when I feel like I might have a panic attack. I've tried seeing a counselor, but I feared she didn't care and I couldn't get any help from her. Yes, I only saw her once, but I didn't feel like it was worth seeing her again. I felt like this was something I had to do on my own. I was never really diagnosed with Anxiety, but every doctor I've seen that tried to put me on a medication for anxiety, assumed I had been diagnosed with General Anxiety Disorder (GAD). I chose to take care of myself. I researched ways of coping and controlling my anxiety. Every day, I am fighting and on a constant battle with myself, but I am still me. I don't think my anxiety will ever go away, but I can learn to control it.

I decided to not take medication because I was already on birth control and I am not a fan of living on medication. I decided to attempt to control it myself. I wanted to be a strong person and keep myself from having too much anxiety on my plate. Sometimes, I like to keep myself busy so that I won't be able to contemplate life. Yes, I have thought about taking a medication for anxiety before, but never lead myself to doing so. I don't want to feel as though I need to be on something to keep sane. I could be wrong about my assumptions, but this is how I fear to take medication and keep from it. It's as though I am holding my head up and I get frequent migraines from this. That is my only complaint and I can live with that. I can live with my anxiety on my shoulder.

Emily (19/F)

Before a doctor “properly diagnosed” me with general anxiety disorder (GAD), I rode a rollercoaster going straight down for months. My grades slipped, my family found out I was self-harming and my days grew more and more unbearable. I turned 16 during this time, but I felt like my life was coming to its end. My family practitioner put me on Celexa (Citalopram) shortly after the diagnoses, which is very common in treating depression and anxiety and is used for treating other mental illnesses.

I improved, but I was nowhere close to my recovery goal. I attended therapy once a week and took Celexa twice a day, however I continued to struggle with self-harm and anxiety. My doctor changed Celexa to two different medications: an antidepressant, Zoloft (Sertraline), and an anti anxiety, Buspar (Buspirone). Both of these treat anxiety, but Zoloft is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), which focuses on restoring the imbalance of serotonin in the brain.

By graduation, I looked in the mirror and saw a completely different young woman. I smiled more, spent time with my family and couldn't wait to attend college. I even quit going to therapy after two years because I was feeling so amazing with myself. The medicine did cause my blood sugar to fall if I forgot to eat before taking it, and I often went through bouts of nausea after doses. I’ve warned others about the insomnia I struggled with trying to get on my anti anxiety as well. I’ve spent all of 2016 in what I would call, "Full recovery”. I’m tenfold as well as I was in 2015, and I hope to grow even stronger and better as a person thanks to my medication.

I took my path to medication because I felt willing to try anything. I researched many accounts of other young peoples with anxiety disorders on medication who improved incredibly, but overall it was a last resort because my mental health was out of my control.

Medication does not “cure” you or make you “forget” anything, it is a head start to a road of recovery that is sometimes the hardest struggle you’ll ever know. It gives you the stable ground to take your first steps, and sometimes that’s all you really need.

Whether you choose to take medication to soothe you or learn to meditate with breathing methods, it is all up to you and how you want to cope with anxiety. Don't let anxiety chose who you are. You are you. You are not anxiety. Believe in yourself and do what you think is best for you.