What is High Functioning Anxiety, and How Do You Recognize It?

(Photo: Free-Photos )
For people with High Functioning Anxiety, their fear drives them to be successful.

Getting afraid, nervous, or sweaty is commonly a sign of anxiety, which is completely normal. You may hear your friends or colleagues saying, "I may have high functioning anxiety", according to Shape, it's a common term that describes several symptoms that may indicate a diagnosable condition(s).

ALSO READ: Do You Know If You are Suffering from Low Grade or Major Depression? Here's What Studies Find

What is High Functioning Anxiety?

According to Clarity Clinic, people suffering from high functioning anxiety could make their lives look like they have no anxiety. They added that these people give an appearance of success and free of worry, but in reality, they are suffering in silence. In an interview with Health, University of Nebraska Medical Center's director of wellness education and assistant professor of psychiatry, Jonathan Sikorski, Ph.D., said that people with high functioning anxiety have many features of an anxiety disorder. However, they have no diagnosis of it. In the same interview, Anxiety and Depression Association of America's co-chair of the public education committee, Debra Kissen, Ph.D., said that many people are walking around with extremely high levels of anxiety. Still, they're making their way through it. She added that these people still push themselves to work.

In an interview with Shape, New York City-based clinical psychologist Elizabeth Cohen Ph.D. added that high functioning anxiety is a form of anxiety that drives someone to be hyper-productive or hyper perfectionist that causes a good result. However, she added that as they work harder and achieve success, they give too much weight to their fears.

Characteristics of Someone with High Functioning Anxiety

With the traits explained by the experts, people having this would be very hard to be recognize. According to Very Well Mind, these traits are thought of as positive traits such as outgoing personality, punctual, proactive, detail-oriented, achiever, helpful, appears as calm and collected, passionate, and loyal in relationships. Very well mind added that these actions are caused by underlying anxieties and may view them as part of the individual.

In an interview with Shape, Alfiee Breland-Noble, Ph.D., director of AAKOMA Project, a non-profit organization dedicated to mental health, said that these people, despite having the grandeur of success and excellent career, are driven by fear and not passion. According to Clarity Clinic, people who suffer from anxiety give perfectionism and success because they want to cover up internal stresses and worries related to their relationship, financial troubles, job-related issues, insecurities, and even depression.

Why did High Functioning Anxiety suddenly gain interest and attention?

For some reason, this type of anxiety gained its way to the limelight and is even heard among people. According to Dr. Cohen, among the mental health conditions, this is far from the most appealing. She added that people would prefer to be called high functioning rather than being called generally anxious. People would love to have a disorder that makes them sound good.

Dr. Cohen added in the interview that, in a way, the surge in popularity could lead those who do not normally go to experts have their mental health checked. Health emphasized that for an individual to be diagnosed with high functioning anxiety or any anxiety disorder, they have to meet certain criteria from the Diagnostic & Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. It is still recommended to consult an expert to have peace of mind.

Check out more news and information on Anxiety on MD News Daily.