I was watching this series called "Obsessed" which is basically reality TV about the lives of people who have anxiety disorders ranging from OCD to Hording and everything in between. I watched like 5 full episodes until I saw a pattern that emerged in about 95% of all the episodes. This pattern amazed and impressed me because it was so prevalent that I stopped watching the episodes and was speeding through the first 2 minutes of the remaining 20 or so episodes to keep finding that pattern - that and the show had a formula which made it very boring after about 5 episodes.
The formula was simple, introduction of two people, they are both pretty fucked up, one is OCD and the other is a Hoarder, or one is a Germaphobe and the other is afraid to take a shit (no seriously, they are afraid to have a bowl movement). They go to therapy for 6 weeks individually different doctors, different cities. They are forced to record their frustrations in a video diary. They must attempt to not give in to their disorders. After 6 weeks they are usually a lot better.
Commonalities between patients include:
A. Traumatic events in early childhood, including but not limited to rape and molestation.
B. In some cases genetics comes into play for people suffering from agoraphobia.
C. Abandonment issues for people who lost a loved one and didn't get to say good bye properly.
Those were the common traits between patients. The pattern I found was when the disorder became more prevalent and overpowering. I found it to be absolutely astonishing that most of the cases all had something similar to say which was something to the effect of: "I was much happier and it didn't affect me nearly as much when I was younger. It only started getting worse after I got married and had children."
First thing about this is, it isn't some strange coincidence that they are getting worse. I realized a few things here:
A. People with children are generally much less happy than those without children. This has been observed and written about recently in a study by a Canadian researcher who also released a book.
B. Assuming people live about 80 years - you spend the first 30% of your life almost completely care free assuming general cases and not extreme high or low cases. Since you live that first 30% going to school, interacting with people, you actually have time to relax and do whatever the fuck you want on your off time, damn straight you are happier. You generally don't have to worry about groceries, paying bills or taking care of adult things. You have a layer of protection offered by your guardian. So yes, it is completely accurate to say that when you are younger you are much happier.
C. When you enter that 70% of your life, typically after you join the work force and you don't see your friends anymore or as often. You do become more depressed and sad. Therefore anyone with anxiety becomes worse without acknowledgement or help. Then if you throw a spouse that might have been a mistake to marry and some children on top, let's say two. All of a sudden you find yourself supporting two monsters you didn't want to begin with and you slowly realized the person you married hates you; which is why you aren't having sex anymore. Yeah, I'd say your life just got a lot worse and you have plenty to be anxious about. Which explains clearly why your behavioral/anxiety disorders escalate.
So yes, the trend I found in adults with anxiety while watching the show Obsessed fascinates me to no end.
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