Introduction

Before proceeding with this project, I'd like to explain what brings me to this topic and what I hope to get out of this project in the end.

I intend upon researching General Anxiety Disorder due to my family's experiences with it. My mom has grappled with anxiety and panic attacks since I was born and it took me until high school to even realize that it was considered a disorder. I've slowly become more knowledgeable and understanding of these issues as my mom has applied for disability from the government. However, I'm still quite ignorant and know that there is so much more to learn from the biology of this disorder to how it has been treated by society.

I come to this project as a way to grapple with my own fears and anxieties that I could also be diagnosed one day. In high school, I thought that would mean my life was over and that all the work I've done for my education would be entirely for naught. I would live in fear of the world instead of getting to embrace it. Now I know these thoughts and assumptions were incredibly problematic and stem from society's views on disability. I hope to better understand where these thoughts originated from and learn to be more accommodating to individuals with this disorder.