Avoiding Anxiety - Dysfunctional Ways Mentally Ill People Repress Their Distress

Rather than accepting and dealing with issues of mental health, many people often find themselves turning to dysfunctional ways of attempting to repress the anxiety they feel. Dissociation, conflating external with internal objects, reframing reality, attempting to cope with anxiety via reciprocal inhibition and externalizing aggression are all examples of coping mechanisms that people use in order to suppress the causes of their distress.

Dissociation is a common form of defense used by people experiencing anxiety; by detaching from the current situation, individuals are able to avoid confronting whatever is causing them to feel uneasy. Cognitive ‘disruption' is another way to describe dissociation, where the individual's capacity for clear thought processes is impaired. Many people suffering from mental illness may worry so excessively about their own state of mind that they eventually ‘shut down' and cease engaging with the world.

Another way that mentally ill people can repress anxiety is to conflate external with internal objects; otherwise known as hypereflexivity. An example of this would be clinging to a relationship because it shields against feelings of uncertainty or dread. A relationship with another person, an object or group that the individual feels kind of comforted by and develops an attachment to, can provide a sense of security and help fulfill their need for love, attention or adoration.

Mentally ill people can also reframe reality in order to cope with their anxiety; by doing this they can actively impose their own subjective ‘spin" on facts and distort the truth. The individual will convince themselves of their own skewed version of events in order to diminish their fear. The ability to think rationally and accurately assess the context of situations – "reality testing" – is essential in a person's well-being, so when this capacity is affected due to manic episodes or prolonged periods of stress the individual can suffer extreme confusion and mental chaos.

The next dysfunctional way to cope with anxiety is by attempting to use reciprocal inhibition, as proposed by Dr Joseph Wolpe, which attempts to change behaviour by using relaxation techniques. However it is not uncommon for this coping mechanism to have the opposite effect and lead to increased levels of obsession and obsessional neurosis; these types of neuroses involves tirelessly worrying over arbitrary trivial matters and displaying symptoms of overideation and emotional lability.

In an effort to redirect their own inner turmoil, mentally ill people may resort to externalizing their anxiety and aggression. This can be done in a variety of ways; sometimes it involves passive aggression such as hurtful words that the individual regrets later, or even physical displays of violence against another person or entity. When people hold the belief that their angst directed outward makes a substantial difference in how they feel, they become locked into recurrent patterns of violence.

Rather than facing the causes of their anxiety, many people suffering from mental illness may turn to various forms of repression as a short-term solution, such as dissociation, conflating external with internal objects, reframing reality, attempts at reciprocal inhibition and externalizing aggression. While some of these behaviours can provide temporary relief, the underlying issues will remain unresolved and the individual's mental distress may worsen upon revisiting any of the aforementioned sentiments in the future.