National Anxiety Disorders Screening Day – May 5, 2027

History of National Anxiety Disorders Screening Day

Latin and Greek doctors and philosophers recognized anxiety as separate from other types of negative states and identified it as a medical disorder. Epicurean and Stoic philosophers in ancient times suggested techniques to reach an anxiety-free state of mind that largely resemble modern cognitive psychology.

Unfortunately, there was a long interval between classical antiquity and the late 19th century where anxiety was not classified as a separate illness. However, people kept reporting typical cases of anxiety disorders, albeit under different names.

In the 18th century, Boissier de Sauvages published a nosology that acknowledged panic attacks and generalized anxiety disorder as ‘panophobias.’ Later in the 19th century, the term ‘neurasthenia’ was coined to describe a medical condition with fatigue, headache, and irritability as symptoms. These anxiety symptoms were an essential component of such new disease constructs.

In India, people used numerous ayurvedic herbs for centuries in traditional medicine to calm the mind and positively enhance their mood. The most common ones were Brahmi, Gotu kola, and ashwagandha.

Before advancements in medicine, ancient treatments included using various herbs and balms (medieval times), hydropathy (subjecting the body to extreme temperatures), bathing in extremely cold streams and rivers, health spas, and blood-letting using leeches. However as psychoanalysis gained traction and with the rise of Freud, people started embracing therapy as a solution to anxiety disorders.

Even though anxiety disorders have been officially recognized only recently, they have existed all throughout our history. Numerous influential people in history have reported experiencing anxiety disorders and panic attacks, like Johnny Depp, Adele, Selena Gomez, Abraham Lincoln, and Winston Churchill.