Health & Fitness
America's Most Anxious States — See Where Rhode Island Ranks
A recent study compared reported anxiety levels among adults in all 50 states.
A recent study compared reported anxiety levels among adults in all 50 states.
Researchers with Manhattan Mental Health Counseling analyzed the findings and ranked each state's level of anxiety.
The most anxious state in America turned out to be West Virginia, followed by Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi and Louisiana.
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Rhode Island proved to be pretty chill, as it placed in a tie for 42nd most anxious with Wyoming, Vermont and New Hampshire.
Those four states were edged out by No. 41 Maryland.
Find out what's happening in Across Rhode Islandfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The state with the lowest level of anxiety was Hawaii, with South Dakota, North Dakota, California and Massachusetts following.
"The analysis is intended to compare the prevalence of reported symptoms between states, rather than identify the causes behind the differences," according to a media release accompanying the results of the study.
"Natalie Buchwald, a psychotherapist and spokesperson for Manhattan Mental Health Counseling, said in the release that the the rates of reported anxiety symptoms show how widespread they can be without necessarily indicating a clinical disorder.
“It's important not to confuse experiencing symptoms with receiving an anxiety disorder diagnosis,” Buchwald said.
“People can experience periods of elevated anxiety because of work, money, relationships, health concerns or major changes in their lives,” she said, noting that people should pay particular attention when anxious thoughts begin affecting daily life.
“Persistent trouble sleeping, avoiding situations because of fear, difficulty concentrating or feeling unable to switch off from worry can all be signs that anxiety is becoming harder to manage,” Buchwald said.
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