Anxiety: The Age of Nerves

Long before anxiety became a diagnosis, people were already living with a persistent sense of unease, a mind that couldn’t fully relax, and a body that seemed to anticipate danger even when none was present.In this episode of Before It Had a Name, we explore the history of anxiety, from early philosophical ideas about fear and temperament to the nineteenth-century “age of nerves” and modern understandings of panic and uncertainty. Along the way, the story shifts from survival and instinct to something more complex: a mind trying to predict and control an uncertain future.When does fear become something more? And what does it mean when the body reacts before the mind can explain why?Send us Fan MailBefore It Had a Name explores the history of mental health diagnoses and the stories behind the labels.Follow Jon Watkins on Instagram: @JonWatkinsHost