Vicki, that is a very good way of putting it.

What made me realize I needed anti-depressants/anti-anxiety medication was that I was gestational diabetic with my first daughter (the second one too) and got a clearer picture of how a body's deficiency can effect us (or is it affect, I can NEVER remember! )

Another way it was explained to me was we have a "switch" in our brain that triggers our "fight or flight" response. For those of us who suffer from anxiety disorder, that switch is faulty. It will switch "on" and flood our bodies with adrenaline, but there is no danger to "fight or flight" from. So our body processes it by panicking.

Hope this helps!