We all have experienced fear and worry at times in our lives, but for those who suffer from an anxiety disorder, these emotions are intense, disproportionate, and difficult to control. When anxiety disorders are left untreated, the distress associated with them can last a longtime and affect aspects of a person’s life. 

Green Day lead singer and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong knows this problem well. Before being diagnosed with a type of anxiety disorder called panic disorder, Armstrong thought he was going crazy. He wrote his song Basket Case in an attempt to express what was going on, to make sense of his own thoughts and feelings. Basket case was released in 1994, it was the second single of Green Day’s third studio album, Dookie.

Through the song’s lyrics, Armstrong shares his confusion, vulnerability, fear, and his desire to understand what was happening to him.

“Do you have the time to listen to me whine
About nothing and everything all at once?
I am one of those
Melodramatic fools
Neurotic to the bone
No doubt about it

Sometimes I give myself the creeps
Sometimes my mind plays tricks on me
It all keeps adding up
I think I’m cracking up
Am I just paranoid?”

Listen to the full song here.

Image Credits:
Feature Image: Edward Eyer, On Pexels. Creative Commons