Tuesday, April 03, 2007
One More Opinion
Understanding Anxiety Disorders and Treating Them:
By Phillip T. Alden – San Mateo Daily Journal
For publication March 27, 2007
We live in anxious times. We're currently engaged in two wars and a number of smaller conflicts, the traditional sense of community has been declining and new types are still in their infancy, and families are not as close-knit and localized as they used to be. We are less likely to know our neighbors and interact with them on a significant level. Recent studies have shown that people have less close friends they can count on when in need, as outlined in the book "Bowling Alone," by Robert D. Putnam.
In addition, recent advances in the field of emotional health have shed new light on the root causes of anxiety and panic disorders.
Acute anxiety is the most common emotional illness in the United States and conservative estimates place the number of cases reported each year between 19 million and 25 million.
"Anxiety" is actually a blanket term for a wide range of emotional disorders whose common denominator is fear; including obsessive-compulsive disorders, panic attacks and phobias.
The most common symptoms are; excessive worry, difficulty concentrating, fatigue, irritability, tension in the muscles and sometimes the jaw, sleep disorders, changes in appetite and libido, increased desire to drink alcohol and use drugs, rapid heart-rate and sweating – and there are many others. Sometimes anxiety can be so acute the patient can feel like they are suffocating, unable to get enough air – which only increases the level of fear and makes the situation worse. When these symptoms drive a person to the emergency room there may be a lot of time wasted looking for cardiac problems unless both patient and doctor are clear regarding the root cause of the symptoms.
Some acute anxiety disorders are the result of trauma and are related to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, (PTSD.) This level of PTSD is usually not as intense as that caused by combat stress, but PTSD is much more common in widely varying degrees than we used to think. It's not just for soldiers anymore.
When anxiety is extreme enough it can interfere with a person's ability to function. This can cause avoidance behavior, and in some cases render a person unable to leave their house or deal with groups of people. It can get worse over time, starting with mild symptoms that grow in intensity.
The good news is there are treatment options today that didn't exist 20-30 years ago. In addition to the growing number of medications that can help treat the symptoms, there are therapists who can help address the underlying causes of the anxiety. As long as a patient is open and willing to honestly examine their lives, the therapeutic process can get to the root of the problem and greatly alleviate their suffering.
People who have suffered an acute anxiety attack need no description to understand the hellish nightmare they cause, and those who haven't will hard pressed to understand just how unbearable they can be. Even though there is greater understanding of emotional illness, and a greater number of diagnosed cases, there are still some ignorant people who fail to understand the reality and react in unkind ways. The idiotic remarks made by Tom Cruise recently on the daytime talk-show circuit are a prime example of this ignorance and bias.
The truth is there are millions of Americans with anxiety problems, there are highly effective medications to treat the symptoms, and there are trained therapists that can help a person understand the causes and alleviate the suffering. It all begins with an honest and straightforward talk with your doctor.
Understanding Anxiety Disorders and Treating Them:
By Phillip T. Alden – San Mateo Daily Journal
For publication March 27, 2007
We live in anxious times. We're currently engaged in two wars and a number of smaller conflicts, the traditional sense of community has been declining and new types are still in their infancy, and families are not as close-knit and localized as they used to be. We are less likely to know our neighbors and interact with them on a significant level. Recent studies have shown that people have less close friends they can count on when in need, as outlined in the book "Bowling Alone," by Robert D. Putnam.
In addition, recent advances in the field of emotional health have shed new light on the root causes of anxiety and panic disorders.
Acute anxiety is the most common emotional illness in the United States and conservative estimates place the number of cases reported each year between 19 million and 25 million.
"Anxiety" is actually a blanket term for a wide range of emotional disorders whose common denominator is fear; including obsessive-compulsive disorders, panic attacks and phobias.
The most common symptoms are; excessive worry, difficulty concentrating, fatigue, irritability, tension in the muscles and sometimes the jaw, sleep disorders, changes in appetite and libido, increased desire to drink alcohol and use drugs, rapid heart-rate and sweating – and there are many others. Sometimes anxiety can be so acute the patient can feel like they are suffocating, unable to get enough air – which only increases the level of fear and makes the situation worse. When these symptoms drive a person to the emergency room there may be a lot of time wasted looking for cardiac problems unless both patient and doctor are clear regarding the root cause of the symptoms.
Some acute anxiety disorders are the result of trauma and are related to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, (PTSD.) This level of PTSD is usually not as intense as that caused by combat stress, but PTSD is much more common in widely varying degrees than we used to think. It's not just for soldiers anymore.
When anxiety is extreme enough it can interfere with a person's ability to function. This can cause avoidance behavior, and in some cases render a person unable to leave their house or deal with groups of people. It can get worse over time, starting with mild symptoms that grow in intensity.
The good news is there are treatment options today that didn't exist 20-30 years ago. In addition to the growing number of medications that can help treat the symptoms, there are therapists who can help address the underlying causes of the anxiety. As long as a patient is open and willing to honestly examine their lives, the therapeutic process can get to the root of the problem and greatly alleviate their suffering.
People who have suffered an acute anxiety attack need no description to understand the hellish nightmare they cause, and those who haven't will hard pressed to understand just how unbearable they can be. Even though there is greater understanding of emotional illness, and a greater number of diagnosed cases, there are still some ignorant people who fail to understand the reality and react in unkind ways. The idiotic remarks made by Tom Cruise recently on the daytime talk-show circuit are a prime example of this ignorance and bias.
The truth is there are millions of Americans with anxiety problems, there are highly effective medications to treat the symptoms, and there are trained therapists that can help a person understand the causes and alleviate the suffering. It all begins with an honest and straightforward talk with your doctor.
# posted by Phillip T. Alden @ 6:14 PM 
