by Mike Nichols on August 28, 2008 · 1 comment
Anxiety is the most common mental disorder experienced by older adults.
Anxiety Disorders affect over 18 percent of people over the age of 60. As many as 7 percent of this age group have Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), a disorder characterized by uncontrollable worries about everyday things.
Despite its prevalence, Anxiety Disorders remain one of the most undiagnosed and undertreated conditions in this age group. This is due to the failure of the current model of the primary care physician as gatekeeper model.
Eric J. Lenze, M.D., assistant professor of psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, says,
Studies have shown that generalized anxiety disorder is more common in the elderly … than depression, which affects about 3 percent of seniors. Surprisingly, there is little research that has been done on this disorder in the elderly.
Due to the lack of evidence, doctors often think that this disorder is rare in the elderly or that it is a normal part of aging, so they don’t diagnose or treat anxiety in their older patients, when, in fact, anxiety is quite common in the elderly and can have a serious impact on quality of life.
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Tagged as:
Agoraphobia,
Anxiety Disorder,
Elderly,
Elders,
GAD - General Anxiety Disorder,
OCD - Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder,
Panic Attacks,
Panic Disorder,
primary care physician,
Psychiatrist,
Psychologist,
PTSD - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder,
SAD - Social Phobia,
Specific Phobias
Dogs! Mice! Needles! Insects! Cuts! Heights!
The list goes on and on. These are all known as Specific Phobias, and they are all the butt of many jokes.
But they are not a joke to many, many people. It is estimated by the National Institute of Mental Health that 19 million Americans have some sort of Specific Phobia.
A Specific Phobia is a type of Anxiety Disorder. It is a strong, irrational fear of something that poses little or no actual danger.
There are many Specific Phobias. Acrophobia is a fear of heights. You may be able to ski the world’s tallest mountains but not be able to go above the 3rd floor of an office building. You may be able to drive a car but be unable to enter an elevator. Other common phobias involve tunnels, highway driving, water, flying, animals and blood.
What exactly are Specific Phobias? What are the causes? How are they treated? Continue reading for answers to these and other questions (and a comic bonus!).
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Tagged as:
Agoraphobia,
Anxiety Disorder,
GAD - General Anxiety Disorder,
Panic Attacks,
SAD - Social Phobia,
Specific Phobias
Anxiety Disorder sufferers have long known that they are more susceptible to physical diseases.
But now a study headed by Jitender Sareen of the University of Manitoba has detailed just what Anxiety Disorders can do to you physically.
It was proven several years ago that those with Anxiety Disorders are more prone to heart problems. This new study shows that people with Anxiety Disorders also have an increased risk of developing physical ailments, particularly thyroid diseases, respiratory diseases, gastrointestinal diseases, arthritis, allergies, and migraine diseases.
Early treatment of Anxiety Disorders is essential to warding off physical diseases caused by it. Sareen said,
Right now there is a long delay between someone developing an anxiety problem and seeking appropriate treatment — usually 10- 15 years. The hope is to get people with anxiety problems to go get help earlier. The treatments are quite effective if you get at it early before you get secondary [health conditions].
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Tagged as:
Agoraphobia,
Anxiety,
Anxiety Disorder,
GAD - General Anxiety Disorder,
OCD - Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder,
Panic Disorder,
PTSD - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder,
Research,
SAD - Social Phobia
Up to 20 percent of the American public suffer from Anxiety, but only a small fraction seek treatment. That’s 60 million people in pain needlessly!
Why do so many people avoid treatment?
A man will think nothing about asking his doctor for a prescription for Viagra, but will often turn to alcohol or denial to deal with his Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
A woman will go in for her annual pap smear to guard against cancer, but refuses to acknowledge that her Social Anxiety Disorder is gradually shrinking her life into utter misery.
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Tagged as:
Agoraphobia,
Anxiety,
Denial,
GAD - General Anxiety Disorder,
Medical Health Professionals,
Panic Disorder,
PTSD - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder,
SAD - Social Phobia
Traveling by airplane is one of the fastest, safest and easiest modes of transportation. It enables people to travel vast distances unthinkable just a few short decades ago.
While most people enjoy the convenience of air travel, people with a flight phobia have an intense fear of flying. This fear may prevent a person from going on vacations or visiting family and friends. It can cripple the careers of businesspeople by preventing them from traveling on work-related business.
Fear of flying, also known as aviophobia, is an Anxiety Disorder classified as a situational Specific Phobia. The person with fear of flying has a continuing and excessive fear triggered by flying or the thought of flying. Typically, flying is avoided or endured with intense anxiety, which may take the form of a panic attack.
Famous people afraid to fly include John Madden (NFL coach and commentator), Stanley Kubrick (filmmaker), Kim Jong-Il (North Korean leader), Whoopi Goldberg (actress), Joseph Stalin (past ruler of the Soviet Union), and wrestler Andre the Giant.
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Tagged as:
Agoraphobia,
Aviophobia,
Benzodiazepines,
CBT,
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy,
Exposure Therapy,
fear of flying,
flight phobia,
Panic Attacks,
Panic Disorder,
Specific Phobia
Saturday Summary: Anxiety Articles, Interesting Posts, Upcoming Reviews
by Mike Nichols on July 19, 2008 · 0 comments
But first, let me reemphasize how much I welcome your comments. They provide other readers with your insights into a post’s subject, and provide me with valuable feedback to make this blog better and better.
Please take the time to make a comment after you have read an article, or even if you didn’t finish it! I promise always to read your comments, and if appropriate, answer them. Please feel free to ask questions or suggest post topics. I’m listening!
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Tagged as: Agoraphobia, Anxiety Disorder, Book Reviews, Comments, PTSD - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, SAD - Social Phobia, Specific Phobias
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