Panic Buttons And Monkeys On Your Back
November 1, 2000
Today, between three to six million Americans experience panic disorder, a condition characterized by sudden, unexplained feelings of terror and a fear that one is plunging into madness, losing control, on dangling on the cusp of death. Such effects appear with little or no warning as anxiety attacks. Women are twice as likely to suffer from this disorder than men.
"Anxiety is a universal human experience and is an adaptive response to danger," said Susan Ball, Ph.D., associate professor of clinical psychology at the Indiana University School of Medicine. "But a person with panic disorder develops a continual fear of having another panic attack and it becomes a fear of fear."
Anxiety disorders were the core of Dr. Ball's presentation at the Oct. 31 session of Mini Medical School. She was joined by Anna M. McDaniel, D.N.S., R.N., who discussed drug addiction behaviors. The current six-part series of Mini Medical School is focused on special topics in women's health.
Are you excessively a worrywart? Generalized anxiety disorder, which affects up to 10 percent of the U.S. population, is characterized by excessive worry and tension, even though nothing seems to provoke it. The disorder, which often is accompanied by other anxiety disorders and depression, is chronic without treatment.
According to the Anxiety-Panic Resource Center, GAD comes on gradually and most often hits people in childhood or adolescence, but can begin in adulthood, too. It's more common in women than in men and often occurs in relatives of affected persons.
Have an uncontrollable fear of public speaking or not being liked by others when gathered in large groups? Left unchecked, these could be signs of social anxiety disorder, affecting up to 13 percent of Americans. Severe childhood behavioral inhibitions - not just mere shyness - are a major risk factor for this disorder, Dr. Ball said.
Other anxiety conditions include post-traumatic stress (the continual re-experiencing of a traumatic event more than a month after its occurrence) and obsessive-compulsive disorder, characterized by an inability to resist or stop continuous, abnormal thoughts or fears combined with repetitive, involuntary defense behavior.
The good news is that many with these disorders can be effectively treated through a combination of psychotherapy and medications. "Patients learn breathing and relaxation techniques to reduce their physiological responses to anxiety," said Dr. Ball, clinical director of the IU Anxiety Disorders Clinic. "Most important is they learn how to take control of situations and learn alternative responses to those things that trigger their conditions."
Low dosages of serotonin agents and benzodizapines are effective medications for short-term treatment and almost always are coordinated with therapy.
Addictions and Abuse
Pharmaceutical might help curb anxiety disorders, but the abuse of
such agents can send a person into a steep plunge of addiction. "People
don't just wake up one day and discover they are drug addicts. It happens
gradually and follows stages from experimentation all the way to a full-blown
addiction," said Dr. McDaniel, associate professor of nursing at
IU School of Nursing.
Addictions
Alcohol, tobacco, and other drug addictions can have devastating consequences
on women's health. Lung cancer from smoking has passed breast cancer as
the leading fatal cancer for women. Certain biological, psychological
and social factors put women at higher risk of developing addictions.
"Women who abuse drugs and alcohol are at particular risk for sexual assault, unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases," said Dr. McDaniel, assistant director for evaluation and outcomes for the IU School of Medicine National Center of Excellence in Women's Health.
Addictive behavior among women just doesn't affect women. It's estimated that 250,000 women who give birth annually in the United States used illicit drugs during pregnancy, often leading to defects and disorders among infants. Alcohol abuse can lead to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, affecting one in 500 children born in this country. (For related information, go to http://www.medicine.indiana.edu/news_releases/archive_00/fetal_alcohol00.html)
Treatment for drug addiction isn't achieved simply through going cold turkey. Therapy and other interventional measures must work in tandem for an effective treatment and recovery," Dr. McDaniel said.
The IU Medical Group and Indianapolis radio station WIBC sponsor Mini Medical School, which is offered by the IU School of Medicine Faculty Community Relations Committee through the IUPUI Division of Continuing Studies.
Anxiety Disorder/Addiction Resources
IU Anxiety Disorders Clinic
(317) 274-7422
Riley Hospital for Children Psychiatry Disorders Clinic
(317) 274-8162
IU School of Medicine National Center of Excellence in Women's Health http://www.iupui.edu/%7Ewomenhlt/
IU School of Nursing
http://www.iupui.edu/~nursing/index.html
Anxiety Disorders Association of America
http://www.adaa.org
Obsessive-Compulsive Foundation
http://www.ocfoundation.org
American Lung Association
http://www.lungusa.org/
American Cancer Society
http://www.cancer.org/
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November 1, 2000
Media Contact: Joe Stuteville
317-274-7722
jstutevi@iupui.edu