Recession Anxiety Escalates

Due to the recession, anxiety, depression, sleep disorders and other stress related conditions are on the rise. A New York Times story has some stats and several good personal stories about how the recession is affecting people’s mental health as worry about the economy grows.

Recession Anxiety Seeps Into Everyday Lives

“It is early to measure the recession’s consequences, but surveys suggest a growing impact. In an American Psychological Association poll in September, 80 percent reported the economy’s causing significant stress, up from 66 percent last April. The National Sleep Foundation said 27 percent of people surveyed last fall had sleeplessness because of economic anxiety.

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline calls jumped to 50,158 in January 2009 from 39,465 a month in January 2008, and economic stress more frequently “played a central role,” said Richard McKeon, the group’s federal project officer.”

I agree with an anonymous commenter at the Psychology Today blog.

“My prescription for these anxieties… Turn off the news, and go play with your kids, pets, friends, etc. Articles like this add to the chaos. There was very little on how to manage stress in this article. I felt like this article was extremely sensational as is the case with the majority of articles and media reports. The fact that many cases sited were people who were not directly related, they still had a job, they were living in an area that was still doing well, they still had their savings, they had family to rely on, etc., yet they were incapacitated at times due to anxiety, proves my point. The best thing for our mental health right now, would be to turn off the sensationalizing media!!!”

Anxiety Attack Symptoms - Dealing with General Anxiety Attacks

Fear is natural. It is something that everyone deals with and can even be a healthy emotion when warranted. It’s when fear gets out of control and becomes an obsession or when someone suffers excessive fear for no valid reason that it becomes a problem that can turn into a panic or anxiety disorder. For some tips on how to deal with anxiety, read on.

My anxiety manifests as a tightness in my chest. like I have the fight or flight response for no reason. Then I get a scary out of control feeling in my head. What am I afraid of??? Nothing and everything. Chicken little the sky is falling! Doom and gloom! My mind just starts obsessing over every little thing and I become consumed with fear and these racing, repetitive thoughts take over.

So what can you do? If the anxiety is debilitating and affects your daily life - seek professional help. There are a variety of anti-anxiety medications and anti-depressants that can help. If you’ve tried anti-depressants and they didn’t work, then possibly an adjunctive medication like Abilify added to an SSRI could help.

The National Institute of Mental Health reports that approximately 1 in every 5 adults suffer with from a fear-related disorder. Here are some quick facts:

· 18.8 million American adults will suffer from depression this year
· 9.1 million American adults have an anxiety disorder
· 5.2 million American adults will experience Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder this year
· 2.4 million American adults will experience a panic disorder this year

Here are some self-help articles I found about managing fear and anxiety.

• Managing Your Persistent Fears And Anxieties
• Managing Your Fearful And Obsessive Thoughts
• When Your Fears And Depression Have The Best Of You
• Managing Your Fears With The Help Of God
• Managing Your Every Day Stresses And Anxieties
• Finding The Answers In Managing Your Fears And Anxieties
• Alcohol And Substance Abuse Will Not Take Away Your Fears
• When Someone You Know Struggles With Fear And Anxiety
• A Review Of Techniques In Managing Your Depression
• Managing The Fear Of Loneliness
• Fame, Money, And Success Will Not Take Away Your Fears
• Facing The Fear And Anxiety Of The Unknown