40. Worry is a leading mental health symptom

By Tom O'Connell

Worry? Who me? Why worry? Be happy. But what if you are in a state of panic? There are steps that can be taken, according to Edward "Ned" Hallowell, M.D., author of "Worry: Controlling It and Using It Wisely" (Pantheon 1997).

"Perhaps the most common symptom any mental health professional encounters is worry," he told therapists attending the recent 20th Anniversary Cape Cod Institute. "In some people worry reaches the level of an anxiety disorder: phobias, panic attacks, post traumatic stress disorder, generalized anxiety disorder."

Dr. Hallowell calls this "toxic worry." It's worry that is paralyzing, suffocating, and damaging. Some worry is good for us, he notes, and the absence of worry can be called denial. "But toxic worry is bad for a person's physical health and emotional well-being."

The title of his workshop was "Worry and Connectedness: The Most Common Problem and the Most Powerful Solutions in Clinical Practice." The Cape Cod Institute is sponsored by the Department of Psychiatry at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, NY. And it attracts an international attendance by professionals.

Explaining the workshop's title, he said, "The most effective antidote to toxic worry is connectedness, a feeling of being a part of something larger than yourself. Unfortunately, connectedness has broken down in today's world....people have trouble maintaining the bonds they need...information overload clogs our connection to the world of knowledge and ideas, cynicism blocks our connection to politics, technology reduces the frequency of the human moment when living people actually sit and talk in person."

Here are Dr. Hallowell's "Ten Signs You May Be a Problem Worrier":

1) You find that you spend much more time in useless, non-constructive worry than other people you know.

2) People around you comment on how much of a worrier you are.

3) You feel that it is bad luck or "tempting the gods" not to worry.

4) Worry interferes with your work, i.e., you miss opportunities, fail to make decisions, perform at a lower than optimal
                     level, or upset others due to your worrying.

5) Worry interferes with your close relationships, i.e., your spouse and/or friends sometimes complain that your worrying
                     is a drain on their energy and patience.

6) You know that many of your worries are unrealistic or exaggerated, yet you cannot seem to control them.

7) Sometimes you feel overwhelmed by worry, and even experience physical symptoms such as rapid heart rate, rapid
                    breathing, shortness of breath, sweating, dizziness, or trembling.

8) You feel a chronic need for reassurance, even when everything is fine.

9) You feel an exaggerated fear or dread of certain situations that other people seem to handle with little difficulty.

10) Your parents or grandparents were known as great worriers or they suffered from an actual anxiety disorder, such as 
                      phobia, panic attacks, obsessive-compulsive disorder, or generalized anxiety disorder.

Okay then. You qualify. Now what? Here are some of the steps Dr. Hallowell suggests:

1) Name the problem. Just giving the process a name helps take its claws out of your back. The name might be a diagnosis
                    such as generalized anxiety disorder or depression, or the name might be a pattern such as "smart woman/wrong job."

2) "EPR" Evaluate, Plan, Remediate: This is a systematic approach to dismantling the process of worry by breaking it down
                     into a series of problems that can be solved. [12 Step Program people use slogans such as "One Step at a Time" and
                     "Take Baby Steps."]

3) Change your physical state to change your mental state. Physical exercise is a factor here. "It changes the brain
                    circuitry with instant positive results." Examples are rocking in a chair, singing a song, taking a bath, going for a walk,
                    having a massage, dancing or listening to music.

4) Connect with others. Many patterns of worry develop because people neglect important human connections. A good
                     rule of thumb is, "Never worry alone." [Much of the healing in 12 Step Programs is based on connecting in mutual help
                     groups.]

5) Various professional therapies can be hugely effective. Cognitive-behavioral therapy, which is short-term and not hard
                     to afford, has a great track record in dealing with chronic worry. EMDR (eye movement desensitization and
                     reprocessing) is a new, simple technique that shows very promising results. And there are a host of new medications...

So if worry is disabling you or a loved one, why not check out one of Dr. Hallowell's books? Or see a therapist. Or join a mutual help group. And remember the key advice: "Connect with others." Connect with others whether you feel like it or not! Action changes feelings.

- Back -