Anxiety Disorders

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7

Prayer Requests

When I treat a person suffering from acute panic or general anxiety, I use psychotherapy to help him or her understand the problems. In cases of panic attacks, I try to help the patient understand why attacks are occurring and what stimuli seem to trigger them. If a person has fairly good relationships with others, a stable environment, inner strength, and a real desire to end the problems, he or she reacts very well to frank discussions with a trained therapist. Being able to accept advise and reassurance are important qualities or people who can be treated. Christians who have a strong belief in the love of God and their own self-worth in the eyes of God are generally able to overcome anxiety attacks very well. It is interesting that quiet meditation is also effective is warding off anxiety attacks.

Care use of drugs (usually benzodiazepines) help control symptoms. Adrenergic blocking agents are also reported to be effect treatments, but I should stress that drugs should be used cautiously and a good working relationship with the therapist is as important as drug therapy.

Related to the anxiety states I mentioned in the previous paragraphs are somatoform and dissociative disorders. Somatoform disorders are sometimes associated with old, popular terms such as "psychosomatic illness", "hysteria", or physical complaints (pain, fainting, difficulty swallowing, abdominal problems, sexual impairment, dizziness, etc.) that don't seem to be based on actual physical problems. Treatments vary, with the therapist being careful not to waste excessive medical attention (surgery, medication, tests) on the sufferer. A caring attitude on the part of a therapist and a sympathetic family are the best medicine for some of the people with this problem.

Dissociative disorders involve the sudden loss of consciousness, memory, identity or movement (a victim goes into a hypnosis-like state, sleepwalking state, or simply goes about his business without later memories of what he or she does.) In a dissociative state, the individual is disconnected from normal consciousness. Happily, this problem is not common and victims often recover completely.

Grow in Godliness