About Anxiety
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What it is
(Also referred to as manic-depressive disorder)
Refers to a mood disorder which causes the 
person to shift from moods of elation, grandiosity
and
hyperactivity, often with agitation, to deep depression. Sometimes there is
suicidal thinking.
In the elated mood the person may talk loudly, incessantly and make irrelevant
connections between word sounds & meanings. They may have delusions of a special
relationship with celebrities, God or figures whom they do not know.
When they shift to depression, they may become tearful, sad and even suicidal. There may be a loss of interest in the usual activities, and a disturbance in appetite and/or sleep. There may be memory problems, inability to make decisions and difficulty concentrating.
These moods may alternate every few hours or every few months.
What can be done for it
Generally, psychotherapy and medication help the person gain control. Seeking family therapy can provide the family with support that can prevent much of the distress and disruption that this disorder can bring to family relationships.
There are frequent reports of unusual eating patterns in bipolar people and recent research indicates improvement of symptoms with the addition of omega 3 oils to the diet.
What causes it
There are a number of theories from genetic predisposition to everyday stressors. Or possibly the absence of required nutrients in the diet, along with excessive intake of sugar (& alcohol) and fats.
Recently, bipolar illness has shown up in users of marijuana thought to be laced with embalming fluid, along with the addition of the drug Ecstasy. This is reaching epidemic levels on some HBCU campuses. It is tragic, because while the antipsychotic, Zyprexa, has helped alleviate some of the more difficult symptoms, many of our best and brightest young black people will have permanent neurological damage.
Outside of drug-induced bipolar illness, people with this problem can achieve excellent management with good treatment, well managed medication & diet, and elimination of unnecessary stressors. Regular group or individual psychotherapy sessions helps them manage healthy habits and prevent everyday stressors from escalating.
Jumpiness,
shakiness
Heart palpitations, dizziness
A sense of doom
Fear, fearful anticipation, worry
Upset stomach
Frequent urination
Fear of dying
Rapid breathing
Being "on edge"
Panic attacks
Fear of crowds, expressway driving, heights, insects, etc.
When these symptoms last for a month or longer they begin to interfere with the person's daily functioning and with their relationships.
A full-blown panic attack may mimic a heart attack, with chest palpitations, shortness of breath, choking feelings, sweating, faintness, hold and cold flashes and feelings of unreality. A medical evaluation with an EKG may best determine whether it is panic attack or heart attack. The problem is, it's hard to tell. The level of terror which accompanies these attacks make the person begin to fear them and begin avoiding being alone.
In a phobia, the person may know what they're afraid of, as with a fear of heights or bugs or open spaces, such as grocery stores.
Another form of anxiety is Obsessive Compulsive Disorder where the person has recurring fears and repeats behaviors even when they don't want to. For example, a person may think they ran over someone with their car and find a need to get out of the car over and over again to check underneath it. A simple form is when someone checks the doors constantly for fear that they didn't lock them. We hear often about the handwashing phenomenon, as in Shakespeare's Macbeth: "Out damned spot....". Even when the person tries to ignore the thoughts or is kept from repeating the behavior, their tension and fear increases until they repeat the behavior, gaining only temporary relief.
The causes: Hormonal changes, trauma, family history, alcohol intake can all contribute to the recurrence of the anxiety disorders.
Solutions: Psychotherapy to reduce problematic thinking and feelings of repressed guilt & anger. Behavioral therapy has been somewhat successful in helping people to handle panic attacks, phobias and generalized anxiety. Medication has been very helpful in reducing anxiety and compulsive behaviors. Back to top
Obsessive Compulsive Behaviors
Everybody has a few of these symptoms sometimes. It's when they persist or return frequently, preventing you from working, taking care of your responsibilities or interfering with your physical health that they need attention. Or when they cause you to feel miserable or prevent you from having normal relationships with others.
People put up with an incredible amount of grief rather than expose their needs to a trained helper. You really don't have to live that way any more than you have to live with toothaches. Just like you'd go to a dentist, you can go to a therapist.
God did not put you on the planet to be unhappy. Having been emancipated from historical slavery, the emancipation from psychological slavery is more difficult.