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April 29, 2009
Article explores impact of recession-related fear, stress on mental health
On its front page, the New York Times (4/9, A1, Belluck) reports that with the "economic damage" of the current recession "expected to last months or years," panic attacks, anxiety, "depression, and stress are troubling people everywhere," even those who are "not suffering significant economic losses, but" who are worried that they will, or who are "simply reacting to pervasive uncertainty."
While some people "are seeking counseling or medication for the first time," others "are resuming or increasing treatment, or redirecting therapy for other issues onto economic anxiety," if they can pay for it. "Even for insured people, the economy both causes anxiety and makes help less affordable."
Pittsburgh, PA psychiatrist Alan A. Axelson, MD, "said he was seeing first-time patients and infrequent ones experiencing 'relapse and needing more therapy and medication,'" while Manhattan psychiatrist Daniel A. Cohen, MD, "said he saw 'more families in crisis,' with children experiencing 'increased signs of anxiety and depression.'"
Posted by admin at April 29, 2009 05:22 PM