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Living With Anxiety and Depression
Sunday, February 21, 2010 @ 1:04 PM
He stares blankly at a flashing screen, not really seeing the images but playing through the motions. The echo of bullets and bombs bounce off of the white, poster crammed walls. His hands shake slightly, but still, he does not miss a beat as he slays soldiers on the opposing team. This act will continue for hours, until he finally feels the anxiety drain from his body. Soon, his chest will lighten, and his mind will once again be rational and clear. For now, however, he lets the game take over him, and take him away from the pain.

Four million adults in America suffer from Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD.) GAD is much more complex than the normal day-to-day anxiety men and women experience. GAD is the constant and exaggerated worry and stress that can be provoked by nothing at all. It can affect a person’s life holistically, filling a person with dread when making any decision, making it difficult to complete simple every-day tasks.

Zachary Gring, a 23-year-old college graduate was diagnosed with GAD last year, just before he graduated from Millersville University. Gring realized from a young age that his anxious feelings were not the normal worries of a young boy.

“I’ve always had anxiety issues, middle school is just when I remember really noticing it and feeling like I was more anxious than other people,” Gring said. In middle school, Gring had to present speeches, and the feeling really overwhelmed him.

Although Gring realized he had a problem, he put off going to the doctor for almost ten years because he felt that he could overcome his anxieties on his own. “I have always dealt with [my anxieties] and avoided situations that made me more anxious, which is why I waited so long to finally decided to talk to a doctor,” he began, “I really noticed it impacting my life and realizing that it wasn’t normal to have so much anxiety.”

Gring’s anxieties really became a problem when he came to college. It was a new environment, and social situations were unavoidable. “Almost anything in a social/public situation gives me an anxiety,” he said. He explained that he thinks about everything too much, and worries about everything. “It makes social situations that should be positive, seem negative or overwhelming. With school work I often felt overwhelmed and would push things off until the last minute,” he said.

GAD also takes a toll on Gring’s body physically, often leaving him feeling exhausted and sluggish. Dry mouth, rapid heart rate, a flushed feeling, and shaking are also symptoms that he described.

Often times, he gets pangs of anxiety even when it is something as simple as getting chores finished. “I feel like I am having a panic attack and I can’t calm myself down mentally, and I have a rush of adrenaline and then I feel numb afterwards,” he described. When he feels this way, his first instinct is to find something to distract him, like playing a video game, taking naps, even resorting to drugs and alcohol to relieve the stress.

Gring attempted to find an alternative method to cope with his anxieties after graduation. “I was on Lexapro, but insurance stopped covering it so I got off of it,” he said.

Lexapro is a prescription drug used to treat GAD and depression. It is a class of drug known as Selective Serotonin Re-uptake Inhibitor (SSRI). This drug is believed to influence mood and relieve symptoms of depression by increasing the serotonin in the brain. “Your body communicates, via neurotransmitters, (the chemical messengers that pass between nerves or neurons), one of these neurotransmitters is called serotonin. It has been shown that by increasing the amount of serotonin available helps decrease the signs and symptoms of depression,” said a CVS pharmacist who is unable to release his name due to privacy issues.

“Medication helped a little, it kept me from having strong physical reactions to anxiety, but the thoughts were still there. Getting off of it again wasn't that big of a deal because I didn’t think the medication did that great of a job fixing my problem,” Gring said.

“When people first start these meds, they usually don’t notice effects for 3-6 weeks. A lot of people that are taking these drugs think they are not working, when they just need time to work,” The pharmacist said.

The effects of these drugs are different for everyone. For Gring, the drugs caused him to not care enough, but he still thought too much about is anxieties. “Some people can have the exact offset,” the pharmacist said, “It can make others more agitated at first, once your body gets used to it, it can make you numb.” This feeling can or cannot go away, he explained. The drug makes you worry less about problems, which makes your depression or anxieties better.

Gring realizes that for now, he has to use his own methods to relieve his anxieties. “Just facing anxious situations every day helps desensitize myself a little, but I still struggle with public speaking,” he said.

Gring uses natural ways to treat his anxiety disorder, but for some individuals, their anxiety can only be controlled by medication.

Courtney Anderson, a senior at Millersville University has been suffering with anxiety and severe depression for two years. She uses the prescription Sertraline to cope with her disease.

Sertraline is also an SSRI, “and very similar to Lexapro; all the information regarding one will hold true for the other,” the pharmacist said. These drugs are the newest class of anti-depressants available. There are older meds that have been available longer, such as Tricyclic Antidepressants (TCA), which works similarly, but have a lot more side effects and a lot more reactions.” Sertraline and Lexapro are the safest on the market, used to treat depression,” the pharmacist said, “They are very commonly used, hundreds of prescriptions are filled a week.”

Like Gring, Anderson’s anxiety affects her entire life. The disease gave her a loss of appetite, extreme fatigue, lack of motivation, and a loss of interest in anything. “I didn't eat, I slept constantly, I couldn't get myself up at any time, and I had no interest in any of my hobbies,” she said.

“Sertraline helps massively,” Anderson said, “I still have fatigue and loss of motivation but I can handle it. It takes me a while, but I get there.”

Anderson is completely dependent on Sertraline to keep her functioning through the day, but still, her anxieties affect her physically. On occasion, Anderson will have panic attacks, “It is horrible. I hyperventilate and it feels like I’m dying. All the muscles in my body tense up and they don't ease at all, like I'm stuck forever in that position. The worst part of panic attacks is the feeling that it will never end, that I am literally stuck like that forever.”

Through friend, she has learned techniques that ease her panic attacks, “When I have a panic attack, it is best to look around in a square, and with each line of the square, try to take one breath in or out, to slow my breath and calm the rest of my body down.”

Anderson also relies on her boyfriend to keep her calm and content. “When I'm depressed, my boyfriend helps me through it. He is amazing,” she said.

Although her boyfriend is often her source of comfort, her anxieties put a lot of pressure on their relationship. The disease does not only affect herself, but those around her as well. “It is really difficult on my current boyfriend, because this relationship is long distance and he tends to mirror whatever mood I am in. Also, my relationship with my parents was very strained, but I got over that too. I had a hard time dealing with my dad as well, but now I realize how awesome he is.”

Living with an anxiety disorder is difficult, but with the right attitude and prescriptions, one can cope with any obstacles that arise, and individuals can live a normal functioning life. Discuss all of your options with your doctor before taking serotonin re-uptake inhibitors because serious side effects can occur such as headaches, nausea, dry mouth, trouble sleeping, sleepiness or weight gain. It has shown that these drugs can cause suicidal problems in younger people and adolescents. “Always talk to your doctor if you have any changes in mood,” the pharmacist said.