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Dr.
Jean Twenge of Case Western University reports an alarming increase
in the amount of anxiety among children and college students between
the 1950s and the 1990s. "Normal" anxiety now is at the
level mostly seen in psychiatric patients in the 1950s. Her report
in a recent issue of the Journal of Abnormal and Social
Psychology was based on a review of studies performed between
1952 and 1993. She believes that the rise in anxiety is attributable
primarily to two factors: an increase in threats from the environment
(which includes the television environment) and a decrease in social
supports (the number of stable two-parent families has hit a new
low). Interestingly, whether the economy was good or bad during a
given period had little effect on anxiety. Dr. Twenge believes that
the best protection against anxiety comes from good connections with
friends, family, coworkers, and organizations. Another
study in an April, 2001 issue of the New England Journal of
Medicine offers hope for the treatment of anxiety in teen-agers,
when it does strike. Fluvoxamine reduced anxiety in 76% of 63
subjects treated with it, compared with 29% of those treated with a
placebo. Discouragingly, only 3% of volunteers given psychotherapy
prior to the drug treatment showed improvement. Fluvoxamine is one
of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, which is a common
class of antidepressants. In
still another study reported in April, 2001, at a meeting of the
Human Genome Organization, a Spanish scientist reported that 97% of
a sample of people with anxiety disorder had a duplication of
genetic material on chromosome 15. Only 7% of a comparison group had
the same duplication. The significance of this finding is unknown,
but it could lead to more specific treatments for anxiety disorders
if the duplication turns out to be causally linked to anxiety. Ricky
Williams, 1998 winner of the Heisman trophy and a star running back
for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League, no doubt
hopes that more effective treatments are found. The May 18, 2001 San
Diego Union-Tribune reports that Williams has been diagnosed with
social anxiety disorder. Williams says that when he is in New
Orleans he doesn't want to leave his house, and that his anxiety
prevents him from having close relationships with his teammates. He
says he's ready to change, but "This anxiety has got such a
hold on me that it blinds me sometimes as to what I'm really going
after."
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