Remember Tennessee William's Pulitzer-winning plat “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” later made into a classic movie starring Elizabeth Taylor and Paul Newman? In discussing their troubled marriage, Maggie tells her husband Brick, “I feel all the time like a cat on a hot tin roof.”
To which Brick replies, “Then jump off the roof, Maggie, jump off it. Now cats jump off roofs and they land uninjured. Do it. Jump.” During subsequent conversation, when Maggie opines she will do more than survive, she'll win; Brick asks what the victory of a cat on a hot tin roof is.
Maggie’s reply? “Just stayin’ on it, I guess. As long as she can.”
For the 18.1 million Americans each year diagnosed or suffering from an anxiety disorder, the sensation of being a “cat on a tin roof” is a familiar one, but they, along with mental health officials would heartily disagree staying on the “tin roof” connotates victory. Rather, jumping off, landing uninjured and able to independently function without the constant sensation of fear is the goal and the victory.
Anxiety disorders are divided into six categories: generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, social anxiety disorder; and specific phobias.
What Maggie likely suffered from was generalized anxiety, that constant overwhelming feeling of apprehension and fear marked by such symptoms as restlessness or feeling keyed up or on edge, having a sense of impending doom, danger or panic.
Kim Neal, a nurse practitioner at Generations Gaither’s Group, says anxiety disorders account for about 50 percent of all service recipients, often coupled with other disorders.
“Anxiety disorders most definitely can limit a person’s abilities to function, to perform major life abilities. What’s really tragic is we see a lot of children that teachers have classified as ADD (attention deficit disorder) who are really suffering with anxiety disorders,” she lamented.
Neal said most of her work with those with anxiety disorders is in three areas: residential treatment; nursing homes; and children on an out-patient basis.
In addition to generalized anxiety disorder, other diagnosable (and treatable) anxiety disorders include:
• Panic attacks: These can start suddenly and cause fear or terror, a feeling of impending doom accompanied by shortness of breath, heart palpitations or chest pain.
• Agoraphobia: The specific phobia that causes sufferers to become homebound. It’s fear and avoidance of places or situations where one may feel trapped or embarrassed to leave if they start to feel panicky.
• Specific phobias: Know folks with an abnormal, often paralyzing fear or terror of specific objects or situations? Snakes, cockroaches, mice, even bunny rabbits can elicit terror for those suffering from phobias. Reactions can be so severe as to cause panic attacks.
• Social phobias: Rather take a bullet than speak before an audience or even attend a get-together? These phobias are characterized by significant anxiety provoked by certain types of social or performance situations and a desire to avoid them.
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD): Seen someone who has to constantly wash their hands, check door locks three times? OCD sufferers have persistent, recurring thoughts, images or impulses or irresistible desire to perform irrational acts of rituals.
• Post-traumatic stress disorder: Most often associated with war veterans, it is also associated with crime and abuse victims and others traumatized by some life event. It’s characterizes by feeling you are re-experiencing that event. It causes intense emotions and physical reactions. Related is acute stress disorder, which occurs immediately after a traumatizing event.
• Substance-induced anxiety disorder: Anxiety caused as a direct result of abusing drugs, taking medications or being exposed to a toxic substance.
Anyone suffering from anxiety that impairs their ability to function should first be checked out medically, Neal stressed. “Did you know a urinary tract infection can cause anxiety disorders?” Other medical problems that can be the culprit include problems with the thyroid, blood sugar, heart arrhythmias, side effects from over-the-counter medicines, as well as caffeine found in tea, coffee, chocolate and drinks like Red Bull, she noted.
Treatment for anxiety disorders at Generations is established by the service recipient's team, which consists of a case manager, medical personnel, activities director, counselor, technicians and home director.
Service recipients with anxiety disorders may be treated with medicine, have individual or group counseling and activities.
“I can’t stress enough the importance of activities for those with anxiety disorders. Whether it’s arts and crafts, games or outings, activities serve to get service recipients outside of themselves and focused outward. It really makes a huge difference,” said Neal. “Of course, those with social anxiety disorders or agoraphobia quite often aren’t able to go on outings. That’s something that cognitive and/or behavioral therapies work toward accomplishing.”
Generations, with seven group homes in Warren County, will hold a radio/ telethon in May at Kidd Ford to raise monies for its activities funds, a 501(c)3 fund which is tax-exempt. All funds raised go to ensure residential service recipients are aided in the march toward recovery and a return to independent living by a range of activities.