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A community mental health center in Louisville, Kentucky has stopped writing new prescriptions for the anti-anxiety drug Xanax.

Used for its calming effect, Xanax has been the most popular anti-anxiety drug on the market to date. But this popularity doesn’t come without a backlash.

Ms. Mink works for Seven Counties Services which serves some 30,000 patients in the Louisville area and she describes Xanax as a “drain on our resources.”

She has been aware of this problem before and has noticed that Xanax has “funneled a great deal of our energy into pacifying, educating, and bumping heads with people over Xanax.”

But all this has come to an end with the Seven Counties’ new policy to first stop writing new prescriptions, and then to wean patients off it completely by the end of the year.

This is an unusual step to take, but for a state that has a widespread problem with prescription drug abuse for more than a decade, this could be the solution they’re desperate for.

Once thought of as an affliction that only burdened the wealthy, anxiety has become a condition that has crossed socioeconomic lines, with Alprazolam, Xanax’s generic, becoming the eighth most prescribed drug in the nation last year.

This decision to refuse Louisville patients access to the anti-anxiety drug has not come without criticism. Dr. Laurence H. Miller who is the head of the community’s committee for the American Psychiatric Association says that “there are some people who may have done very well on [Xanax}, are on a small dose and manage their lives on it, and that’s probably OK.”

Despite this criticism, the doctors at Seven Counties are holding their ground, arguing that there is a lot of literature that strongly suggests alternative ways to treat panic and anxiety disorders without medication.

But for patients, the decision to change treatments for their anxiety seems to have been made for them. Not only are they put at risk for not being able to treat their anxiety effectively, but they also run the risk of withdrawal.

Whether this will help the people in the Louisville area, only time can tell.

When someone predicts the end of the world it will generate anxiety in many who tend to swallow the prediction when presented as a prophecy. Even amongst stoic non-believers a hint of doubt about the continued existence of the world may creep in to their view of the stability of existence. Some people will purge their anxiety with debauchery while others simply stop doing the everyday basic activities and wait for the day, hour, minute and second of the impending doom or glory.

While Harold Camping begins to explain why his prophecy about Judgement Day May 21st 2011 did not reach fruition, those close to his supporters have another cause of concern. After the leader of Family Radio made a previous announcement back in 1994 there was at least one reported suicide. So there are growing concerns about how ardent believers will deal with extreme disappointment following such an anti-climatic outcome.

Of course the best way to cope is not to be drawn in in the first place. History is replete with similar stories of failed predictions of the apocalyptic end game. Be wise and think for yourself and don’t donate to silly causes. Now if you have invested your time and money and your sacred honor in a scheme with no merit how will you cope. Well firstly admit that you have erred. Then make up your mind to never get involved again with those who think they know more than God intended us to know. If you are religiously minded then seek comfort in your religious practices honestly and sincerely. A worthwhile religion will not hoodwink you so seek Truth earnestly. Face up to the fact that you have been misled and placed your trust in a falsehood. You will survive just as the world did after May 21st 2011. The world isn’t perfect and neither ios any man or woman. We all make mistakes. Now do the right thing.

While there are many causes of anxiety and panic attack, there are studies which lead many to believe panic attacks develop when a trigger point is reached and when the sense of anxiousness has accumulated and builds up to point where the mind and body has reached a limit and panic is the next response. Triggers might accompany too much stress at work, whether worry sets in when a task needs completing on a strict schedule or there is a risk of some type of loss (Status, Monetary, or even Job Loss;) work loads loads can bring about situations that become unendurable. When the mind feeds itself on worry continuously the body reacts to the anxiety, and the thoughts and feelings  eventually manifest in a panic attack.

The main step in defeating panic attacks would seem to be identifying the source of the underlying anxiety. Find what is triggering such high levels of worry and fear that uncontrolled panic sets in. You are challenged in the most fundamental ways and there are feelings of frustration as your self-confidence diminishes, and your social life and ability to interact with others is adversely affected.

There are diagnosis of Generalized Anxiety Disorder, a Social Anxiety Disorder, the well known Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, the problem of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and specific phobias.

Anxiety can turn to panic without much of a warning so there is little time to prepare or prevent, so learning to identify potential causes is key to success. Each incident has similar beginnings: you experience something and start to consider the problem but attribute the experience erroneously and dramatically. Something of an over-reaction not related to an actual cause. Concentration on a problem with a misaligned sense of what is happening can be the source of actual symptoms such as strange feelings of wooziness; things not quite defined; feelings of loss of concentration and focus; ineffectiveness in the workplace; and inappropriate expressions of anger in quite normal domestic situations.

There are many recognized ways to handle anxiety and depression and the right way should be identified on an individual consultative basis with a trained medical professional. You will need to monitor yourself too. There are medications; drugs like Benzodiazepines and Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors, to be used in accordance with a doctor’s advice, but medication will only provide relief in a temporary way. Finding the triggers, the things that start off worries, the problems that need eliminating rationally will aid in effecting a more permanent relief and cure. Relaxation techniques, regular exercise, and also therapy such as Psychological treatments like one of the most common and effective anxiety treatments known as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).

The good news is with the right combination of treatment you can get relief and live what you have come to consider as an elusive normality of your choice. Be of good cheer.

I read an article recently that made the claim that we all know what anxiety feels like. I’m not sure that that is  true as far as knowing what is happening  when an anxiety attack occurs, either the first time or after several episodes. We may feel our heart pounding. We may lose concentration, and may feel queasiness , nervousness, and slight shaking symptoms. But we may not understand what is happening. But if there is significant interference in your everyday routines and you cannot live the way you want or expect to live, you may have an anxiety disorder.  There are self-help  remedies and many treatment alternatives. So there can be light at the end of what may appear to be a long, dark tunnel. You can find the ways to gain control over your daily activities without panic or flight.

Some level of concern or tension, and even being frightened is normal and such feelings and thoughts can help focus our attention if there is some genuine albeit small threat to our comfort. So anxiety will not always be labeled a bad thing, but when fear or anxiety prevents us from pursuing solutions to problems, disrupts relationships, or prevents us from continuing to enjoy activities that have previously been important to us, then we may have entered the territory of Anxiety Disorder.

So what should we look for:

Should you experience some of the symptoms listed, and they are persistent you may want to get some profession advice.

Do you feel like danger and catastrophe are around every corner?

• Has fear or anxiety been the cause of disruption in your normal work or school activities, or family relationships?
• Is there constant tension and/or “edginess?”
• Are you thinking or imagining danger as a constant threat?
• Are your feelings irrational ones, with no basis in what is really happening?
• Do you repeat actions that seem to you to insure good outcomes?
• Have you been avoiding common place situations or activities to beat feelings of worry?
• Have you experienced attacks of panic where your heart pounds without warning?
• Do you feel like danger and catastrophe are around every corner?

Anxiety disorders can also affect suffers with depression too. Both anxiety and depression may arise from the same causes, so that can be why they can be present at the same time often feeding off of each other. So consider seeking help for both conditions.