Statistics and facts about anxiety disorders; the most common mental illness in America.

• Anxiety Disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S. with 19.1 million (13.3%) of the adult U.S. population (ages 18-54) affected.
• According to "The Economic Burden of Anxiety Disorders," a study commissioned by the ADAA and based on data gathered by the association and published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, anxiety disorders cost the U.S. more than $42 billion a year, almost one third of the $148 billion total mental health bill for the U.S.
• More than $22.84 billion of those costs are associated with the repeated use of healthcare services, as those with anxiety disorders seek relief for symptoms that mimic physical illnesses.
• People with an anxiety disorder are three-to-five times more likely to go to the doctor and six times more likely to be hospitalized for psychiatric disorders than non-sufferers.

NUMBERS AND PERCENTAGES REFER TO ADULT U.S. POPULATION AFFECTED.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder: 4 million, 2.8%.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: 3.3 million, 2.3%.

Panic Disorder: 2.4 million, 1.7%.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder: 5.2 million, 3.6%.

Social Anxiety Disorder: 5.3 million, 3.7%.

Specific Phobia affects: 6.3 million, 4.4%.

Any Phobia (Social Anxiety Disorder, Specific Phobia, Agoraphobia) affects 11.5 million (8%) of adult Americans.

next: Anxiety: Do's and Don'ts
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~ all anxiety disorders articles

HB406, which prohibits ECT on children under age 16, has a floor date of March 8, 2001.

If you are an electroshock survivor, you are urged to contact those involved and tell your stories/voice your opinions.

From someone involved, a report on the last committee meeting:

The HB406, anti-shock, insulin shock and psychosurgery bill on kids under age 16 was interesting. NAMI stayed out of the picture and the NH Consumer Council came forward in favor of the bill. Three legislators testified in favor of the bill and none against it. Five shock psychiatrists and the Human Services Dept. came out against the bill. Without the NAMI buffer, it was clear that the patients didn't like the psychiatrists.

BAN ECT, INSULIN SHOCK AND PSYCHOSURGERY ON CHILDREN UNDER AGE 16 IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. CALL NOW!!!!!!!

New Hampshire House Bill 406, "AN ACT prohibiting electro-convulsive therapy on children under 16 years of age" had a public hearing February 20th. This bill would also ban insulin shock and psychosurgery on kids.

The New Hampshire Consumer Council came out in force with three legislators in favor of this bill. FIVE psychiatrists came out in favor of electroshocking children. They were listened to. Now it's your time to be heard.

Please help the New Hampshire Consumer Council by contacting the following members of the New Hampshire Health, Human Services & Elderly Affairs Committee and telling them:

VOTE IN FAVOR OF HB 406. ECT CAUSES PERMANENT BRAIN DAMAGE AND CHILDREN HAVE NO POWER TO REFUSE PSYCHIATRY'S MOST HARMFUL AND BARBARIC PROCEDURES.

Here is the most updated list:

House of Representatives
Health, Human Services ?
Chairman:
Peter L. Batula
12 Paige Dr.
Merrimack, NH 03054-2837
(603)424-6091
stoj@juno.com

Vice Chairman:
Andre A. Martel
237 Riverdale Ave.
Manchester, NH 03103-7301
(603)622-8411
(no email listed, try andre.martel@leg.state.nh.us)

Clerk:
Margaret A. Case
44 Beach Head Rd.
Nottingham, NH 03290-4921
(603)895-2718
(no email listed, try margaret.case@leg.state.nh.us)

Members:
Robert F Chabot
73 Joseph St.
Manchester, NH 03102-5617
(603)625-5617
bob.chabot@leg.state.nh.us

Martin Feuerstein
801 Central St.
Franklin, NH 03235-2026
(603)934-3849
martyfeuerstein@aol.com

Fran Wendelboe
238 Lower Oxbow Rd.
New Hampton, NH 03256-4648
(603)968-7988
mattwenfran@cyberportal.net

James R. MacKay (this guy is a psychotherapist)
139 N. State St.
Concord, NH 03301-6431
(603)224-0623
jamesmackay@sompuserve.com

Cecelia D. Kane
391 Colonial Dr.
Portsmouth, NH 03801-4706
(603)436-3454
(no email listed)

Stephanie K. Micklon
163 Brady Ave.
Salem, NH 03079-4812
(603)893-6677
smicklon@worldnet.att.net

Joseph P. Manning
9 Bradley Ct.
jaffrey, NH 03452-5400
(603)532-8083
(no email listed, try joseph.manning@leg.state.nh.us)

James P. Pilliod
504 Province Rd.
Belmont, NH 03220-5379
(603)524-3047
jimp@together.net

Walter D. Ruffner
10 Benjamin Rd.
Stratham, NH 03885-2101
(603)772-9558
walterl709@juno.com

Susan Emerson
571 Rte. 119
Rindge, NH 03461-3704
(603)899-6529
(not email listed, try susan.emerson@leg.state.nh.us)

Barbara C. French
17 Fairview Ave.
Henniker, NH 03242-3310
(603)428-3366
(no email listed, try barbara.french@leg.state.nh.us)

Sandra C. Harris
43 Ridge Ave.
Claremont, NH 03743-3166
(603)542-6973
scharris@turbont.net
sandra.harris@leg.state.nh.us

Phyllis M. Katsakiores
1 Bradford St.
Derry, NH 03038-4258
(603)434-9587
(no email liste, try phyllis.katsakiores@leg.state.nh.us)

Janeen Dalrymple
7 Penobscott Ave.
Salem, NH 03079-4527
(603)898-4527
janeen76@aol.com

Alida I. Millham
426 Belnap Mtn. Rd.
Gilford, NH 03249-6814
(603)524-1278
amillham@worldpath.net

Daniel M. Burnham (this guy is a newspaper pulisher)
PO Box 496
Dublin, NH 03444-0496
(603)563-8629
danburnham@pobox.com

Gloria Seldin
54 Church St.
Concord, NH 03301-4550
(603)225-3787
seldglo@com.con (WRONG e-mail - DOESN'T GET THERE)

Hilda W. Sokol
6 Storrs Rd.
Hanover, NH 03755-2410
(603)643-2702
h.w.sokol@dartmouth.edu

HB406 - for up to date info, type in HB406 under "Bill Number" and click submit.

next: Online Audio and Videos on ECT, Electroconvulsive Therapy
~ all Shocked! ECT articles
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~ all articles on depression

Separation anxiety disorder defined along with symptoms, duration and onset of separation anxiety disorder.

Developmentally inappropriate and excessive anxiety concerning separation from home or from those to whom the individual is attached, as evidenced by three (or more) of the following:

• recurrent excessive distress when separation from home or major attachment figures occurs or is anticipated
• persistent and excessive worry about losing, or about possible harm befalling, major attachment figures
• persistent and excessive worry that an untoward event will lead to separation from a major attachment figure (e.g., getting lost or being kidnapped)
• persistent reluctance or refusal to go to school or elsewhere because of fear of separation
• persistently and excessively fearful or reluctant to be alone or without major attachment figures at home or without significant adults in other settings
• persistent reluctance or refusal to go to sleep without being near a major attachment figure or to sleep away from home
• repeated nightmares involving the theme of separation
• repeated complaints of physical symptoms (such as headaches, stomachaches, nausea, or vomiting) when separation from major attachment figures occurs or is anticipated

The duration of the disturbance is at least 4 weeks.

The onset is before age 18 years.

The disturbance causes clinically significant distress or impairment in social, academic (occupational), or other important areas of functioning.

The disturbance does not occur exclusively during the course of a Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Schizophrenia, or other Psychotic Disorder and, in adolescents and adults, is not better accounted for by Panic Disorder With Agoraphobia

Sources:

• American Psychiatric Association. (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, fourth edition. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.

A list of what to do and what not to do to control anxiety.

Do's

• Notice how it is affecting you and pay attention to how you would rather be feeling.
• Remember to breathe.
• Focus on something interesting and engaging: a hobby, a project, a conversation with a friend, an activity.
• Play with a pet. Arrange flowers. Play a sport. Watch a movie.
• Stay active in your life. Continue going to work and/or school. Take care of children. Keep your house clean. Take care of your personal hygiene.
• Surround yourself with people who care about you. Spend time with your spouse, children, parents, colleagues, friends, neighbors.
• Engage in conversation that is interesting and meaningful.
• At other times, engage in trivial talk!
• Try to limit discussion about the anxiety to less than 5% of your conversation.
• Pay attention to whether what you are doing or thinking is what you want to be doing or thinking and whether or not it fits for you.

Don'ts

• Don't isolate yourself. Anxiety will try to get you to think you should be alone. Don't listen to it.
• Don't spend time thinking about how you feel. Anxiety will take over.
• Don't talk about anxiety more than 5% of the time and then only about your successes over it.
• Don't let anxiety get you to second-guess yourself.
• Don't let anxiety get you to imagine what others are thinking.
• Don't fall prey to anxiety's ploy to engage in repetitive behaviors.
• Don't let it put images of disaster in your head

next: Anxiety: The Other Disorder
~ anxiety-panic library articles
~ all anxiety disorders articles

Anxiety can cause serious relationship problems. Since it typically robs people of self- confidence and turns life into a struggle, people think they don't have much to offer in their relationships. Sometimes they spend so much time with the struggle they are not as involved in their relationships as they might want to be. Anxiety often causes feelings of shame, so people try to hide the anxiety and its effects from their partners. When that happens, their partners may think that they are withdrawing from them.

Alternately, if partners are told about the anxiety and how it operates they can be involved in working against it. For example, the voice of anxiety usually has people focus on what might go wrong. A partner can counter that voice through gentle and consistent reassurance. It is important for the reassurance not to become pushy, since anxiety often begins because of the pressure of cultural messages to perform. Reproducing that pressure in the couple relationship may exacerbate the problem. Instead, the partner can help the person focus on what is going well and what is most interesting and pleasurable. If the partner is aware that anxiety stands in the way of certain goals, they can join together in reaching these goals a little bit at a time.

See Also:

How to Develop Relationships When You Have Social Anxiety

Questions for Couples

• Has anxiety come between the two of you? How?
• Have there been times that it could have come between you but didn't? What did each of you contribute that helped you keep anxiety from coming between you? Are there things you could generalize from that experience that may be helpful again?
• If you were to think of yourselves as a team against anxiety, what might that lead you to do?

next: Hanging Tough During Bad Economic Times
~ anxiety-panic library articles
~ all anxiety disorders articles

STATE OF MINNESOTA.
FOURTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT
DISTRICT COURT
COUNTY OF HENNEPIN
PROBATE/MENTAL HEALTH DIVISION

In the Matter of the Civil Commitment of: File No: P8-02-60415

FINDINGS OF FACT, CONCLUSIONS OF LAW AND ORDER AUTHORIZING ELECTROCONVULSIVE THERAPY

Respondent DOB: XX-XX-54

This matter was heard by Patricia L. Belois, one of the Judges of this Court, on September 12, 2002, pursuant to a Petition for Authorization to impose Treatment Electroconvulsive Therapy, filed herein on August 20, 2002.

Petitioner, Michael Popkin, M.D., was represented by Elizabeth Cutter, Assistant Hennepin County Attorney, A-2000, Hennepin County Government Center, Minneapolis, MN 55487, (612) 348-6740.

Ruth Y. Ostrom, Attorney at Law, 301 Fourth Avenue South, Suite 270, Minneapolis, MN 55415, 612-339-1453, was present on behalf of Respondent, who was present in court. Barabara Jackson, M.D., the Court-appointed examiner, and Derrinda Mitchell, Respondent's Court appointed Conservator of Person and Estate were present. No guardian ad litem was appointed for Respondent because her Conservator provides that function pursuant to an existing Court order from another jurisdiction.

Based upon the file and record in this matter, the evidence received, including testimony from Charles Pearson, M.D., Derrinda Mitchell, and Barbara Jackson, M.D. and one exhibit, the court makes the makes the following:

FINDINGS OF FACT

1. Respondent is 48 years old. She was committed dually to the Heads of the Hennepin County Medical Center and the Anoka Metro Regional Treatment Center as a person who is mentally ill by Order of this Court filed September 6, 2002. In that Order, the Court found that Respondent was mentally ill with Paranoid Schizophrenia. Respondent's present diagnosis is Paranoid Schizophrenia and Depression, NOS. Her treating physician has also diagnosed Respondent with Anxiety Disorder, NOS. Respondent is currently hospitalized at the Hennepin County Medical Center.

2. The Medical Director of Inpatient Psychiatry/Chief of Psychiatry for the Hennepin County Medical Center, Michael Popkin, M.D. (hereinafter Popkin) has petitioned the Court for authority to administer up to 15 treatments of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) per week for a period of up to five weeks to Respondent, followed by maintenance treatments at an unspecified frequency for the duration of the current commitment. Testimony in support of this Petitioner's Petition was given by Respondent's treating physician, Charles Pearson, M.D. Petitioner believes that ECT will relieve the symptoms of Respondent's mental illness and provide other benefit to her, in particular, ECT is expected to: resolve Respondent's psychosis which is refractory to treatment with neuroleptic medication; improve Respondent's social withdrawal; and lead to simplification of her medication regime by reducing the number of neuroleptic medications she will need to take to control her symptoms.

3. Krishna Mylavarapu, M.D.,(herein after Mylavarapu), is the staff psychiatrist at the Hennepin County Medical Center who will administer the ECT to Respondent. Respondent will be anesthetized prior to the administration of the ECT. The only pain Respondent should experience from the ECT would be the minimal pain from the injection of the anesthetic and perhaps a transitory headache. There is a very remote risk of an adverse reaction to the anesthetic in the range of 1:20.000-50,000. Respondent may experience a short-tern memory loss as a consequence of the proposed treatment This memory loss may be permanent, but the effects of it can be fully mitigated by relearning the lost information, such as what she had to eat during the meal before the procedure. ECT does not involve surgical intrusion. The intrusion comes from electrical impulse directed into Respondent. s brain to induce a specific type of seizure activity.

4. The use of ECT during inpatient hospitalization is the best treatment, according to contemporary professional standards, that could render further custody, institutionalization or other services to the Respondent unnecessary. ECT is not an experimental treatment. It has not been prescribed for Respondent as part of any research project. Its use is widely accepted by the medical community of this state.

5. The Court's examiner, Barbara Jackson, M.D. (hereinafter Jackson), believes that the use of ECT to treat Respondent's mental illness is both necessary and reasonable. She testified that the benefits Respondent is likely to experience from ECT outweigh its risks to her. Jackson also testified that Respondent is not competent to weigh the benefits and risks associated with ECT treatment for herself.

5. Respondent's Conservator, Derrinda Mitchell, testified that she believes that the benefits of the proposed treatment, most particularly the possibility that Respondent's medication regime could be simplified and the exposure to medication side effects better controlled that way, outweigh the risks involved and that the use of ECT to treat Respondent's mental illness and that the use of ECT could be in Respondent's best interests.

6. The Court has considered less intrusive methods of treatment for Respondent's illness including the use of various psychotropic medications both alone and as part of augmented pharmacological regimen. This was rejected because the use of psychotropic medications to treat Respondent to date has not sufficiently relieved the symptoms of Respondent's mental illness so that she can be released from the acute care facility safely to which she is now committed.

7. Respondent cannot rationally weigh the risks and benefits involved in the use of ECT to treat her mental illness because she does not believe that she is mentally ill and she has an irrational fear of ECT fueled by information that her mother provides to her about what the mother believes is the lethal nature of ECT.

CONCLUSIONS OF LAW

1. The evidence is clear and convinces the Court that treatment of the Respondent's mental illness using electroconvulsive therapy is necessary and reasonable.

2. Respondent does not have the capacity to give or withhold consent to the use of electroconvulsive therapy to treat her mental illness.

3. The benefits to Respondent from the administration of electroconvulsive therapy to treat her mental illness outweigh the risks associated with the treatment and justify the intrusion into her privacy as needed to conduct the electroconvulsive therapy without Respondent's informed consent.

ORDER The Heads of the Hennepin County Medical Center and the Anoka Metro Regional Treatment Center are authorized to administer to Respondent up to 15 treatments of electroconvulsive therapy per week for up to five weeks, foIIowed by maintenance treatments as often as once per week for the duration of the commitment ordered September 6, 2002, pursuant to Price v. Sheppard. 239 NW2d 905 (Minn, 1976) and Minn. Stat §253B,03, Subd. 6b.

BY THE COURT: Patricia L. Belois Date Judge of District Court Probate/lMental Health Division 9/16/02

next: Misleading Report Overstates Prevalence of Mental Illness
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~ depression library articles
~ all articles on depression

Anxiety and depression after heart attack is normal

What Is This Feeling Of Depression About?

Although better treatment and earlier rehabilitation programs help people recover swifter from a heart attack, adjusting to the psychological impact can take longer. Many survivors of a heart attack experience feelings of helplessness and depression.

The survivor and his or her family need to confront potential underlying fears and anxieties. Don't keep feelings bottled up inside. He or she should be encouraged to:

• Be patient. Feelings of fear, anxiety, depression, or anger are common after a heart attack and usually are temporary.
• Discuss feelings with his or her medical team, family, and friends.
• Keep a journal. Often, writing about feelings can help a heart attack victim feel better.
• Arrange for counseling if depression, anger, or withdrawal persists for more than four weeks. Their doctor can be helpful in arranging this.

Why do I feel anxious?

It is estimated that as many as 30% of patients report feeling anxious or depressed after a heart attack or heart surgery. You may feel depressed when you get back home, just when you're expecting to start feeling better. Your feelings may be due to a variety of reasons. You may be worried that you're going to have another heart attack, or you may have doubts about the success of your operation. These fears are a natural reaction to the stress of the event, they often resolve as time passes and should not cause you undue concern. It takes time for the implications of the condition to sink in, and the uncertainty of work prospects may worry both you and your partner.

How do I know if I'm depressed?

If you experience fatigue, tiredness, irritability, or you start to lose your temper easily, it may be a sign of depression. Your symptoms may vary from day to day. If you experience sexual difficulties after a heart attack, this may also cause anxiety. Returning to gentle sexual activity around three to four weeks after a heart attack or surgery is usually quite safe provided you've made a good recovery. There may be loss of libido or impotence for men, which may be due to anxiety or depression, the chest discomfort after surgery, or else due to certain medications such as beta-blockers or diuretics. If you think your medication may be affecting you in this way, it can be worth asking your doctor about changing it.

What can I do?

Making friends and family aware of possible problems can help their understanding of your situation. It can also be reassuring for you and your family to know that problems are usually temporary.

You may like to join a cardiac support group as it can be useful to share your concerns with people who have been through the same experience. Contact the American Heart Association chapter in your community.

Rehabilitation programs are another option. They provide information on healthy eating and managing risk factors for coronary heart disease, they also run exercise programs. Also available are counseling and stress relieving activities for people who have had heart attacks or heart surgery. You will usually be contacted by a rehabilitation nurse before you leave hospital. If you find it difficult to attend a rehabilitation program, you may be offered a self-help Heart Manual from your local hospital to use at home. It is important to discuss any problems with your doctor as he or she may be able to help you resolve your anxieties. If your anxiety or depression becomes severe, and there is no sign of improvement, you may need treatment from your doctor or a professional counselor or therapist

Sources:

• National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, "Life After a Heart Attack"
• American Heart Association

next: Anxiety Disorders Research at the National Institute of Mental Health
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A report submitted to the Department of Community Health Recipient Rights Advisory Committee on June 14, 2001, by committee member Ben Hansen.

Michigan's Mental Health Code prohibits the administration of involuntary electroconvulsive therapy (ECT, electroshock) to an adult who has no guardian. Section 717 (1) (a) of the Code states, "A recipient shall not be the subject of electroconvulsive therapy or a procedure intended to produce convulsions or coma unless consent is obtained from ... the recipient, if he or she is 15 years of age or older and does not have a guardian for medical purposes."

Unfortunately, this section of the Code is ignored by probate judges who sign court orders authorizing involuntary ECT in direct violation of Michigan law.

In October 1, a petition was filed in Lenawee County Probate Court by Dr. Daniel F. Maixner, who wished to administer ECT to a patient who had been involuntarily committed. The doctor's petition asserted "that the individual is a person suitable for electroconvulsive therapy pursuant to 330.1717."

Probate Judge John Kirkendall found "by clear and convincing evidence, the individual is a person requiring treatment because the individual has a mental illness, pursuant to order entered 10/6/99; it is advisable and reasonable to administer electroconvulsive therapy and diligent effort has been made to locate individuals eligible to give consent." The judge ordered "that the individual receive electroconvulsive therapy pursuant to the following schedule: maximum number of treatments: 12. Time within which such treatments shall be administered: over a 30 day period from the date of initial treatment."

An appeal was filed by Michigan Protection & Advocacy, and on May 31, 2000, 39th Judicial Circuit Court Judge Timothy Pickard issued an order which declared, "The statute is clear in identifying those individuals authorized to give consent. Competent adults, for whom a guardian has not been appointed, retain the right to make decisions about the administration of electroconvulsive therapy. It is apparent that Appellant is an individual for whom a guardian has not been appointed and that she is an adult. Under those circumstances, MCL 330.1717 does not authorize forced administration of electroconvulsive therapy. This Court therefore holds that the Order entered on October 12, 1999 be VACATED."

Two weeks after the circuit court decision cited above, a petition was filed in Calhoun County Probate Court by another psychiatrist who wished to administer ECT to a patient who had been involuntarily committed. Filling out a form entitled "PETITION AND ORDER FOR ECT TREATMENT," Dr. Ravinder K. Sharma asserted that "it appears that the individual is in need of a course of ETC. It further appears that the individual will not or cannot consent to such a course of treatment and that there is not a guardian to give such consent. I therefore request that the court permit that the individual undergo a course of ECT."

Probate Judge Phillip Harter granted the petition on June 16, 2000, ordering that "ECT may be performed upon the patient at Oaklawn Hospital, Marshall, Michigan. The number of treatments shall not exceed 12 and the last treatment shall be performed on or before 9/14/00."

Again Michigan Protection & Advocacy filed an appeal, this time in the 37th Judicial Circuit Court, and on October 23, 2000, Circuit Court Judge James Kingsley issued an order which echoed, almost word for word, the order which had been issued by 39th Circuit Court Judge Pickard five months earlier: "The statute is clear in identifying those individuals authorized to give consent. Competent adults, for whom a guardian has not been appointed, retain the right to make decisions about the administration of electroconvulsive therapy. It is apparent that Appellant is an individual for whom a guardian has not been appointed and that she is an adult. Under those circumstances, MCL 330.1717 does not authorize the forced administration of electroconvulsive therapy. This Court therefore holds that the Order entered on June 16, 2000, be VACATED."

The circuit courts have ruled with language that is unequivocal: Michigan's Mental Health Code prohibits the administration of involuntary electroshock to an adult who has no guardian. Unfortunately, some probate judges continue to ignore and/or defy the law.

Replying to an email query regarding court protocol as it pertains to ECT, Probate Judge Phillip Harter wrote the following in an email which he sent on May 14, 2001:

"There are generally two ways that ECT can be authorized without the consent of the patient. First, a guardian can be appointed for the patient and the guardian can give permission for the treatment. Second, a court can under the Mental Health Code find that the individual does not have the ability to consent and the treatment is necessary. Such a court could then give a hospital the authority to use ECT treatment for the patient."

When a follow-up email asked Judge Harter to clarify his interpretation of the law, the Judge wrote the following in an email which he sent on May 25, 2001:

"...in the context of a mental hearing, a judge may make a finding that the individual is not competent to give or withhold consent. This would be similar to a finding that the person meets the criteria for the appointment of a guardian. Once that finding is made, I believe the court can inquire as to whether or not ECT treatment is appropriate and order it if it is appropriate. The same thing would be accomplished by holding a guardianship hearing, appointing a guardian and authorizing the guardian to consent to ECT. I believe the better procedure is to have the guardian appointed for the purpose of consenting to ECT treatment."

Judge Harter seems to openly defy the circuit court rulings on involuntary ECT. Moreover, his remark that a guardian may be appointed "for the purpose of consenting to ECT" is most troubling, for it appears to be yet another example of how probate judges use guardianship as a way to circumvent competency standards, involuntary commitment procedures, involuntary treatment requirements and other laws designed to protect individual rights. This may be one reason why Michigan leads the nation in the number of adults who have been assigned legal guardians.

Consent laws are made a mockery by judges who rule that individuals are competent when they consent to treatment, but incompetent when they refuse treatment. The recipient rights system is a farce if the Mental Health Code is systematically violated and the Office of Recipient Rights takes no action in response.

On this question, ORR Director John Sanford wrote in an email which he sent on May 16, 2001:

"...Our mandate is to ensure that providers of mental health service maintain a rights system consistent with the standards established by the Mental Health Code. Administrative rule 7001(L) defines a provider as the department, each community mental health services program, each licensed hospital, each psychiatric unit and each psychiatric hospitalization program licensed under section 137 of the act, their employees, volunteers, and contractual agents. The courts are not considered a provider. Thus, ORR has no control or jurisdiction over them."

The fact that ORR has no jurisdiction over the courts is no justification for looking the other way when the Mental Health Code is violated. At the very least, ORR should provide rights officers and others with a correct interpretation of 330.1717, instead of contributing to the confusion by promoting contradictory and misleading information, as it did at "The 2000 Recipient Rights Conference" held at the Grand Traverse Resort in October of last year.

Conference participants received an information packet which included a document entitled, "A Mental Health Professional's Guide to Michigan Mental Health Procedure," authored by Probate Judge John Kirkendall. In a section on electroshock and the requirements for its use, the document states the following:

"The probate court may grant consent. This can occur if 1) No one can be found after diligent effort who meets the criteria above; 2) There is a petition and hearing. Once you believe ECT is indicated and you can find no one to give consent, you must cause a petition to be filed with the probate court. Call the prosecuting attorney in the county who handles these matters to take care of this for you."

The Office of Recipient Rights should make a concerted effort to inform all who attended last year's conference that the information quoted above is contrary to the Mental Health Code. Failure to do so will put ORR in the embarrassing position of appearing to endorse an interpretation of the Mental Health Code which has been ruled unlawful by the circuit courts.

*******

Attachments:

1. Michigan Mental Health Code, "330.1717 Electro-convulsive therapy; consent."

2. "Initial Order Following Hearing on Petition for Admission," Lenawee County Probate Court, File No. 99-438-M, October 12, 1999.

3. Order, 39th Judicial Circuit Court for Lenawee County, File No. 99-8390-AV, May 31, 2000.

4. "Petition and Order for ECT Treatment," Calhoun County Probate Court, (Probate Court No. 99-033MI) June 16, 2000.

5. Order, 37th Judicial Circuit Court, File No. 00-2429AV, October 23, 2000.

6. Email correspondence between Ben Hansen and Calhoun County Probate Judge Phillip Harter, May 22 - 31, 2001.

7. "A Mental Health Professional's Guide to Michigan Mental Health Procedure," Hon. John N. Kirkendall, Judge of Probate, Washtenaw County Probate Court, pages 1, 4 and 5.

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The results of a new study suggest that a significant number of people with anxiety disorders, such as panic disorder or social phobia, have sexual problems as well. The study's authors report that these findings may have implications for therapeutic treatments involving medication.

Over the past few years, the medical field has become increasingly aware that certain drugs commonly prescribed for psychological disorders can cause sexual side effects. For example, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), which include Prozac, are known to delay orgasm in many males.

SSRIs are widely considered the best medication treatment for social phobia and panic disorder. People who suffer from social phobia experience severe anxiety in a number of social situations and typically experience shyness so severe it interferes with their daily life. Panic disorder is characterized by unexpected and repeated episodes of intense fear accompanied by physical symptoms that may include chest pain, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, dizziness, or abdominal distress.

Little is known about how many of the people with these anxiety disorders experienced sexual problems before they began treatment for their psychological distress. In an effort to find out how common sexual dysfunction is among people with these disorders, Dr. Ivan Figueira, of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, and colleagues reviewed the records of 30 patients with social phobia and 28 with panic disorder.

As detailed in the researchers' report in the journal Archives of Sexual Behavior, about 75% of patients with panic disorder also had sexual problems, compared with approximately 33% of patients with social phobia. Among individuals with panic disorder, sexual aversion disorder--a strong desire not to have sex--was the most prevalent type of sexual problem, affecting about 36% of men with the disorder as as many as 50% of the women. Among men with social phobia, premature ejaculation was the most commonly experienced sexual problem.

Figueira's team concludes, "These results suggest that sexual dysfunctions are frequent and neglected complications of social phobia and panic disorder." The report indicates that for patients who have anxiety disorder and premature ejaculation, SSRIs may be a good medication treatment choice. Not only are the drugs effective at relieving anxiety, they also can help prevent premature ejaculation by delaying orgasm.

According to the researchers, antipanic drugs may be appropriate for people with panic disorder who also suffer from sexual aversion disorder since the drugs that keep panic attacks under control can have the beneficial side effect of relieving the sexual problems.

Sources:

• Archives of Sexual Behavior, Feb. 2007.

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~ anxiety-panic library articles
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Americans Have New Options for Their Own Mental Health

(Los Angeles, California): With the growing concern nationwide about violence, drug abuse, illiteracy, and other pressing social ills, people turn to their friends, their church, their doctors, school counselors and often, as a last resort, to the psychiatric industry for answers. But a new movement is rapidly developing. Similar to the popular trend to choose natural healing over orthodox medicine, people are doing the same for their mental health.

Actress Margot Kidder of Superman fame decided this week to lead the campaign to introduce a new voice for mental health care. On April 10, Ms.Kidder was appointed as the national spokesperson for AlternativeMentalHealth.com, the world's largest Internet site on non-drug mental health treatments.

"The number of people looking for help without medication is staggering, she said. Sometimes I am on the phone three to four hours a day with people asking me how I did it. Now I can refer them to AlternativeMentalHealth.com.

After years of searching for answers to her own health problems, Kidder finally resolved her troubles through nutrient therapy. I got a hold of a 900-page medical book on manic depression, sat down with my dictionaries and worked it out for myself, said Kidder.

Among other things, it said that certain amino acid deficiencies were common in manic depression. But the recommended treatment was drugs! Kidder continued. I thought, ~Heck, why not just take the amino acids? I did and that was the starting point on my road to wellness.

The actress, who has appeared in 55 feature films and over 100 television shows and continues to work steadily, has since become a passionate spokesperson on behalf of people seeking nutritionally oriented drug-free mental treatments. She was in Los Angeles in January of this year to receive the Courage in Mental Health Award from the California Womens Mental Health Policy Council.

AlternativeMentalHealth.com is a much needed presence on the internet, she said. It has a directory of alternative mental health practitioners around the world and many, many articles on the various causes and drug-free treatments for mental problems.

A recent Harvard study confirms a dramatic increase in the public's interest in non-drug mental health treatments. Reporting in the February 2001 issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry, the study authors claim, Complementary and alternative therapies are used more than conventional therapies by people with self-defined anxiety attacks and severe depression. Most patients visiting conventional mental health providers for these problems also use complementary and alternative therapies....Use of these therapies will likely increase as insurance coverage expands.

AlternativeMentalHealth.com is sponsored by Safe Harbor, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit organization dedicated to educating the public, the medical field, and government agencies on drug-free alternatives for mental health problems. They emphasize the role of physical causes such as medical problems, allergies, toxic conditions, and nutritional imbalances.

Safe Harbor was founded by L.A. businessman, Dan Stradford, who saw his father crippled by electroshock therapy and heavy medication in the late 1950s. He was unrecognizable after that, Stradford says. But 42 years later, through nutrient therapy, we have been able to free him from taking antipsychotic drugs. He regained dignity by getting that part of his life back.

A wide variety of physical ailments can cause mental upheaval, yet these often are not looked for by physicians, who can be quick to prescribe antidepressants or other medications. Even when a full physical exam is done, many causes, such as a zinc deficiency or copper excess, could remain hidden because few doctors consider looking for them, usually due to a lack of education in the area of nutrition or a limited understanding of the dangerous effects of the psychotropic drugs they prescribe.

AlternativeMentalHealth.com includes numerous informative articles on specific symptoms and possible natural remedies. Ms. Kidder has recently included an article on amino acids, a natural substance research has shown to have powerful benefits without non-optimum side effects.

The simple fact, says Kidder, is that an extraordinary number of people dislike the effects that psychiatric medication has on them. It can dull the senses and cause all kinds of emotional and physical reactions. I know I was very upset to find out that very simple and logical alternatives existed but no doctor ever told me about them.

Psychiatric drug use has increased sharply in recent decades. In the 1960s, when tranquilizers first came on the market, Valium rapidly became the most prescribed drug in medical history.

Antidepressants and anti-anxiety agents are still widely in use. The Family Research Council estimates that 6 million American children are currently taking psychiatric drugs, primarily for Attention Deficit Disorder. Newsweek reports that prescription drug sales have doubled to $145 billion in the past five years.

The use of nutrient therapy for mental disorders has been around since the 1940s. Double-Nobel-prize-winner Linus Pauling was a champion of it and referred to it as orthomolecular (correct molecule) treatment. Research concentrates on extensive lab testing of subjects to determine what metabolic abnormalities they have in common.

One pioneer of nutrient therapy, Dr. Abram Hoffer of Canada, has used a nutrient protocol on schizophrenia, which has proven highly effective in six double-blind studies. The protocol is available free at AlternativeMentalHealth.com.

AlternativeMentalHealth.com. is here to give Americans of all ages a choice through education and access to doctors nationwide who are experts in fields such as nutritional deficiencies, hormonal and metabolic disorders, and other things that can cause mental suffering, said Stradford. Many people are seeking alternatives to the often devastating effects of electroshock therapy or years on drugs. If we help one of them, then we have accomplished our goals.

For further information on http://alternativementalhealth.com/ contact Dan Stradford at 818-890-1862 or Christie Communications at 805-969-3744.

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