
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, October 7, 1995                   TAG: 9510090025
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-2   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: KENNETH SINGLETARY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG                                LENGTH: Medium

ANXIETY AND STRESS DISORDERS MAKE A PERSON'S WORLD SMALLER

Sometimes people who suffer from anxiety and stress feel like the world is closing in on them. Sadly, sometimes it is, counselors say, and what is even more unfortunate is that a diminishing world is something anxiety- and stress-sufferers bring upon themselves.

Dan DeVilbiss, a counselor at the Lewis-Gale Counseling Center in Christiansburg, calls this withdrawal a "circle of impairment." It comes in many forms, he says. People who don't feel comfortable in social situations spend time alone. People whose jobs are stressful may find excuses to avoid work. People who find driving, shopping, talking on the telephone, or any other activity stressful do those things as little as possible.

"The circle of what they do gets smaller and keeps getting smaller. Unfortunately, what they do is concentrate on what is safe," DeVilbiss said.

The impairment may happen progressively or suddenly, he said. Either way, it adds up to missed opportunities and less stimulation. For the estimated 20 percent to 30 percent of Americans who suffer from anxiety and stress disorders, their boundaries may be four walls.

But there is a lot of hope, DeVilbiss said. Though anxiety and stress, and the related panic disorders, are some of the most common mental disorders, they are also some of the most treatable.

Medications are becoming better, and doctors, parents and teachers are becoming more adept at spotting anxiety and stress disorders. Once a patient is referred to a counselor, DeVilbiss said, treatment can be rapid, though intense.

Often sufferers believe they are they only people who have the disorder.

"People see it as a sign of weakness," DeVilbiss said. "It's really important to see that they're not the only people this happens to."

DeVilbiss tries to teach coping techniques, ranging from identifying what is causing the stress to breathing exercises. Sometimes simply talking can be helpful, as can be the group therapy that support groups offer.

"A person often feels [he or she] could die from it, the symptoms are so strong," he said. Those symptoms include shortness of breath, heart palpitations, choking, dizziness, nausea, sweating and a feeling of losing control.

People who think they might be suffering from an anxiety and stress disorder, or any other mental illness, can get help from their family doctor, the Mental Health Association of the New River Valley or their local Community Services Board.

by CNB