The Anxiety of Anti-Anxiety Drugs 19 million Americans (about one in eight) between the ages of 18 and 54 suffer from anxiety disorders. (1) When I heard this statistic, I realized how important the discussion of such disorders was for the sciences. 1/8 of the most productive portion of the US population suffers from anxiety disorders. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), a division of the federal government's Institutes of Health, is engaged in research into the causes and treatment of these disorders. (2) Progress has been made by comparing animal studies with human studies in identifying specific areas of the brain. Anxiety is associated with fear of a specific object or situation, generalized fear and worry, recurring frightening memories, etc. The NIMH has found that a specific part of the brain, the amygdala, controls the body's automatic response to fear. When the brain is confronted with fear, it takes two courses of action. First, the brain transmits information to the cerebral cortex (the thinking part of the brain) to inform it of what specifically is endangering the individual. Second, the brain transmits the same information to the amygdala, so that the body can prepare for action. Beyond this information, not much is known about the causes or mechanisms of anxiety. Of course, understanding which parts of the brain are affected by or control anxiety is an important step. However, not much conclusive evidence or useful conclusions have been reached regarding anxiety. With this information in mind, I started thinking about my own experiences with anxiety. On one occasion I went to the emergency room, expressing inability to breathe and dizziness. It was concluded that I… half of paper… the brain, assuming that medications directly treat anxiety. It's a kind of process of elimination: it's a step in the scientific process of discovery. Therefore, perhaps prescribing such drugs will facilitate researchers. However, I think the scientific community should keep in mind the potential dangers of this method before applying its results directly to patients. References1) National Institute of Mental Health http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/anxresfact.cfm2) National Institute of Mental Health http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/anxresfact.cfm3) Medical Resources for neuropsychology and medical psychology http://www.driesen.com/index.html4) Medical resources for neuropsychology and medical psychology http://www.driesen.com/ssris.htm5) PDR Healthhttp://www.pdrhealth.com /drug_info/rxdrugprofiles/drugs/ata1035.shtml