I'm not sure how I would handle this since I am classic 'logical positivist'. I'd have to collect some data--but gee whiz, what a great idea for some research!!!!
Annette Quoting Rick Froman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>: > The following was in the Wall Street Journal today. I have been asked to > comment on it in the media and I wonder if anyone has any response to it. Is > this basically another headline like "World to End on Thursday -- Women and > Elderly Hardest Hit"? Or is there something to the fact that the elderly as a > group are likely to be overcome by depression from the war coverage. Opinions > are OK but I am hoping someone has some evidence. The article basically > quotes clinicians involved in the treatment of the elderly and they don't > strike me as experts on the extent to which the reactions of the elderly > compare to those of other age groups or even to what extent the elderly > outside of their clinical practice would be likely to be affected by the > television coverage. Also does the article confuse clinical depression with > some other disorder that or simply sadness that may come from horrific > memories being aroused? I snipped the anecdotes to make the parts I am > interested in stand out and to make the excerpt shorter. Any thoughts? > > Rick > > Dr. Rick Froman > Associate Professor of Psychology > John Brown University > Siloam Springs, AR 72761 > (479) 524-7295 > e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > web: http://www.jbu.edu/academics/sbs/rfroman.asp > > [snip anecdotal case] > > While Americans of all ages are anxious about the war in Iraq and terrorism, > older adults -- the so-called greatest generation -- appear to be at the > highest risk for developing emotional and physical problems. The nation's > 70-plus population, who survived the Great Depression and helped win World > War II, has long been known for its bootstrapping bravado. But today, these > same individuals, according to doctors and therapists who work with older > patients, are more likely to fall victim to depression and associated > illnesses as the conflict in the Middle East drags on. > > "The people we worry about now are too anxious to exercise, can't sleep, > don't feel like eating -- the secondary consequences of anxiety," says > Jerilyn Ross, a psychotherapist and president and chief executive of the > Anxiety Disorders Association of America, Silver Spring, Md. > > In part, that vulnerability stems from older adults having more leisure time > to worry and to "have the TV on all the time," Dr. Ross notes. Beyond that, > individuals age 70 and older, like Mr. Anderson, often have painful memories > of the 1930s and 1940s -- memories that war and terrorism rekindle. > > "These people have been holding in frightening things for 50 years that are > just coming out now," says William McDonald, director of the Fuqua Center for > Late-Life Depression. The center is part of Emory University's health-care > arm and housed at the Wesley Woods Center, which has day programs, including > Mr. Anderson's, retirement apartments and a nursing home. > > [snip anecdotal case] > > Many older adults may fail to recognize that they need help. Often, an > elderly person will dismiss red flags of depression -- stomachaches and > sleeplessness, among others -- as "a case of the nerves," says Dr. McDonald. > But left unchecked, such physical symptoms could have serious health > consequences. > > [snip anecdotal case] > > Such fears are understandable among older adults. "They aren't as mobile as > they once were," says Dr. Ross in Maryland, who has been talking to the > director of her own parents' retirement community in suburban Washington, > D.C., about ways to allay residents' worries. "There's a real anxiety that if > something happens, they can't get out fast enough. It's more of a helpless > feeling I think than even some of the younger people have. They want more > security guards, they want more plans for escape." > > > > > > > --- > You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Annette Kujawski Taylor, Ph. D. Department of Psychology University of San Diego 5998 Alcala Park San Diego, CA 92110 [EMAIL PROTECTED] --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
