The Voice of Anxiety Kit Saltzsieder Capstone 2014
Contents Diagnose and Prescribe Precedent Literature People Intervention Prototypes Where to?
Panic Disorder: A psychiatric disorder involving distinct
episodes of intense anxiety (panic attacks), which develop abruptly and seemingly without any adequate precipitating event. These episodes, which tend to reach highest intensity over a period of a few minutes and last for an unpredictable amount of time, cause consternation to those affected partly because of their unpredictably. Some people have attacks triggered by certain situations, and can learn to avoid triggers.
Anxiety: A condition of nervous unrest, common to some
degree in most people, but at times reaching the proportions of a psychiatric disorder; for some it is associated with fear of a future catastrophe, while others may be more vague about such thoughts, having what is referred to as “free-floating anxiety.�
Diagnose and Prescribe
Think you might have Anxiety? The internet can let you know...
Once the diagnosis is clear, there are several paths to recovery that can be taken.
Psychotherapy
Cognitive therapy is a form of treatment that allows the individual to try to stop the onset of a panic attack. There are multiple methods that a patient trains themselves in order to prevent a panic attack from happening or progressing. A factor to most panic attacks or anxiety attacks is the individual being hyper-aware of their body movements or feelings that they may associate with a panic attack, which can often cause another one. Other therapy methods include keeping a journal that includes the circumstances at the occurrence of a panic attack, allowing patient and therapist to study.
Psychodynamics
This is the observation of the defense mechanisms patients used that are subconsciously triggered to avoid distress.
Natural Medications
Vit B-12, Vit B-6, Omega-3 fatty acids are natural occurrences that promote healthy production of serotonin.
Psychotropics (Prescriptions)
Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), Serotonin-specific reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), and Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), which are used to reduce panic attacks. Each has side effects that effect the daily life of the individual.
Psychotherapy
Average Brain
Behavior Balance
Sensory Emotion
Speech
Here is a rough similation of a brain that does not suffer from anxiety, and a brain that has a more severe version of anxiety.
Anxiety Brain
Behavior Balance
Sensory Emotion
Speech
Emotions and Sensory receptors are heightened in the anxiety brain and become more sensitive. Through psychodynamic observation, a therapist can help to train a person with anxiety to desensitize themselves from things that might over-stimulate these sections of the brain, and find balance.
Psychotropics Here are some psychotropic options for anxiety, depression, OCD, and other things that effect the brain.
Tricyclic Antidepressants (TCAs) Serotonin-specific reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)
Anafranil Asendin Celexa Elavil Lexapro Luvox Norpramin Pamelor Paxil Prozac Sinequan Surmontil Tofranil Vivacitil
Anti-Panic Agents
Klonopin Xanax Zoloft
Highlighted in black are medications that are prescribed mainly for general to severe anxiety. What’s interesting about this, is that the brands on the left are labeled as being for things like OCD and depression, not anxiety and panic. The brands on the right, have very high addiction records and are commonly sold illegally.
Anafranil Asendin Celexa Elavil Lexapro Luvox Norpramin Pamelor Paxil Prozac Sinequan Surmontil Tofranil Vivacitil
Klonopin Xanax Zoloft
If medications are so addictive...
..why do I reach for the bottle first?
In addition to the fact that medications can have very addictive qualities, they also have long lasting effects that aren’t always common knowledge to the people that are taking them. There is nothing wrong with taking medications for a chemical imbalance if that is what is decidedly necessary to relieve a person from their daily anxiety.
Precedent
Rosary
To keep track of repetitions of prayers, pebbles, knotted strings, and prayer beads (which would come to be called rosaries) were used. Such mnemonic devices added a visual and tactile dimension to the vocal repetitions of prayers, allowing supplicants to see and feel the accumulation of their spiritual efforts.
Classen, Constance. Studies in Sensory History : Deepest Sense : A Cultural History of Touch. Urbana, IL, USA: University of Illinois Press, 2012. p 32. http://site.ebrary.com/lib/uarts/Doc?id=10651016&ppg=53 Copyright Š 2012. University of Illinois Press. All rights reserved.
EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique)
Tapping
Temples
Eyebrows
Cheeks Upper Lip Chin
Collar Bone
Under Arms
EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) is an energy psychology technique based on the principles of Chinese acupuncture founded by Dr. Gary Craig; an engineer and performance coach. EFT helps to clear the blocks to healing from painful experiences, stress, physical pain etc. with remarkable speed and long lasting effects. It is basically an emotional version of acupuncture without needles.
Stern, Ruth. “EFT / Emotional Freedom Technique.� EFT. N.p., n.d. Web. EFT practitioner and licensed mental health counselor. (www.taptotransform.com)
Worry Stones
Worry stones are smooth polished gemstones that are typically oval shaped and feature an area of indention for your thumb . Worry stones work by using a form of reflexology or nerve pressure that when rubbed promotes a feeling of calm and relaxation.
http://www.etsy.com/listing/24792474/choose-any-3-laser-engraved-worry-stones http://www.rainbowdoorways.com/blog/crystals/what-is-a-worry-stone/ *
Rubberbands
Living with anxiety requires far too much thinking. These rubber bands, and the little bit of pain that snapping them back on your arm causes, help bring you back to reality so that your thoughts are not causing you to feel like things around you are crashing. They are a great tool to remind you of something you need to remember, and they're nondescript – meaning they're one of the few anxiety treatments that few others will be able to notice, and they can be done almost anywhere.
http://www.calmclinic.com/anxiety/treatment/wrist-band http://www.publicdomainpictures.net/view-image.php?image=1866
Literature
Most of the literature I found has very out of date subject matter and I question the validity of some of it. I tried to pick out what I felt had ideas that were consistant with current events.
People
Elizabeth Age 20 Student, no other occupation
“Panicking about a situation, and not being able to control my emotions.� When asked to describe anxiety.
When anxiety strikes, she will pop her gum or bite her nails. Her therapist told her to practice counting to 5 and taking a deep breath to calm down. The counting allows her to focus on something other than what is making her anxious, distracting her brain enouch to allow panic to ease away. A lot of young people that she’s known have died and this fact adds to her anxiety. Having death as such a common idea from a young age like she was when these people passed is confusing for a child. She often finds herself thinking about these things and that creates panic.
Robert Age 36 Server at Hard Rock Cafe, Property Owner
“I couldn’t tell you my shoe size, because I’ve always just had someone do my shopping.” “The last time I was in an actual food store, all the carts, all the families, the toothpaste, the peanut butter options, it was just too much for me. I actually laid down in the fetal position. It was just too much.” He can’t be in crowded stores, it’s too overwhelming. He will either do his shopping online or have a friend do his shopping for him. Describes his anxiety as an overwhelming feeling of tension. Says that working in a restaurant doesn’t stress him out much because he feels more in control. He can make people wait for things so he doesn’t feel rushed.
“When I am overly anxious, I do everything in threes.”
Intervention
Journal Keeping
Psychiarists confirm that keeping a journal is a good way of getting rid of thoughts to clear the mind of anxiety. To test this idea for myself, I gave a few people journals to write down their thoughts during times of anxiety. This confirmed for me the effectiveness that journal keeping can have to soothe anxiety. I synthesized the data from the journals to find what was most common in them.
I found a few common themes within the journals. Most causes of a person’s anxiety or the on set of their panic begins with thoughts of death, whether it be they are worrying about their own death some day, or thinking about someone close to them who has died. Steming from that I’ve found that being in a particularly stressful environment, interacting with people in their lives, and things going in the world daily are over-arching themes that create a feeling of anxiety and panic.
Hectic Enviroments
Mortality
General Anxiety
Current events
Interacting with Individuals
Prototypes
Foam Forms Through these explorations I developed my hand in carving technique and was able to quickly draw with the foam, forms that represented what the people I have interviewed find relaxing.
Geometric shape that is pleasing to the eye and satisfies the rule of threes.
Organic shape. Associative with a few objects that may evoke pleasant feelings.
Round smooth shape that can mindlessly be interacted with and serve as a distraction.
Claw like shape the reminds the wearer to not fear their anxiety but take control.
Wood Forms
The idea behind making these objects out of wood was to use a natural material that was easily accessable and manipulated into an organic form. I would still like to continue to make some of these objects from wood, but I am aslo considering other materials such as stone
Where to?
It is my goal that this project develops into a useful tool to allow relief for people who experience anxiety in their daily lives. The form in which this tool will take shape I am not sure of yet and look forward to discovering.