Crisis may fuel anxiety

Mental health professionals in the Charleston area are bracing for a possible wave of anxiety and depression in the wake of the economic crisis. But for now, people are still trying to figure out how it will affect them.

Mount Pleasant psychiatrist Noel Hunt likened the crisis to watching a hurricane forming in the Atlantic Ocean. Not knowing when it will hit and how bad it will be fuels anxiety, he said.

"I don't think the impact has truly hit Main Street," said David Shiel, director of clinical services at Palmetto Lowcountry Behavioral Health.

Shiel compared the delay to what happened after Hurricane Hugo in 1989. Initially, people were in shock, he said. After a few weeks, patients started showing up at their doctors' offices, and the referrals to therapists and hospitals followed.

Early manifestations of the stress will probably surface in emergency rooms, said Stephen McLeod-Bryant, associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Medical University of South Carolina.

People could show up complaining of chest pains and headaches related to stress and tension, he said.

McLeod-Bryant also compared the economy to a natural disaster. Experts used to think that people would need mental-health support in the immediate aftermath, but in reality, it's the months that follow when anxiety and depression really sink in, he said.

"Energy is spent in the initial weeks and months attending to basic needs," he said. "It's probably coming down the road."

Major financial centers, such as New York or Charlotte, or areas of the country hit hardest by foreclosures are likely to experience increased rates of self-harm and substance abuse, experts said. Also, those on the verge of retirement are most at risk for anxiety and depression when they learn their nest eggs have been cut in half.

A poll released Tuesday by the American Psychological Association reported that nearly half of Americans said they were increasingly stressed about their ability to provide for their family's basic needs. Eight out of 10 said the economy is a significant cause of stress, up from 66 percent in April.

Women are bearing the brunt of the financial stress, the poll said. Middle-aged and older women were most likely to report the economy as a significant stressor.

"Folks who thought they had their ducks in a row are now realizing they don't," said Chip Taylor, assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at The Citadel.

Taylor, who also is public education coordinator for the South Carolina Psychological Association, said that stress can trickle down from parents to children.

"If you work until 6 or 7, come home worried about putting gas in your car and paying your mortgage and your children have hours of homework they need help with — parents are more fatigued and react differently," he said. "It has the potential to be a chronic difficulty."

To cope, nearly half of Americans are overeating or eating unhealthy foods to manage stress, the APA poll found. And almost one-fifth of the population reports drinking alcohol to manage their stress.

McLeod-Bryant said this is when people should try to maintain their routines and rituals the most.

Be mindful of your body with exercise, diet and sleep because physical reserves help with stress, he said.

"A lot of this is tied to the media," he said. "We have to put it down and give our minds a chance to digest what we've learned over the day."

Reach Jill Coley at 937-5719 or jcoley@postandcourier.com.