Health Expert Dr. Kleiner shares health management news and commentary at HealthCentral.com. HealthCentral.com is one of the top health destinations on the Web, with more than 35 condition-specific, wellness and general health Web properties. http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/8468/index http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/8468/rss self application/xml en-us 15 120 19 http://www.healthcentral.com/images/hc_logo_sm.gif http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/8468/index http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/8468/59371/anxiety-workplace Fri, 13 Feb 2009 11:19:00 -0500 Dr. Kleiner Two factors create anxiety: uncertainty and lack of control. The current economic climate is thus a perfect storm for stress, anxiety, even panic at the workplace. Those who have already been laid off are dealing with bad news in one fell, clarifying swoop.But those who remain face that dreaded duo of feelings that engenders anxiety. Layoffs are often announced without warning and are "effective immediately" - hence the dark, uncertainty that... http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/8468/59371/anxiety-workplace http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/8468/55738/anxiety-economy Thu, 15 Jan 2009 10:24:43 -0500 Dr. Kleiner News of the current financial crises is everywhere. Foreclosures on homes continue. Several banks and insurance companies are still in a tailspin. Many of us have watched our lifetime savings dwindle to a fraction of their original value. Financial downturns have occurred before and most readers have lived through at least one other recession. This recession, however, will likely be longer and deeper. Here are some thoughts to help us with the... http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/8468/55738/anxiety-economy http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/8468/50871/holiday-anxiety Tue, 02 Dec 2008 13:30:00 -0500 Dr. Kleiner It’s holiday time. That means food, cheer, preparation and company. Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday. We enjoy family, guests, food and we express our Thanksgiving. It also means anxiety. Some of us play host. Others are guests. Still others have more solitary affairs.   Remember our formula: anxiety = (uncertainty) x (poor sense of control).   Being host to a large gathering is like planning a wedding. One has control,... http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/8468/50871/holiday-anxiety http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/8468/49559/rationalization Thu, 20 Nov 2008 11:19:00 -0500 Dr. Kleiner Often, when something makes us anxious, we try to avoid it. If moving our belongings makes us anxious, we hire movers. If doing our taxes overwhelms us, we hire an accountant. These are healthy alternatives to doing anxious tasks.   What if we do not have an alternative method for completing an anxiety-provoking task? We may choose to simply ignore it. This is more common than we realize. Say, for example, we are anxious about paying our... http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/8468/49559/rationalization http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/8468/48616/anatomy-anxiety Thu, 13 Nov 2008 10:16:00 -0500 Dr. Kleiner In the next four sections, I will discuss anxiety from a biological and evolutionary perspective.   Stress and anxiety are often associated with the clamor or modern life. Yet, “stress” is ancient. Most animals have a stress response. The “anatomy” or biochemistry (if not the triggers of stress) has similar features across many mammals. For us humans, anxiety is complicated. Some is useful if it leads to motivation... http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/8468/48616/anatomy-anxiety http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/8468/27743/understanding-panic Tue, 13 May 2008 14:44:51 -0400 Dr. Kleiner Many of the questions that have come over this blog have been about the origin of, or the "why" of anxiety. In the last blog, we discussed panic disorder. Before we discuss the treatment of panic attacks, lets at some of the underlying physiologic phenomena that animate these attacks. Hopefully, doing so will help us understand something about anxiety in general.   The prevalence of panic disorder is between 1%-3%. Sensation of... http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/8468/27743/understanding-panic http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/8468/27015/panic-disorders Mon, 05 May 2008 14:16:09 -0400 Dr. Kleiner The word "anxiety" is frequently tossed around. "Anxiety", after all is not a diagnosis, but a subjective feeling. It may even be something that is temporarily helpful, as in the case of having situational anxiety. Not all situational anxiety, of course is helpful, but at times it can be. For example anxiety before an exam in school helps us study harder and anxiety one week before April 15th ("Tax Day"), may help us get our taxes in order.... http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/8468/27015/panic-disorders http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/8468/21164/anxiety-guilt Tue, 15 Apr 2008 14:06:00 -0400 Dr. Kleiner There are many sources of anxiety. One interesting psychodynamic source of anxiety is guilt. What is guilt? This is not an easy question to answer.  The concept of guilt is an elusive one. The best answer I have come across, and one that fits with what I have observed in my patients, is that guilt has something to do with the feeling of "needing to be punished." In other words, if I cheat on a test, and get away with it,... http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/8468/21164/anxiety-guilt http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/8468/24392/anxiety-stress Mon, 07 Apr 2008 11:20:00 -0400 Dr. Kleiner Two Patients. Albert never thought twice about mental health. He was a 53 year old male graphic designer in an advertising firm. His confident but calm, self-assured manner charmed his friends and co-workers. He loved his work. Married with two children, he was a happy, devoted father and husband. A friend of his from high school had experienced some "depression" and "anxiety," and occasionally Albert himself had... http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/8468/24392/anxiety-stress http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/8468/22836/anxiety-disorder Tue, 25 Mar 2008 11:04:00 -0400 Dr. Kleiner RuminationsSteven M Kleiner, MD  I have a distinct memory from my college days. I lived in a dorm room and periodically I would open up my refrigerator door in search of something to eat. Being a male college student, my eyes often met empty shelves - save some condiments such as salad dressing or ketchup. I would close the refrigerator door and go about my business, maybe to socialize or study. Then, ten minutes later I would open the... http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/8468/22836/anxiety-disorder