Friday, June 20, 2008 LittleLamb asks

Q: Can starting a new job cause extreme anxiety?

I have been unemployed for over a year and a half. It was very difficult finding something because of my age (even though I don't look 58). I had lost my last job due to the company being sold. My mother had died about 10 months prior to that. She had been in a nursing home five years and due to what goes on in homes visited very day to feed her, bring her laundry and just general love her. We were very close. Prior to her becoming ill I had just lost a job of fifteen years and when she became ill she was supposed to come home. We had always lived together and during the time she was ill I had no support from my siblings. I held a medical and legal power of attorney for my mother even though she had no money. The nursing home years were a nightmare. Everything I had hoped was not true about them was. I was put on an antidepressant when my blood pressure went up and I couldn't stop my mind from racing. After my mother died I had a hard time adjusting to not being a caregiver but started to get it together. I went off the antidepressant about 8 months ago and felt fine. Now even though I am staring a new job next week that offers everything I want and need I am extremely anxious and fearful. I wound up taking a 25mg amount of the antidepressant that I still kept. What the heck is going on? Right now I really have no one to lend support.

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Answers (3)

Jennifer L. Fee, Psy.D. Psychologist, Health Guide

6/21/08 12:34am

While single stressful events can lead to a problem with anxiety, it is more likely that cummulative stress is responsible for extreme anxiety. By "cummulative stress" I mean a number of stressful events over the course of a year, or in your case, a number of years. To get a better idea of what I mean, check out the Stress Test.

There are several important things to note about the Stress Test. One is that positive changes as well as negative events are considered stressful. So, even though your new job may be great and it may be a very good thing that you have it, it is still a significant change from being unemployed and changes are stressful.

Also note that each event on the Stress Test is assigned a number of points. While the exact value is somewhat arbitrary, the points reflect the fact that some events are far more stressful than others (i.e. the death of a spouse is far more stressful than Christmas, so the number of points reflects that). After you checking off all the stressful experiences one has experienced in the past year, you can get a "score." The higher your score, the more likely you are to develop a stress-related illness, and anxiety is one possibility!

So, for you, in addition to starting a new job you've experienced the loss of your old job, extended unemployment, the death of your mother, and some difficulties having her in a nursing home. It is likely that your anxiety is not caused by the new job alone, but everything put together .... cummulative stress.

I hope that you will seek the help of a therapist to sort this all out as well as to get some help in relieving your anxiety. There are referrals on the Psychology Today website as well as the Anxiety Disorders Association of America's website.

Warm Regards,

Dr. Jennifer Fee

Richard G. Wirtz, Psy.D., Health Guide

6/22/08 1:31pm

Dear LL - You have certainly been through some very challenging times and Dr. Fee's thoughtful response to your question hopefully helped you understand how these types of events in a person's life affect the way you have been feeling. It might also be helpful to you if you can identify the specific fears that you have been experiencing. Sometimes we become troubled by very irrational fears that we can very successfully challenge if we take some time to really examine them. Cognitive approaches to anxiety teach people to engage in just that kind of examination and then begin to look closely at the likelihood of the feared event really taking place. In your case, this might involve thinking about the jobs you have performed successfully and determining what that success

can tell you about the likelihood that you will have any significant

problems in this new job. It is also possible that some of the anxiety that you have been experiencing is related to the many feelings that you might have had in response to your mother's death. The thought of starting a new chapter in your life without your mother around may make it seem all the more difficult. I agree with Dr. Fee that it might be helpful to contact a therapist to help you address all of these important issues in order to help you feel more like your typical self. Finally, just a word about use of antidepressants in response to acute stress / anxiety. These medications are very helpful but they are not designed to work quickly. Take a look at the Feature of the Week on the

AnxietyConnection.com homepage for Anxiety Drug Information

or check out MyDepressionConnection.com for descriptions of antidepressants. If you believe that you might need some medication for short-term anxiety relief please contact your primary physician. Hope this was helpful!

Dr. Rick Wirtz

Kathy

7/27/10 1:05am

Hi, I have anxiety and am in a program with the Midwest Center for Anxiety and Stress. Please go to their website for help www.stresscenter.com

Q: Can starting a new job cause extreme anxiety?

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