原文来自TIME:

Undertreated
Anxiety

By
David Bjerklie | Tuesday, May. 30,
2006 |
Permalink

Anxiety may be the most common mentaldisorderexperienced by
older adults, affecting one in 10 people over the age of 60,
according to research presented at the Annual Meeting of the
American Psychiatric Association in Toronto. Despite its
prevalence, anxiety remains one of the most undiagnosed and
undertreated conditions in this population.
Examples of anxiety disorders include panic disorder, obsessive
compulsive disorder, phobias and generalized anxiety disorder
(GAD). GAD is characterized by exaggerated, uncontrollable worries
about everyday things. While many worrisome events occur as people
age and while it is normal for people to be concerned about such
things as deteriorating health and financial troubles, people with
GAD tend to worry excessively and constantly.
"Studies have shown that generalized anxietydisorder is more
common in the elderly, affecting seven per cent of seniors, than
depression, which affects about three per cent of seniors.
Surprisingly, there is little research that has been done on this
disorder in the elderly," said Eric J. Lenze, M.D., assistant
professor of psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of
Medicine. "Doctors often think that this disorder is rare in the
elderly or that it is a normal part of aging, so they don't
diagnose or treat anxiety in their older patients, when, in fact,
anxiety is quite common in the elderly and can have a serious
impact on quality of life."
This constant level of worry can have negative, and sometimes
even disabling, effects on a person's life. Many people with GAD
have trouble sleeping or limit their daily activities due to their
anxiety. Untreated anxiety can also lead to anxiousdepression - a
condition that is more difficult to treat and carries a higher risk
of suicide than depression.

"Anxiety in people over age 60 might has some similarities to
anxiety in those younger, but it also has marked differences. We
can't just assume that we can treat the two age groups the same,"
said Dr. Lenze. "We are decades behind where we need to be in
terms of research and treatments for anxiety in this older age
group." There are, however, encouraging signs that studies are
beginning to address treatment options.
What It Means: Anxious older adults and their
families should be aware of the prevalence of anxiety disorders.
Excessive fretting should not be considered an inevitable sign of
aging. A small pilot study conducted at the University of
Pittsburgh has shown that an anti-depressant drug was also
effective in treating anxiety in older adults. Additional studies
hope to address the role of cognitive behavioral therapy or other
therapies for anxiety in the elderly. There are indeed enough
things to worry about when growing older. But uncontrollable,
excessive worry shouldn't be among them.

• mental [´mentl] a.精神的；心理的 (初中英语单词)
• research [ri´sə:tʃ] n.&vi.调查；探究；研究 (初中英语单词)
• annual [´ænjuəl] a.每年的 n.年刊 (初中英语单词)
• despite [di´spait] prep.尽管 (初中英语单词)
• anxiety [æŋ´zaiəti] n.挂念；渴望；焦虑的事 (初中英语单词)
• normal [´nɔ:məl] a.正规的 n.正常状态 (初中英语单词)
• financial [fi´nænʃəl] a.金融的，财政的 (初中英语单词)
• pittsburgh [´pitsbə:g] n.匹兹堡 (初中英语单词)
• constant [´kɔnstənt] a.坚定的；坚贞的 (初中英语单词)
• sleeping [´sli:piŋ] n.&a.睡着(的) (初中英语单词)
• anxious [´æŋkʃəs] a.担忧的；渴望的 (初中英语单词)
• depression [di´preʃən] n.沮丧，抑郁；萧条 (初中英语单词)
• treatment [´tri:tmənt] n.待遇；对待；治疗 (初中英语单词)
• additional [ə´diʃənəl] a.附加的，额外的 (初中英语单词)
• disorder [dis´ɔ:də] n.杂乱 vt.扰乱 (高中英语单词)
• everyday [´evridei] a.每日的，日常的 (高中英语单词)
• concerned [kən´sə:nd] a.有关的；担心的 (高中英语单词)
• negative [´negətiv] a.否定的 n.否定词 (高中英语单词)
• suicide [´su:isaid, ´sju:-] n.&a.自杀(者)(的) (高中英语单词)
• inevitable [i´nevitəbəl] a.不可避免的 (高中英语单词)
• experienced [ik´spiəriənst] a.有经验的；熟练的 (英语四级单词)
• elderly [´eldəli] a. 较老的，年长的 (英语四级单词)