I have an android cell phone, two laptops in my office, connectivity to a host of online news sources, daily news alerts, and cable television in almost every room of my home. Compound this with satellite radio in the car, plasma screens in the gym, and constant electronic messaging and access anywhere I walk, drive, or fly too. The ability to Skype, email, or gain instant access to friends and family is welcomed and brought us much closer; the level of fear, panic and anxiety has grown exponentially. The destruction of the Berlin Wall opened a whole new world to a population that has been cut off and starved for information. On a global perspective, the Internet has done the same. The only problem is the need to fill all the channels with content has exacerbated stories of financial crises, war, hunger, poverty, terrorism, bulling, and more.
Here is a rundown of the last 24-hours:
- Early morning news: Stock market falling over 400 points, European economic crises, second and deeper recession ahead for the United States.
- Work out at the gym: Six plasma screen monitors facing the treadmills and elliptical – CNN, FOX, HSN, and E on the screens. The choice is a story on terrorism, a 15-year old gay youth committing suicide because of being bulling on line, the Federal Reserve announcements about recession.
- Work day: 12 different news sources ranging from Wall Street Journal to Modern Healthcare.
- Drive-time: Satellite radio access to talking heads covering similar stories and including perspective pieces about low Presidential ratings, fighting in Israel, and the plight of the working poor – hunger.
- Evening news during dinner: shootings in the city.
- Evening television: Four series beginning with “ripped from today’s headlines.”
Any and all of this could be turned off with a click or touch. The barrage of fear-laden and anxiety producing communication and information simply cannot be removed. The connectivity we are so excited for and the global understanding that is innate in our ability to cohabitate is lauded. With all of this information, the reality of pain and fear in our communities is highlighted. Our excitement to go on Facebook and connect with friends is tempered by clinical depression, fear, and panic that invades our day to day lives.
The fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) is in development by the American Psychiatric Association (APA). Until the publication in 2013, the organization is discussing revision and changes. One of the changes is proposed to be made to the diagnostic criteria for panic disorder. The diagnostic criteria for panic disorders will become separate and distinct diagnoses (currently it is linked with agoraphobia). Diagnostic criteria will include relentless concern about facing another attack, changes in behaviors in an attempt to avoid future attacks, or a combination of both of these actions for a month or longer. An example provided is the individual who has had panic attacks and is preoccupied with worry that they will go crazy or lose control during their next attack.
I grew up watching the CBS Evening News during dinner. Our kitchen table was the equivalent of an information hub. We grew up with an appreciation of understanding the world around us, accepting responsibility to repair the world, and making informed decisions. The result is I have become a self-confessed news junkie. The idea of retreating from all of the information available is difficult. The isolationist in the mid 1900’s kept the United States from entering WW II and potentially altering the destruction of millions. The growing isolationism in the current environment is creating crippling discord in government, industry, and our families.
Too much of anything can be dangerous.
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