Q: With the financial crisis, have you seen more people with suicide attempts in the ER?

Stephanie – Henderson, NV

A:

Congratulations to you, Stephanie, for the most morbid question of the week. The answer is no, thank goodness, I have not seen more people with suicide attempts due to the economic crisis. I have seen quite a few people with anxiety who are struggling with financial problems, losing their job, family stress, etc. I would certainly strongly encourage anyone who is battling depression, or considering suicide for any reason to please get help. If you don’t know where to go, or who to talk to, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-TALK), or go to your local Emergency Department.

The stock market stresses the heart and more

Q:

 

 

 

Can anxiety from the economic meltdown cause a heart attack?

A:

The fact that we are not seeing 1000 heart attacks per day probably means that this economic meltdown is not actually causing heart attacks directly. But are we seeing more anxiety problems and panic attacks? You bet! Any ER doctor will tell you that anxiety is a big component of our work, mostly because people get concerning symptoms with anxiety such as chest pain, trouble breathing, numbness, tingling, palpitations, and the like. It can actually be difficult sorting out which patients are just anxious and which ones have a true medical problem going on, and often times, some tests are in order.

I remember working in Los Angeles after the Northridge earthquake, and many people came in with severe anxiety, trouble sleeping, chest pain, etc. The financial problems going on right now are absolutely causing people stress, and we are seeing them in the ER regularly. I’m always happy when I can tell patients that their symptoms are not due to a major medical problem, but unfortunately it doesn’t do much for their financial woes.  I also feel that stress, in general, can cause long term health problems, if not managed appropriately.