New Yorkers Suffer Collective Anxiety Disorder

Economic uncertainty has contributed to a 7 percent spike in prescriptions for sleep aids and 5 percent growth in anti-depressant and anti-anxiety drugs in New York City compared with a year earlier. The data are published by Crain’s New York and were collected by Wolters Kluwer Health, a global provider of medical information.

The spike was particularly evident in September, when an economic tsunami bankrupted Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc., forced Washington to bail out insurer American Insurance Group Inc., prompted Bank of America Corp. to rescue Merrill Lynch & Co., and led Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Morgan Stanley to reorganize as bank holding companies.

“If we looked to diagnose the city, I would say it has an anxiety disorder,” said Mel Schwartz, a psychotherapist with practices in the city and in Westport, Conn.

The following link to a short video is not from the Crain’s article but provides advice for those who are suffering from Irritable Bailout Syndrome – see Doctor Decline.