Does worrying protect us from anxiety?

November 27 2002 - Worrying is bad for us. Not necessarily so, according to a study conducted at the University of Arkansas which shows that worrying may shield people from the effects of anxiety - at least in the short term.

Presenting the results of the study at the Association for Advancement of Behavior Therapy meeting in Reno, Nevada, Nathan Williams, assistant professor of psychology, explained that these protective benefits stem from the way people process potentially threatening information.

While anxiety tends to arise from fearful imagery, worry manifests in the form of words, Williams said. This difference is not just a matter of form, but it represents a difference in the way the brain interprets, processes and responds to information. Mental images have more instantaneous power to evoke emotional reaction, and this can lead to less logical, less effective responses to threatening information.

"Anxiety is driven by imagery, and that imagery leads to pure, raw emotion - often fear," Williams said. "Engaging in worry allows people to translate those images into words, and that process of translation can circumvent the efferent command center in the brain and reduce the raw, negative emotion associated with the imagery in the first place."

Williams tested the mitigating effects of worry on 96 individuals who were asked to view a series of images. 15 images represented what people would normally deem positive in content, 15 neutral and 15 negative. Participants were asked to code each image according to its level of pleasantness.

Then Williams administered a five-minute distraction task. After this, individuals were asked to recall as many of the 45 images as they could. The order of recall was recorded. This produced a measure of explicit memory - their ability to remember what they originally saw.

Participants also completed two psychometric scales, measuring their vulnerability to anxiety and their proclivity to worry.

"Cognitive vulnerability to anxiety is based on how people mentally simulate potentially threatening situations," Williams said. "We know from past research that people who are prone to anxiety interpret more of the information about their situation and surroundings as threatening. They attend to the negative details and envision negative outcomes."

Faced with a potential threat, everyone attempts to mentally simulate possible outcomes of the situation, Williams explained. But among those most vulnerable to anxiety, these simulations become systematically biased. They construct simulations on incomplete information; they perceive situations as involving rapidly-rising risk or danger and as swiftly leading toward dreaded ends.

Williams' study showed that people with a cognitive vulnerability to anxiety recalled more negative images than did invulnerable individuals. But the study also indicated that these effects were mitigated by an individual's level of worry. Participants who showed a high cognitive vulnerability to anxiety but who also reported engaging in worry recalled significantly fewer of the negative images.

Williams suggests that by employing language-based thought processes during the study - i.e., by worrying - these individuals mitigated the impact of the threatening images, in effect protecting themselves from the negative emotions or frame of mind that those images ordinarily would have triggered.

Understanding the means by which fearful emotions and reactions can be controlled may offer new coping strategies for people who suffer from anxiety disorders, Williams said. But he cautions that, despite its palliative effects, worry can become a problem in and of itself.

"We now know that worry can be self-protective, particularly for people prone to anxiety. But that doesn't change the fact that worry can be maladaptive if people engage in it rigidly, methodically, continuously," he said.

Previous article - Worry is a full time job

April 16 2001 - We all worry sometimes but a study of people with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) shows that sufferers have a full-time job ... just worrying. The nation wide survey released by Freedom From Fear reveals that GAD sufferers are worrying nearly 40 hours per week - almost three times more than the general population.

GAD affects around 5% of Americans. It is characterized by persistent, exaggerated worry, anxiety and tension about what may seem ordinary life or work circumstances to other people. There may be a serious impact on work, social and family relationships.

The survey, involving 1200 people, showed that job stability, finances and health were among the most common worries that keep Americans awake at night. These issues may worry many people - with or without GAD - but GAD sufferers were more seriously affected. For example, almost half of GAD sufferers surveyed said they had difficulty sleeping through the night because of worry - nearly three times the equivalent proportion of the general public.

"Worry means something quite different to the average person than to someone with generalized anxiety disorder. To the average person, worry is a realistic concern that is motivated by an actual or anticipated life situation," said Dr. Mark Olfson, Associate Professor of Clinical Psychiatry, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. "Yet to people with generalized anxiety disorder, worries are often way out of proportion to actual events. The worrying itself commonly interferes with their daily living."

The survey also showed that almost nine out of 10 of those with GAD said that their worst anxiety significantly interfered with their life - nearly twice greater than the general public. And almost 80% of GAD sufferers said they worried about making ends meet financially, nearly 25% more than the general public. From a work perspective over half those with GAD indicated that their anxiety was strong enough to affect their jobs (compared with under a quarter of the general public.

"The burden of worry on individuals with GAD often leads to a loss of revenue in the workplace due to factors such as poor productivity and increased absenteeism," states Paul E. Greenberg, Principal of Analysis Group/Economics in Cambridge, MA, and Director of the firm's Health Care Economics Practice. "Improved diagnosis and effective treatments will help reduce the long-term costs of anxiety disorders, including GAD, thus contributing to improved quality of life for people with anxiety."

The findings are supported by a study published in The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry which estimated that anxiety disorders cost America approximately $42 billion every year.

"This survey reinforces that GAD is a devastating condition that encompasses much more than everyday worry and anxiety and often prevents people from fully enjoying their lives," said Mary Guardino, executive director of Freedom From Fear. "We hope these findings will help people recognize the signs and symptoms of GAD and motivate them to seek professional help."