LeAnn Rimes Seeks Treatment for Anxiety and Stress

Country singer LeAnn Rimes has voluntarily checked herself into a treatment center to deal with anxiety and stress.

Her representative, Marcel Pariseau, told People magazine:

LeAnn has voluntarily entered a 30 day in-patient treatment facility to cope with anxiety and stress. While there will be speculation regarding her treatment, she is simply there to learn and develop coping mechanisms. While privacy isn’t expected, it’s certainly appreciated.

Pariseau points out that Rimes in not seeking treatment for an eating disorder or substance abuse. LeAnn’s thin frame has been the subject of speculation about whether is has an eating disorder. Rimes has repeated denied those rumors.

Rimes added:

This is just a time for me to emotionally check out for a second and take care of myself and come back in 30 days as the best 30-year-old woman I can be…. All the things in my life will be there when I get out, but you know what? I’m hoping they’re not going to affect me as much. I’ll have the tools to know how to deal with them.

Rimes has an upcoming studio album, entitled Spitfire, and will still be able to keep her weekend tour obligations during the month.

I’m worried I have an anxiety disorder…

Anxiety Disorders affect about 40 million American adults age 18 years and older (about 18%) in a given year, causing them to be filled with fearfulness and uncertainty.

Unlike the relatively mild, brief anxiety caused by a stressful event (such as speaking in public or a first date), anxiety disorders last at least 6 months and can get worse if they are not treated.

Anxiety disorders commonly occur along with other mental or physical illnesses, including alcohol or substance abuse, which may mask anxiety symptoms or make them worse. In some cases, these other illnesses need to be treated before a person will respond to treatment for the anxiety disorder.

Anxiety disorders can be manifested in a variety of ways:

• Panic disorder
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD),
• Social phobia (or social anxiety disorder)
• Specific phobias
• Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

Today we will concentrate on General Anxiety Disorder. People with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) go through the day filled with exaggerated worry and tension, even though there is little or nothing to provoke it. They anticipate disaster and are overly concerned about health issues, money, family problems, or difficulties at work. Sometimes just the thought of getting through the day produces anxiety.

GAD is diagnosed when a person worries excessively about a variety of everyday problems for at least 6 months.

GAD affects about 6.8 million adult Americans and about twice as many women as men.

The disorder comes on gradually and can begin across the life cycle, though the risk is highest between childhood and middle age.

There is evidence that genes play a modest role in GAD.

People with GAD can’t seem to get rid of their concerns, even though they usually realize that their anxiety is more intense than the situation warrants. They can’t relax, startle easily, and have difficulty concentrating. Often they have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep.

Physical symptoms that often accompany the anxiety include fatigue, headaches, muscle tension, muscle aches, difficulty swallowing, trembling, twitching, irritability, sweating, nausea, lightheadedness, having to go to the bathroom frequently, feeling out of breath, and hot flashes.

When their anxiety level is mild, people with GAD can function socially and hold down a job. Although they don’t avoid certain situations as a result of their disorder, people with GAD can have difficulty carrying out the simplest daily activities if their anxiety is severe.

Other anxiety disorders, depression, or substance abuse often accompany GAD, which rarely occurs alone. GAD is commonly treated with medication or cognitive-behavioral therapy, but co-occurring conditions must also be treated using the appropriate therapies.

In general, anxiety disorders are treated with medication, specific types of psychotherapy, or both. Treatment choices depend on the problem and the person’s preference.

To learn more about Anxiety Disorders, click here to go to the Resounding Health Casebook.