Manufacturing high Anxiety: A doctor demystifies our culture of fear

By Greg Guma | Vermont Guardian

posted October 14, 2005

“Are you and your family at risk?” Almost anyone who watches television has heard that teaser during the news. The answer is often no, but the question itself has the power to set off a panic reaction that leads people to rush out for the latest cure or recommended precaution.

Several years ago, Dr. Marc Siegel, a practicing internist in New York and frequent guest on TV news programs, began to notice what he calls “free-floating communicated fear” was causing his patients to personalize risks that were actually quite remote. In his new book, False Alarm: The truth about the epidemic of fear, he has assembled a convincing case that, misdirected by political opportunists and irresponsible media, we too often worry about the wrong things, and that fear itself poses a greater risk than any “bug du jour.”

Part of the problem lies in our brains, specifically the amygdala — the central station for processing emotions like fear, hate, love, and bravery. Once it detects a threatening situation, it pours out stress hormones. But if the stress persists too long, it can malfunction, overwhelm the hippocampus (the center of our “thinking” brain), and be difficult to turn off.

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