Government shutdown raises stress levels

Anxiety possibly on rise across United States

SAN ANTONIO – Officials in Washington, D.C. said Friday that talks should continue regarding the government shutdown and debt ceiling.
But while the talks continue, so does the shutdown and the psychological effects on people involved.
"Everyday, we find some new way that it's taking it's toll, not just on people's anxiety but their pocketbook," said Dr. Charles Bowden, professor of psychology and pharmacology at the UT Health Science Center in San Antonio. "There are so many different factors, that it'd be hard to anticipate how you would be affected until you're actually in the situation."
Bowden doesn't believe cases of depression will rise unless people are predisposed to the condition, but one in four people have high anxiety proneness, something he expects to show itself more every day.
"Anxiety is not necessarily bad, there are things we want to be worried," he said. "Worried enough to treat something seriously rather than shrug our shoulders about."
Liz Landeros of Austin, whose brother works for the IRS and has not been able to work for two weeks, said she's worried about the people affected by the shutdown.
"Everyday folks are just suffering, without daycare, without work, not able to buy groceries, and it's a real shame that the United States has come to this," Landeros said.
Courtney Daniel, who is not affected by the shutdown because she is self-employed, said she believes Americans are fed up with the politics.
"I think people are more frustrated with the people that are making the decisions, that they can't come together," Daniel said.
Bowden said adding to the stress levels is the fact that the shutdown came at the same time as the Affordable Care Act began to be implemented.
"Even a person who's relatively well in terms of his or her clinical state is looking to get information, and the information is less available than it would be if you had people doing their jobs," he said.

For a list of recent stories Charles Gonzalez has done, click here.

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