Anxiety

Richard Lucas often described himself as confident and fearless before he began to experience the effects of stress and anxiety. When at work five years ago, Lucas had immense chest pains and was rushed to the ER because he thought he was experiencing a heart attack. After examination, the doctors told him that the pain was induced by stress. He was released from the hospital with over the counter drugs and Lucas believed he would be fine. Within the next few years, Richard had gone to the ER 25 times and had made 30 doctor's appointments to help get rid of his excruciating chest pains. Finally, the doctors came to the conclusion that Lucas had severe anxiety, or "panic disorder." In this article, Lucas reaches out to others affected by anxiety and says to not let it control their lives. He argues that anxiety is just as dangerous as any other physical disease, and just because its a mental disease does not mean it can be disregarded.