| While the whole world was masquerading in scary | | | | said that there's a trick to panic attack. "You're |
| and outrageous costumes during Halloween, a team | | | | experiencing this powerful discomfort but you're |
| of scientists was making progress with the latest | | | | getting tricked into treating it like danger", said |
| study on irrational fear. Results of this study are | | | | Carbonell. |
| expected to expand current knowledge about | | | | There is a possibility that by learning how fear runs |
| treatments for major medical problems concerning | | | | through the brain and body, scientists can improve on |
| irrational fear. | | | | how to dampen fear. |
| "We're taking all of what we learned from the basic | | | | Amygdala, an almond-shaped part of the deep brain, |
| studies of animals and bringing that into the clinical | | | | is the fear hot spot. New York University psychology |
| practices that help people. Things are starting to | | | | and neural science professor Elizabeth Phelps said |
| come together in a very important way," said | | | | that amygdala is not the one responsible for all fear |
| Stephen Maren, a psychology professor from the | | | | response but acts like a burglar alarm that connects |
| University of Michigan. | | | | to everything else. |
| The National Institute of Mental Health revealed that | | | | It was found that a certain chemical reaction in the |
| about 40 million Americans suffer from anxiety | | | | amygdala is vital in the way mice and people learn to |
| disorders. Being a basic primal emotion, fear is a key | | | | overcome fear, according to Emory University |
| to evolutionary survival which we share in common | | | | psychiatry and psychology professor Michael Davis. |
| with animals. Aside from genetics, traumatic events | | | | Mice never learn to counter their fears when that |
| are closely associated with the development of | | | | reaction is deactivated. |
| overwhelming and needless fear. | | | | D-cycloserine, a drug already used to fight |
| Ted Abel, a fear researcher at the University of | | | | hard-to-treat tuberculosis, was found to strengthen |
| Pennsylvania considers fear to be a funny thing. " | | | | that good chemical reaction in mice. When combined |
| One needs enough of it, but not too much of it," said | | | | with therapy, it produces the same effect on people |
| Abel. | | | | who have a fear of heights, and is now being tested |
| According to Armi Rowe, a Connecticut freelance | | | | in survivors of the World Trade Center attacks and |
| writer and mother, she used to be one of those | | | | the Iraq war. |
| rational types who are usually calm under pressure. | | | | Recent studies have shown that people easily |
| She is not afraid to downhill ski the treacherous black | | | | recognize fear in other humans faster than other |
| diamond trails of snowy mountains. One day, | | | | emotions. Other studies have suggested that bodily |
| however, while coping with some serious illnesses in | | | | functions change just by being very afraid. One |
| her family, she felt fear closing in on her while she | | | | study found that very frightened people can |
| was driving alone. She thought that the stab of pain | | | | withstand more pain than those not experiencing |
| on her chest was a heart attack and called 911. | | | | fear. Another found that experiencing fear or merely |
| Later on, it was learned that what happened was an | | | | perceiving it in others improved people's attention and |
| anxiety attack. | | | | brain skills. |
| With the help of counseling, self-study coping | | | | According to Carbonell, since the normal response for |
| exercises and introspection, Rowe learned to manage | | | | dealing with a real threat is either to flee or fight, the |
| such attacks early on. David Carbonell, a Chicago | | | | best way to deal with fear when the threat is unreal |
| psychologist specializing in treating anxiety disorders, | | | | is to do just the opposite: "Wait it out and chill. |