Dark shades of anxiety

When you listen to this loosely-written statement, uttered in a court room, without knowing the context, it is easy to read more into it, while the statement itself is ambiguous.

After all, if they aren’t dangerous, then why shouldn’t they own guns? Or, should this be accepted as true, because it was said by someone of a respected profession?

If they shouldn’t be allowed to own guns, then surely they must be dangerous! This means we should be scared of these people, because they might just shoot us if they had a gun.

Are they then to be feared and treated with care, because they just “might” do something dangerous? It means that these people, even though they are not dangerous, have a killer switch that might go off at any second – if they had a dangerous weapon.

You may wonder what I am rambling on about, but to clear things up, I am talking about a statement made by forensic psychiatrist Meryll Vorster in the much talked about Oscar Pistorius murder trial, recently

Pistorius is being charged for killing his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, by shooting her through a locked door, allegedly thinking that she was an intruder.

“People with general anxiety disorder (GAD) are not dangerous as such. People with general anxiety disorder probably shouldn’t have a firearm, that’s what makes them dangerous,” defence witness Vorster said during cross-examination by prosecutor Gerrie Nel.

Throughout the trial, Pistorius has been very emotional; he has vomited, cried and seemed to be struggling to control himself while watching the trial play off in front of him, and while on stand himself and, therefore, Vorster has declared that she thinks he has GAD.

So, off he goes to “Groen Dakkies” (Weskoppies Psychiatric Hospital) on order of Judge Thokozile Masipa, for a 30-day outpatient observation.

But my qualm is not in establishing if Pistorius has GAD or not; that is another story in itself.

My case is with the outright statement that people with GAD are dangerous if they own a gun.

So, what is GAD really?

According to the Anxiety and Depression Society of America, the clinical diagnosis for GAD is persistent, excessive and unrealistic worry in the sufferer about everyday things.

They experience “exaggerated worry and tension, often expecting the worst, even when there is no apparent reason for concern.

They anticipate disaster and are overly concerned about money, health, family, work, or other issues.

“Sometimes just the thought of getting through the day produces anxiety. They don’t know how to stop the worry cycle and feel it is beyond their control, even though they usually realise that their anxiety is more intense than the situation warrants.”

They, therefore, experience symptoms of constant restlessness, feeling constantly “on edge”, have difficulty concentrating, difficulty sleeping, irritability, muscle tension and sleep disturbance due to their daily anxiety. GAD also summarises a variety of different types of anxiety disorders, including panic disorder.

But, to be fair, let’s play Devil’s Advocate and look at this from someone with GAD’s point of view, like myself.

It seems those who have GAD in some form or other are being declared a threat to society if they own a gun!

Sure, when you look at the symptoms it can seem like people with GAD can be quite stressed out most of the time, due to their “disease”, however, this should not define them.

We are so quick to label people and scrutinise them, even though we do not understand what their daily life is like.

Someone with GAD might be sitting right next to you and you wouldn’t know it. They might even be the best employee you have, or the one who silently keeps to them self in social settings.

You will never know, unless they tell you, of course.

Because GAD can be treated, and most people with GAD are well-functioning individuals who live their lives normally with healthy eating, exercise, therapy and proper medication.

Sometimes even those who are untreated can go undetected without medical treatment and still maintain a normal life with the right techniques.

How about thinking what you are saying before you make outright statements such as the one Vorster made, labelling GAD patients as violent?

Wouldn’t you think that people with GAD would rather retreat from threatening situations than running towards them?

After all, in reality, they panic and freeze, their pulse races, their chest aches, they feel dizzy, nauseous, and go numb as they tremble.

Yes, these same people with GAD have pins-and-needles running through their head and arms as they struggle to breathe, their chest tightens as if a boulder is pressing down on it, and a feeling of “not being there” overcomes their entire being.

Do you know that feeling that you are dying or going crazy?

This is not someone who could face danger, let alone pull the trigger of a gun.

So yes, you might be able to say that they shouldn’t own a gun, but the reason is because they won’t be able to use it to actually protect themselves when they need it!

In South Africa, GAD isn’t classified as a mental disorder, which can be argued on its own merits.

But really, does GAD make people dangerous? Making such a generalised excuse, the pun, statement, can spark fury among sufferers and the community dealing with patients who do have GAD.

If a statement like this could be used in court to to establish whether a murderer cannot be held liable for what he has done, then maybe GAD sufferers can turn this in their favour by making medical aids pay for their disease.

Now, I have anxiety just writing this…