ANXIETY, DRUG ABUSE TO BE TOPIC OF FORUM

Anxiety disorders can take a toll on a person's life. The anxiety can
create virtual prisoners of the mind. Add chemical addiction to the problem
and what is bad becomes nearly intolerable, said Dr. Robert DuPont of the
Institute of Behavior and Health.

The addiction specialist likes to approach patients with these coexisting
problems with a combination of medicinal and spiritual therapy.

DuPont is one of several speakers scheduled to make presentations at the
Mental Health Association in Tulsa's 2001 Zarrow Mental Health Symposium.
Dupont's presentation will be "Taming the Dragons: Co-Occurring Substance
Abuse and Anxiety Disorders."

The symposium, "Current Challenges and Innovative Responses," is scheduled
for Thursday and Friday at the South ern Hills Marriott, 1902 E. 71st St. A
recognition dinner is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday at the Southern Hills
Marriott and will feature keynote speaker and Pulitzer Prize winner,
William Styron.

Other featured speakers include motivational speaker Jason Dorsey, Dr.
Phillip Resnick of Case Western Reserve University and Dr. Ken Moritsugu,
U.S. Deputy surgeon general. Workshops will include discussion on attention
deficit disorder, depression among the physically ill and treatment of
juvenile sex offenders, among other topics.

Moritsugu will address a working luncheon, "An Update from the Surgeon
General's Office," scheduled for 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. Thursday at the
Marriott.

Nearly 7 percent of the nation's total population have a problem with
either anxiety disorders or substance abuse. Of that number, about 2
percent have both, DuPont said.

The most prevalent drug of choice for those with substance abuse and
anxiety disorders is marijuana, he has found. Although, due to the high
consumption of methamphetamine in both Oklahoma and Texas, it may vary
according to region.

Still, DuPont believes a basic approach works best. "These are both brain
diseases," he said. "But a person with both has to learn how to manage
stress and accept their anxiety as a way to cope, not avoid it."

Adding a 12-step program to a person's treatment is usually one of the
first things he recommends.

"Twelve-step programs have zero tolerance. So users have to arrest the
addiction and most people don't want to give up their drug of choice," he said.

Treatment of both conditions usually occurs after the patient has "hit
bottom," suffering a devastating loss of job, family or health before they
seek help for their substance abuse problem. He adds that those who are
most successful in treatment are ones who realize they can accept their
feelings without being controlled by them. When a person is wracked by
anxiety, doing drugs is only hiding the root problem, DuPont said.

"A favorite saying of mine is that, 'there's no problem that drugs or
alcohol won't make worse,' " he said.

DuPont, who practices in Rockville, Md., is the author of 15 books and has
published over 250 professional articles. He is also a clinical professor
of psychiatry for Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.

Dupont is the founding president of the Anxiety Disorders Association of
America. He also served as the first director of the National Institute on
Drug Abuse from 1973-'78.

The Zarrow Mental Health Symposium will be held from 8:15 a.m.-4 p.m. on
Sept. 13-14. The cost to attend the workshops is $150 for both days or $90
per day. For students, the cost is $55 for both days or $30 per day. The
Zarrow Recognition Dinner is $50 per person.