Dean Details Treatment for Anxiety Attacks

NewsMax.com, People ^ | Jan. 15, 2004 | Carl Limbacher

[Carl/NewsMax]

Democratic presidential front-runner Howard Dean offered more details this week on psychological counseling he underwent for anxiety attacks suffered in the 1980's - and revealed that he had a panic attack the day he took over as governor of Vermont 13 years ago.

Reacting to news of Gov. Richard Snelling's death in August 1991, Dean told People Magazine, "I hyperventilated and I started hyperventilating and I thought, You better stop that or you won't be much good to anybody,"

The panic attack was understandable, Dean said. "To suddenly get told that you have responsibility for 600,000 people — it provokes a little anxiety."

Dean's history of anxiety attacks goes back to the early 1980's, when he said he sought counseling for the problem.

"I was just anxious and I didn't know why," the Democratic front-runner explained.

Of the counseling sessions, Dean said, "It wasn't easy. You've got to work and you've got to uncover things that matter to you. And of course, we talked a lot about my father and all that other stuff."

Dean eventually traced the cause of his distress to the premature death of his brother, who disappeared while exploring Laos in 1974.

The top Democrat denied that his treatment involved any anti-anxiety drugs, but admitted that he sometimes still has to take "stuff" to get to sleep at night.

"You know, once in a while, I take stuff for sleep," Dean told People. "That makes sense."

He explained, "Anti-anxiety drugs and sleep drugs were essentially the same thing when I was practicing [medicine]. And my experience was whenever I took a sleeping pill, there would be rebound insomnia and so I didn't like to take them."

The leading Democrat said he doesn't expect a repeat of the hyperventilation episode if he wins the presidency.

"I think everybody has a little anxiety when they approach a job like that," he told People. "But I think that over my life, I've made hard decisions about people who could die if I made the wrong decision . . .

"The key to making tough decisions is to make it, not sit around and agonize about it," Dean said.

[McGruff]

Boy you guys are on a roll lately.

Wasn't there a VP candidate who had to withdraw because a similar issue?

[ClearCase_guy]

OK. I say Kucinich will stay in the race longer than this guy.

[Frank_Discussion]

wow.

This person cannot be President. No way on G*d's green Earth.

[gov_bean_ counter]

Tom Eagleton?

[joesnuffy]

Yeah they sure aced him out on the same issues....didn't they

[Jim Noble]

"To suddenly get told that you have responsibility for 600,000 people — it provokes a little anxiety."

How about 250 million?

Does that provoke a little, or a lot?

[My Favorite Headache]

NewsMax on the Clinton payroll now? Sheesh. Can we start hearing about the Code Red's that the Clark bar ordered while you are at it?

[colorado tanker]

Dang. Dean-dong is gonna tank before he gets the nomination.

[gov_bean_ counter]

"I hyperventilated and I started hyperventilating and I thought, You better stop that or you won't be much good to anybody,"

"I started gulping for air"...

[mewzilla]

The panic attack was understandable, Dean said. "To suddenly get told that you have responsibility for 600,000 people — it provokes a little anxiety."

Oh, boy. I bet that makes the troops feel ever so much better when thinking about the prospect of a Dean presidency.

[NeoCaveman]

This person cannot be President. No way on G*d's green Earth.

Because he has had a panic attack???

[mewzilla]

Because he has had a panic attack???

When it's a panic attack about this, yeah.

[Timesink]

The panic attack was understandable, Dean said. "To suddenly get told that you have responsibility for 600,000 people — it provokes a little anxiety."

More than a little hint of narcissism here. "Responsible for" these people? Like all 600K of them would suddenly fall over dead if something were to have happened to the Mighty Howard?

[NeoCaveman]

When it's a panic attack about this, yeah.

I can think of 100 reasons not to vote for Dean.

This ain't one of them.

[mewzilla]

If the prospect of being gov freaks him out, we can just imagine what the prospect of sending our men and women into harm's way would do to him. Ye gad.

[panaxanax]

"Because he has had a panic attack???"


No, it's because he's an idiot. Probably bi-polar also.

[mewzilla]

Really? Well, bully for you. But if the prospect of a nice, cushy public job with lots of perks and bennies sends Howie into a tizzy, he's not someone who should be tasked with dealing with a crisis.

[NeoCaveman]

No, it's because he's an idiot. Probably bi-polar also.

Now that, I'll go along with....

And that he's a narcisist.

[Frank_Discussion]

Multiple attacks, I gathered. He's an angry guy who can't quite remember what his positions are on the issues and has a history of panic attacks. No, not just the panic attacks, but combined with basically not having a clue - not presidential material.

Even great wafflers as president had the ability to shrug off stress and function amongst the rigors of the job.