We are all familiar with what it feels like to react to a stressful or threatening event.
That uneasy feeling of worry or panic, coupled with an increased heart rate, rapid breathing and loss of hunger, is a typical physiological response known as ‘fight or flight’. Of course, once the perceived threat goes away, so too should this reaction, and we soon after expect to return to a normal and relaxed state. However, for a considerable number of people, that uncomfortable feeling of fear or impending danger can be a persistent presence and so too can those distressing physiological symptoms. It is an unfortunate feature of the 21st Century that anxiety disorders are the most common psychiatric presentation in Australia, affecting one in seven people.
In part 2 of our interview with Dr Jerome Sarris, we explore some truly exciting nutraceutical and herbal therapy developments that may contribute a substantial piece of the anxiety treatment puzzle.
Dr Jerome Sarris is a Senior Research Fellow at The University of Melbourne. Jerome moved from clinical practice to academic work, and completed a doctorate at The University of Queensland in the field of psychiatry. He undertook his postdoctoral training at The University of Melbourne, Department of Psychiatry; The Centre for Human Psychopharmacology, Swinburne University of Technology; and The Depression Clinic & Research Program at Harvard Medical School (MGH). He has a particular interest in mood disorders, anxiety, and insomnia research pertaining to Complementary and Integrative Medicine, and in nutraceutical psychopharmacology. He is co-editor of Clinical Naturopathy: an evidence-based guide to practice, has over 80 publications, and has published in many eminent psychiatry journals such as The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, Psychopharmacology and Bipolar Disorders. Jerome is a founding Vice Chair of The International Network of Integrative Mental Health (INIMH).
Other podcasts with Dr Jerome Sarris include:
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