Effect of individualized homoeopathic treatment in anxiety disorder using hamilton anxiety rating scale

Dr Riya Susan George

Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health concern in India. It’s a condition in which a person has excessive worry and feelings of fear, dread and uneasiness. It is estimated that 33.7% of the population is affected by an anxiety disorder during their lifetime. The fundamental principle of homoeopathy is that it treats the patient as a whole and as an individual.

The purpose of this case study is to highlight the effectiveness of individualized homoeopathic medicine in treating anxiety disorders.

Details of Case

• Details were collected from the patient and bystanders.
• AR ,38/male presented with the complaints of anxiety and unreasonable fear since 3 years
• Signs and symptoms: fear, anxiety, restlessness, impulse to run away, indigestion, anger, clouding of thoughts, lack of confidence, fear of losing control, palpitations, difficult concentration, pulsations in the body.
• 2-3 attacks/week.The attack lasts for 1-2 min followed by weakness. He stopped working, due to illness.
• He has taken lot of medications(Ayurveda, allopathy) and was not better.

MSE– MOOD&AFFECT: fine and peaceful

THOUGHTS: Anxious thoughts about not being able to work. Feels like running away when anxious

PERCEPTION: Visual hallucinations occasionally of white shadows.

INSIGHT: Present. Grade 6

CLINICAL DIAGNOSIS

PANIC DISORDER- DSM 300.01(F41.0)

1. Recurrent unexpected panic attacks

• Palpitations, pounding heart or accelerated heart rate.
• Abdominal distress
• Fear of losing control
• Derealisation (feeling of unreality)

1. B) Persistent concern or worry about additional panic attacks or their consequences ( eg: losing control)
2. C) The disturbance is not attributable to the physiological effects of a substance (eg: drug abuse, a medication) or another medical condition (eg: hyperthyroidism, cardiopulmonary disorders)
3. D) The disturbance is not better explained by another mental disorder.

Treatment Approaches

TOTALITY OF THE SYMPTOMS

Mental generals

Anticipatory anxiety, impulse to run away, difficult concentration, restlessness, want of confidence, unreasonable fear, fear of losing control, hallucinations, clouding of thoughts.

Physical generals

• Desires : chicken, fried foods, sweets
• Hard stools
• Hot patient

Characteristic particulars

• Distension of abdomen and indigested feeling <during anxiety attacks >flatulence
• General Weakness <after panic attacks.>sleep
• Palpitations and pulsations in the body <during panic attack

 Repertorisation

Treatment Outcomes

• The anxiety and fear in the patient started diminishing over a period of one month which improved the quality of life of the patient.
• A significant difference was observed in the score of Hamilton anxiety rating scale after 6 months of treatment.

Conclusion
The fundamental principle of homoeopathy is that it treats the patient as a whole and as an individual. In aphorism 210 of the sixth edition of the organon of medicine, Hahnemann states that “if we would trace an accurate picture of the disease, to be able there from to treat it homoeopathically with success”. Hence the case proved that individualized homoeopathic medicines have a definite role in treating the anxiety disorder.The individualized approach in Homoeopathy seemed to be effective in this case of anxiety disorder, which suggests a further study to prove it.

Keywords: Anxiety, Homoeopathy, Hamilton anxiety rating scale

References

1. Bandelow B, Michaelis S. Epidemiology of anxiety disorders in the 21st century. Dialogues in clinical neuroscience. 2022 Apr 1.
2. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders: DSM-5. Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Association; 2017.
3. Boericke W. Pocket manual of homoeopathic materia medica & repertory: Comprising of the characteristic and guiding symptoms of all remedies (clinical and pathogenetic) including Indian Drugs. New Delhi: B. Jain Publishers (P) Ltd.; 2018.
4. Kent JT. Lectures on homoeopathic materia medica: Together with Kent’s “New remedies” incorporated & arranged in one alphabetical order. New Delhi: B. Jain; 2015.
5. Kent, J.T. and Kent, C.L. (2019) in Repertory of the homeopathic materia medica. Noida, U.P, India : B. Jain Publishers (P) Ltd.
6. Hahnemann, S. and Boericke, W. (2016) in Organon of Medicine. New Delhi: B. Jain.

Dr Riya Susan George
MD Part 2
Dept of Organon of medicine and homoeopathic philosophy.
Under the guidance of  Dr Deepa Pais, (Associate Professor, Dept of pathology and microbiology) and Dr Deeraj Fernandes,( Assistant professor, Dept of organon of medicine and homoeopathic philosophy)
Father Muller homoeopathic medical college,  Mangalore.

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