Detroit Tigers pitcher Dontrelle Willis was placed on the team DL Sunday. The stated reason for disabling him was "anxiety disorder."
This was news, mainly because there had never been any report before that Willis suffered from the disorder or even any speculation on the subject. However, it's certainly possible for someone with anxiety to conceal it, or for it to be mistaken for something else.
I've suffered from generalized anxiety disorder for a number of years now. It's not a stretch to say that it is "disabling." At its worst, the anxiety becomes so intense that it interferes with your ability to function on basic levels: to take care of yourself, to go outside, to interact with friends, to keep a steady job, to form a romantic relationship, as well as many other things.
But here's the most baffling part of the Dontrelle Willis story: Willis doesn't report having any symptoms of anxiety. This article in the Detroit Free Press quotes him as saying that this is "not something where I'm too amped up, I don't know where I'm at, and I'm running sprints up and down the parking lot ... (The doctors) see something in my blood that they don't like."
Let me say now that I am not a doctor or psychiatrist or anyone qualified to issue a medical diagnosis. My opinions are just that, influenced as they are by years of dealing with the disorder myself.
Having said that, Willis' statement troubles me to no end. I'm amazed — and shocked — that Willis has been diagnosed with the disorder despite the fact that he seems to report no symptoms at all. Now, I admit that I don't know everything Dontrelle said to the reporters, just what was quoted. But I've looked through every version of this story that I can find on the internet and haven't found any mention by Dontrelle or a team doctor that he's suffered any symptoms of anxiety disorder.
This means that the sole reason for Willis' diagnosis was the blood test. But according to mlb.com, "Research online suggests there's no lab tests to diagnose anxiety disorder, but such tests can be used to look for physical causes and symptoms." This goes along with my own prior experience. Anxiety doesn't show up in your blood like a virus. It's a mood disorder; its very existence is based on the fact that you have the symptoms and suffer from them. I'm no doctor, but this man is, and the article seems to address the anxiety test question. The New York Times has a more recent guide to medical help for anxiety sufferers.
Article comments
1 - Matthew T. Sussman
Wow, I never considered that. I thought it was something along the lines of Ankiel or Greinke. But both of those had a "K" in their last name, I have seen the light so after reading this I'm pretty sure he's faking it.
That, or he has Detroitophobia, a condition not yet recognized by the APA, for purely political reasons. Juan Gonzalez had it. Edgar Renteria had it. And now Rick Wagoner has it.
2 - Paul
Great article. And you may not be a doctor but if Willis had an anxiety disorder than you he would have known minus any "blood test".
Anxiety disorder absent any symptoms of anxiety is ... well it could be a lot of things but I can guarantee you that it is not anxiety disorder.
Mr. Willis or his club are up to something. One of the biggest giveaways was Willis saying that he is not "amped up". That is the worse description of anxiety disorder I have ever heard.
Paul
Anxietyguru.net
3 - Aaron Whitehead
The picture isn't much clearer now and may never be. Putting the insurance angle aside, though, it still makes me wonder if the Tigers just disabled Willis for a mild form of Steve Blass disease.
But we'll never know for sure unless Willis or the Tigers gives us more information. Neither are likely to, and neither should unless they feel obligated to.
My only hope (and this may not have been clear in the article) is that what's being done is in Willis' best interest. Whatever is going on in Detroit, I wish the best for Willis, who was a good pitcher and a great presence in the game.
4 - erix
actually you can run a test detecting the hormones secreting into his bloodstream. The thyroid controls anxiety.
5 - Anne
I've known Dontrelle since he was a little kid, and it's quite possible he has some form of an anxiety disorder. He's a terrific kid and deserves to pitch again. They need to let him have fun again (remove the pressure), and he'll be fine. I hope he's back to world series form some day soon. He has wanted to be in the majors since he was a little kid. Nobody deserves it more than him.
6 - Kyle
"Damn you, Dave Dombrowski. And damn you to any other Detroit personnel involved in this sham. I don't appreciate having my disease exploited to bail you out of your own stupid mistakes."
These comments are very extreme and unfounded. While the article started off reasonably, as it continued on Aaron Whitehead began to condemn the Tigers' organization for crimes that
1. Have yet to be committed ($22M insurance fraud)
2. Are very possibly not crimes at all (should Dontrelle actually have a disorder)
You are assuming far too many incriminating things in this article; it's quite unprofessional.
7 - Alex Hale
Great article. Cheers guys.