Baseball hot dogs and panic disorder

Pretty cool story here, about a 29 year old Canadian guy named Brigham Shearon, who's travelling to watch games in 30 Major League Baseball stadiums over the next month to raise awareness of social anxiety and panic disorder:

Now Shearon, who for nine months went through the anxiety and mood disorder treatment program at Windsor Regional Hospital, is ready to take the field against his disorder to either beat it or learn to cope with it...

Shearon hopes he'll be able to inspire others with the disorder the way Kansas City pitcher Zack Greinke's story has inspired him.

Shearon, a long-time Detroit Tigers fan, was watching Greinke pitch against the Tigers when the announcer told the story of how Greinke had missed most of the 2006 season because of a social anxiety disorder.

"If he has this illness, I don't know how he does what he does," Shearon said.

...Their friend Cale Best is documenting the journey on film and the brothers will update a journal at recordofarecord.com.

...And of course Brigham will be carrying anxieties far greater than the where's and the when's of travel

He'll be flying on a plane for the first time – "I can't wait," he said with a laugh – and expects he'll be panicking before every game. That's how he wants it.

"When I get to these parks, I'm going to be shaking," he said. "But my new thing is I'm throwing myself in the fire.

"Even if I do have an attack and people see me, that's part of my raising awareness now too."

One of the changes in my life since I developed panic some 20 years ago: I'm much less likely to accept an invitation to go to a a ball game. I still get out there from time to time, but usually not unless I'm feeling particularly solid vis-a-vis anxiety. The difficulty is not just about feeling trapped -- something like a ball game is more than just another trigger of agoraphobia. There's also something about the energy of the crowd, the emotional oneness of the crowd, the surges of tension that come with full counts, bases-loaded situations, and the bottom of the ninth. The quickened pulse, the sweaty palms: So much of what makes sporting events exciting is the way they cause the same kinds of feelings that panic disorder sufferers associate with impending terror. For "normal" folks, a good ball game is thrilling because it allows the experience of anxiety in a controlled, harmless setting. For those with panic, the anxiety can unfortunately grow to be out of control. I wish this guy luck, and applaud him.