Sacred Heart Hospital's SeniorSpirit! program will present a free seminar on anxiety and panic disorders on Monday, April 7 from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. in the Dudley Greenhut Auditorium on Sacred Heart's main campus.

The seminar will be presented by Dr. Elias Banuelos, a board-certified family medicine physician with Sacred Heart Medical Group's practice on Nine Mile Road in Pensacola. The seminar will discuss the different types of anxiety disorders as well as treatment options.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, anxiety disorders are the most common of all mental disorders, with some 40 million Americans affected by these debilitating illnesses each year.

Normally, feelings of nervousness develop in response to a particular situation, help us by making us more alert and aware of potential dangers in this situation, and then the feelings subside. But with anxiety disorders are different, anxiety symptoms often occur for no apparent reason and do not go away. Left untreated, they can drive individuals to take drastic actions to avoid the situations that trigger their anxiety and can interfere with relationships and the ability to hold down a job.

Registration is required and seating is limited. To register, call (850) 416-1620 or 1-877-416-1620.

Sacred Heart SENIORSpirit is a free program for persons 55 and older.  Benefits include free screenings, seminars, special in-patient benefits such as three free guest meal tickets and newspaper delivery upon hospital admission, a monthly calendar of events detailing all SENIORSpirit events, and a quarterly newsletter containing health and event information.

For more information, please call (850) 416-7000 or visit www.sacred-heart.org.

###