The following is a letter to the editor of a psychology journal:“The data collected from a variety of studies now suggest a relationship between the medicine Hypathia and heightened risk of anxiety in patients afflicted with bipolar disorder. In 1950, bef

Science is a constantly evolving domain. Everyday new studies redefine the boundaries and realign scientific thinking. One such study suggests that the medicine Hypathia which is widely used to treat bipolar disorder puts patients at a heightened risk of anxiety. The conclusion is based on the fact that five studies conducted between 2005 and 2010 report that more than 60 percent of the subjects with bipolar disorder who consumed Hypathia demonstrated symptoms of anxiety. In comparison, the period preceding 1950 relatively few patients were diagnosed with anxiety when Hypathia wasn’t as widely used to treat bipolar disorder. However, further evidence would be required before the relationship between consumption of Hypathia and anxiety can be established.

With the advancement of science and healthcare, society today possesses a greater knowledge of possible disorders, anxiety included. It is possible that this increased knowledge has led to anxiety being redefined multiple times over the period leading from 1950 to 2010. The understanding of anxiety would have expanded immensely to enable psychologists and medical practitioners to diagnose it far more easily than prior to 1950. This could possibly be quoted as the reason for the increased number of reported cases of anxiety. In the period prior to 1950, it is possible that patients who indeed did suffer from anxiety were not diagnosed because of the gaps in knowledge at the time.

It is also possible that the data available today is far more comprehensive than the data from the period prior to 1950. This could have led to far lesser cases of anxiety being recorded accurately in archives. Thus the fewer number of cases of anxiety prior to 1950 may be a reflection of a failing in data collection rather than of truly fewer cases of anxiety.

Further, society has transformed radically between the period first quoted in the study and today. It is a widely accepted fact that life is becoming increasingly stressful over time. Stress is a key cause for anxiety. Thus, the increased number of reported cases of anxiety may be due to the increased stress levels in today’s society. The changes in society are not limited to just the increased stress levels. Society today sees far greater levels of pollution, the widespread usage of fertilizers and pesticides have also been found to affect mental health, it is possible that these quoted changes among others may be causing the increased levels of anxiety in the population under study.

Thus, several questions need to be answered before the relationship between Hypathia and anxiety can be established. Until answers are found, this claim remains mere conjecture.