Law Enforcement and Medical Expert Collaboration Leads to Potential Breakthrough in Anxiety Management.....

Richmond, IN - As the mental health crisis in the United States continues without an apparent end in sight, an inspiring collaboration between law enforcement and medical experts may have uncovered a potential new weapon in the battle against anxiety.

Corporal Reginald Cornelius Funk, shown here comforting a young child with a determined look that says, "I'll go to the edge of the universe, if need be, to serve and protect you." 

"It all started when one of our deputies was booking a suspect into the county jail and found a baggie of fentanyl during the pat down," Wayne County Sheriff's Officer Corporal Reginald Funk explained. "The symptoms of his contact overdose were uncannily similar to the time my daughter, Mary Pat Funk, had a panic attack."

Using the skills acquired and honed over years of investigating crimes in the Richmond area, Corporal Funk dug deep into the available literature on panic attacks at the Morrisson-Reeves public library on North 6th Street. "I learned that a panic attack is a sudden episode of intense fear that isn't based on any real danger or obvious cause. But that fear can actually result in a physical reaction that can be serious in some cases."

People suffering from a panic attack can experience a number of physical sensations and emotional reactions. This can include a feeling of imminent death, a pounding heart rate, difficulty catching one's breath, nausea, chest pain, feeling lightheaded, detachment from reality, and even loss of consciousness. Mental health experts, like part-time psychiatrist Mort Fishman MD, say it's important to recognize and manage extreme anxiety early. "Once maladaptive patterns of thinking are ingrained, anxiety conditions become more challenging to treat. I also do photography on the side, so if you have any events on the horizon I'd love to show...no...well, keep me in mind if something comes up."

A woman having either a panic attack or overdosing on fentanyl. There is just no way to know. But it's definitely one of those two things. 

Recognizing the overlap between the contact overdoses that Corporal Funk had seen in the line of duty and the symptoms of a panic attack was only the first step. But his intuitive mind made an extraordinary connection that very same day. "I've seen Narcan work miracles after a fentanyl exposure. Sometimes it takes a few doses, but the officer usually stops breathing so fast after a few minutes. Maybe it could help with a panic attack too?"

Funk then reached out to Fishman, who happened to be taking pictures at his niece's birthday party, with his revelation and the rest will surely be history. Not only did Fishman and Funk begin working on a multi-precinct clinical trial looking into the potential benefit of Narcan as a first-line treatment of panic attacks, they became close friends. And you can hear the sexy syncopation laid down by Fishman and Funk every Tuesday night at Berties Music Bar on East Main Street.