Y2K phobia gets its monthly due

By Diane White, Globe Columnist, 03/15/99

The people at the 1-800-THERAPIST network have designated the first day of each month Y2K Anxiety Day. Those afflicted are invited to call 1-800-843-7274 and vent, for free. A psychotherapist will be standing by, donating time to ''help relieve fear and calm hysteria,'' according to a press release.

Is this really necessary? It is, insists Dr. Kevin Grold of the San Diego-based nationwide therapists network. Those who view the turn of the millennium as just another day, even a cause for celebration, may find it difficult to credit the scope and intensity of some people's Y2K-related fears. But these fears are real, says Grold, and Y2K Anxiety Day is not a publicity gimmick but a public service.

Grold faxed a few remarks from callers to the Y2K anxiety-line: ''My parents won't move with me to Montana. I am trying to explain that Montana has the only safe place left. I tell them every day, but they won't listen.''

''The end is coming. What's the sense in working or doing anything?''

''Every day the paper lists the number of days until the end ... time is ticking away ... it's harder and harder to sleep ... it's even difficult to breathe.''

It's true that you can hardly pick up a publication or turn on the TV or radio without finding a story seemingly designed to whip you into a Y2K-related frenzy. Even a person not inclined to worry might, after digesting too many Y2K panic pieces, find herself wondering if maybe it's time to start stockpiling canned goods, bottled water, and that all-important item, cat food. (On half a minute's further reflection, I think not.) It's understandable how a person of fearful disposition might succumb to Y2K terror.

The 1-800-THERAPIST network is a nationwide referral service for people seeking a therapist in their area. In Greater Boston, callers might be referred to Dr. Shel Jay Miller in Brookline. Miller said that so far no one has consulted him specifically about Y2K fears. Miller thinks Y2K anxiety may surface among his clients as a part of larger issues, with ''people who tend to be worriers.'' He adds, ''In people prone to catastrophic fantasies, [Y2K anxiety] could really take off.''

Another network therapist, Linda Lawless of Melrose, doubts that Y2K anxiety, per se, will motivate anyone to contact her. ''My intuition is that people will not be calling about this specific issue,'' she says. However, like Miller, she doesn't discount the possibility that Y2K fears might come up in the course of therapy, in people vulnerable to anxiety.

Grold says specific fears surfaced on the first two Y2K Anxiety Days, Feb. 1 and March 1. The line fielded calls from people who worried that on Jan. 1, 2000, utilities won't work, food distribution systems will be in chaos, air travel won't be safe, banks will collapse. He expects more people to call on Y2K Anxiety Days as the year 2000 draws near. ''We deal with a stressed population to begin with,'' he says, ''and then they see headlines about Y2K, it's the end of the world, and it compounds their anxiety.''

Grold has compiled a list of 10 steps aimed at helping people manage Y2K anxiety. The list is available on the network's Web site (www.1-800-therapist.com).

Step No. 1: ''Separate `real concerns' about computer operation problems and Y2K issues from catastrophic thinking. Decide if your fears are `reality based.' Challenge and question dire predictions about Y2K. Where is the information coming from? Is there a factual basis to the information?''

That's good advice, but if no one is sure what will happen Jan. 1, how do you know which concerns are ''real'' and which aren't? Ask your therapist?