In March 2022, Kevin Berling won a US$450,000 lawsuit against his former company for throwing him a birthday party. It seems silly when phrased this way, but the events leading to the lawsuit deeply distressed Berling. In August 2019, he asked his company not to throw a party for his birthday. Berling has an anxiety disorder and knew the party could trigger his symptoms.
However, the party occurred anyway, and Berling suffered a panic attack and had to leave. Later, his managers called him into a meeting and criticized him. Berling spiraled into another panic attack, and his coworkers walked out after perceiving his behavior as “enraged” and “possibly about to get violent.” Berling was fired not long after, and he later sued for discrimination and emotional distress.
Though mental illnesses are often made light of, anxiety disorders like Berling’s are no joke. Anxiety can leave people in “fight-or-flight” mode constantly, making any stressor a potential trigger for a panic attack. These may include physical symptoms like a rapid heart rate, shortness of breath, trembling, and muscle tension. Feelings of danger, fear of dying, and even detachment from reality are all possible mental symptoms.
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Panic attacks can be terrifying to experience and concerning for outside observers. However, they don’t mean the person is violent, and those who suffer from panic attacks often have strategies to prevent and cope with them. It’s important for others to listen to and respect those with mental illness, and to learn what we can do to help and not hinder their recovery.
2022年3月，凱文柏林因為其前公司替他舉辦生日派對，而贏得對前公司美金四十五萬元的訴訟。以這種方式說來似乎很愚蠢，但導致訴訟的事件讓柏林深感焦慮。2019年8月，他要求公司不要為他的生日舉辦派對。柏林患有焦慮症，他知道派對可能會觸發他的症狀。
然而，派對還是舉辦了，柏林經歷恐慌發作，不得不離開。後來，他的經理召集他開會並批評他。柏林的恐慌發作急遽惡化，同事們也在認為他的行為舉止「憤怒」並且「可能會變得暴力」後離席。不久之後柏林被開除了，他後來因歧視和情緒困擾向前公司提起訴訟
雖然精神疾病經常被輕視，但像伯林這樣的焦慮症絕非玩笑。焦慮會使人們不斷地處於「戰鬥或逃跑」的模式，使任何壓力源成為恐慌發作的潛在觸發因素。這可能包含身體症狀，像是心跳加速、呼吸急促、顫抖和肌肉緊繃。會感到危險、對死亡的恐懼，甚至是脫離現實都是可能的生理症狀。
經歷恐慌發作可能會很可怕，且對外部觀察者來說會令人感到擔憂。然而，恐慌發作並不意味著這個人是暴力的，為恐慌發作所苦的人通常都有預防和處理的策略。重要的是其他人必須傾聽和尊重那些有精神疾病的人，並了解我們能夠做些什麼來幫助他們，而
MORE INFORMATION
spiral vi. 急遽惡化
enraged adj. 憤怒的；激怒的
fight-or-flight adj 戰鬥或逃跑的
stressor n. 壓力源
detachment n. 分離；淡漠
hinder vt. 阻礙；妨礙
be no laughing matter 必須嚴肅看待；絕非鬧著玩的
make light of 輕視；忽視
KEY VOCABULARY
1. lawsuit n. 訴訟
sue v. 提出訴訟；控告
Melissa brought a lawsuit against her employers for the unfair way they had treated her when she got pregnant.
梅麗莎對她的雇主提起訴訟，理由是他們在她懷孕時對待她的方式不公平。
2. distress vt. 使焦慮；使煩亂
Every time Helga watches the news, I can see how much it distresses her.
每次海爾格看新聞時，我都能看出這使她多焦慮。
3. trigger v. 觸發；引起 & n.（觸發之）事件；情況
The sound of breaking glass triggered a memory of last year’s big storm for me.
玻璃破碎的聲音，觸發我回想起去年嚴重的暴風雨。
? Afterward, the teachers learned that the trigger for the fight had been one student’s theft of another’s lunch.
後來，老師們得知引發這場爭吵的原因，是一位學生偷了另一位的午餐。
4. discrimination n. 歧視
Many disabled people suffer discrimination when applying for jobs.
許多殘疾人士在求職時遭受歧視。
5. potential adj. 潛在的；可能的
The insurance salesman is always on the lookout for potential clients.
這名保險業務員總是在尋找潛在客戶。
6. tremble vi. 顫抖；發抖
As the thunder crashed and the wind howled, Ali’s dog hid under the table and trembled in fear.
當雷聲大作與狂風呼嘯時，阿里的狗躲在桌子底下，嚇得瑟瑟發抖。
7. tension n. 緊繃；張力；緊張（狀態）
Tie the ropes tightly to maintain proper tension in the sails; otherwise our boat won’t move in the wind!
把繩子繫緊以維持帆的適當張力；否則我們的船不會在風中移動！
8. concerning adj. 令人擔憂的
Kanye’s recent behavior at school has been concerning, so we called this meeting to ask if everything is OK at home.
肯伊最近在學校的行為很令人擔憂，所以我們召開了這次會議，詢問家裡是否一切都好。
9. recovery n. 康復、復原
Lee suffered a serious injury, so his recovery will probably be very slow.
老李受了重傷，所以他的恢復可能會很緩慢。
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