Education & Support

A Note about Advocacy Organizations and Websites Listed on This Page
These websites and organizations are listed for the benefit of those who may be interested in them. This site does not promote any of the websites or organizations listed. Except as noted, Jazz Pharmaceuticals does not endorse and is not responsible for their content.

Narcolepsy
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Social Anxiety Disorder
Fibromyalgia

NARCOLEPSY

Narcolepsy is a chronic neurologic disorder caused by the brain’s inability to regulate sleep-wake cycles normally. According to the National Institutes of Health, 150,000 or more individuals in the United States are affected by narcolepsy. The primary symptoms of narcolepsy include excessive daytime sleepiness, cataplexy, sleep paralysis, hallucinations and fragmented nighttime sleep. These symptoms can lead to a variety of complications, such as limitations on education and employment opportunities, driving or machine accidents, difficulties at work resulting in disability, forced retirement or job dismissal, and depression.

Cataplexy. Cataplexy, the most specific and second most common symptom of narcolepsy, is defined as a sudden loss of muscle tone that can lead to feelings of weakness and a partial or complete loss of voluntary muscle control, usually occurring as an abnormal response to strong emotions such as laughter, anger or embarrassment. Cataplexy affects 60 to 100 percent of narcolepsy patients.

Excessive Daytime Sleepiness. Excessive Daytime Sleepiness is characterized by persistent tiredness and lack of energy with a tendency to fall asleep. Sufferers often need to exert extra effort to avoid sleeping when in relaxed or sedentary settings. EDS affects 100 percent of narcolepsy patients.

For more information, visit this website: www.narcolepsynetwork.org

OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE DISORDER

Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is a common psychiatric disorder, affecting approximately 2.2 million American adults each year. OCD causes afflicted individuals marked distress, occupies much of their time, and interferes with normal routines, productivity at work or school, and social relationships. Patients with OCD experience unwanted, intrusive thoughts (obsessions) that can prompt them to carry out repeated actions (compulsions) to reduce the anxiety produced by those thoughts. Common obsessions include excessive fear of contamination, repeated doubts (such as thinking you've harmed someone while driving), a need for ordering and symmetry, and aggressive or horrific impulses. Common compulsions include repeated cleaning (such as hand-washing), repeated checking (such as checking to see if doors are locked), and counting. People with OCD recognize that their thoughts are irrational, but can't stop them.

For more information, visit the following websites:

Anxiety Disorders Association of America (ADAA)
The Anxiety Disorders Association of America (ADAA) is a national, non-profit organization solely dedicated to informing the public, healthcare professionals and legislators that anxiety disorders are real, serious and treatable.
Adaa.org

Obsessive Compulsive Foundation
The Obsessive-Compulsive Foundation (OCF) is an international not-for-profit organization composed of people with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and related disorders, their families, friends, professionals and other concerned individuals.
Ocfoundation.org

OCD Center
Information about OCD, its symptoms, and potential treatments. This website was sponsored by Jazz Pharmaceuticals.
Ocdcenter.org

SOCIAL ANXIETY DISORDER

Social anxiety disorder is characterized by the fear and avoidance of everyday social or performance situations where patients feel that others may scrutinize them and they may embarrass themselves. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, social anxiety disorder affects approximately 15 million adults in the United States. Despite the prevalence of the disorder, social anxiety disorder remains underdiagnosed and undertreated by clinicians.

Social anxiety disorder patients have anticipatory anxiety about these situations, and this anxiety can become so pronounced that patients cannot function normally in their daily lives. Social anxieties can be limited to a particular situation or apply to a variety of situations. In addition to anxiety, patients experience physical symptoms including blushing, sweating, trembling and nausea. Symptoms of social anxiety disorder typically appear in childhood or adolescence with a mean age of onset of approximately 13 years, and the symptoms are often preceded by a history of social inhibition or shyness. According to an article published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, mood and other anxiety disorders are prevalent among social anxiety disorder patients.

For more information, visit the following websites:

Anxiety Disorders Association of America (ADAA)
The Anxiety Disorders Association of America (ADAA) is a national, non-profit organization solely dedicated to informing the public, healthcare professionals and legislators that anxiety disorders are real, serious and treatable.
Adaa.org

Social Anxiety Center
Information about SAD, its symptoms, and potential treatments. This website was sponsored by Jazz Pharmaceuticals.
www.socialanxietycenter.org

FIBROMYALGIA

Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain condition that affects between 2-4 percent of the U.S. population, according to the American College of Rheumatology. It is most prevalent in women, but also occurs in men and children of all ethnic groups. Because of its debilitating nature, fibromyalgia affects the lives of patients and their families, friends, and employers, as well as affecting society at large.

Fibromyalgia is characterized by widespread musculoskeletal aches, pain, and stiffness; soft tissue tenderness; general fatigue; and sleep disturbances. The most common sites of pain include the neck, back, shoulders, pelvic girdle, and hands, but any body part can be affected. Patients with fibromyalgia experience a range of symptoms of varying intensities that wax and wane over time. No one knows exactly what causes fibromyalgia. Some possible triggers may include:

• A physically traumatic or stressful event
• An emotionally stressful event
• An illness or an immune disorder

Fibromyalgia may be linked to abnormal levels of naturally occurring substances in the brain and spinal cord. These substances are believed to be linked to how much pain a person feels.

For information, visit this website:
http://www.rheumatology.org/public/factsheets/diseases_and_conditions/fibromyalgia.asp