I don't know about the rest of you, but I know someone who has anxiety disorder (my dad) and I have read that there are at least 6 different types of anxiety disorder.

* panic disorder

* obsessive-compulsive disorder

* post-traumatic stress disorder

* social phobia (or social anxiety disorder)

* specific phobias

* generalized anxiety disorder

Now with these 7 in mind, which anxiety disorder would Tony Soprano have? He gets severe anxiety attacks to where he hits the floor (season 3). Also do any of you think that Tony Soprano will ever get over this 100 percent and be "normal" again or will he have to deal with this problem for the rest of his life? Thanks!

Tony and Melfi refer to Soprano's attacks as "Panic attacks." AJ has them too, and so did Tony's father (though he hasn't always known this).

Tony will never get rid of them; he's simply got too much stress.

Mick

gotta hate the stress

That makes sense Capo, I mean in Tony's line of work how many of us would still be standing with just Tony's stress level alone? He decides who lives and who goes sometimes and that can't be an easy choice to make, especially friends of his he has known his entire life.

i think you guys are all wrong.

he's stressed because the waste processing business (yeah, the one they don't talk about on the show) is going down the drain. (excuse the 'pun')

simple as that. and i've got the facts to prove it.

Think back to the first episode of season one. What does it tells us about Tony when he is "touched" by the ducks in his pool? He has a soft-side, a compassionate side. Put that side of his personality next to his pathological side and you have conflict at a high degree - stress. Give it a label of panic attacks or whatever psychological terminology you want to use, but the guy has demons he can't cope with.

I agree he has a soft side,I also think his
ordeals are sometimes social issues,for example
the countryclub where he passes out,also I could
be wrong but did he not have a reaction{hives}?
He was worried about a indictment comming down
so he took a legit job at barrone,he freaked out
over missing the action.He could not handle the
hum-drum lifestyle.

Welcome aboard. It's good to see mature, knowledgeable, harcore fans of the show joining up to put us lot right.

I sincerely hope that you understand my extreme sarcasm and stop posting immediately; it'll be better for everybody.

MCas, I agree completely; Tony has a soft-spot, particular for Carmela, IMO. And his children of course. Saying that, they always come second to his flaunting with whores at the Bing. Will be very interesting to see how Season Five plays out with Tony and Carm separated. I would like to see Tony come between his Family and family at one time--how would he handle it? Say, if a social crisis came up involving AJ at school or with local thugs, and Tony has to also solve a Family problem...

I can't wait!

Mick

I agree with you Mary Cas, Tony does have a soft side which is evident by the way he "sometimes" treats Carmella and his children. As twisted as he may be, I do think he loves his wife and children.

Capo, yes, I think it would be interesting for some kind of conflict to arise where Tony may have to choose between his family and his "real" family. It probably would really mess up his mind, but could be an interesting storyline.

As far as next season goes, I predict that he and Carmella will get back together, but not without some kind of change or promise to change. Perhaps knowing about Furio will make Tony realize that Carmella can play the same game as him, which will force him to examine his own lifestyle.

TIS

i think that the attacks is just an excuse to keep dr. melfi on the show. i find the sessions boring and pointless. they have nothing to do with the show. my honest opinion is that melfi will refuse to see tony and we will eventually die of an extreme panic attack.