When being anxious becomes a part of life
Most people have moments when they experience anxiety. But when that feeling of anxiety never seems to leave or you start to experience the gripping fear of panic attacks, what do you do?By Marijke Richards
Living in Whitehorse Community
Bronwyn Fox knows first hand what it is like to experience the totally unexpected horrors of panic attacks. She describes her first panic attack as "being hit by a bus", she was paralysed with fear, her heart beating at a thousand miles an hour and her mind unable to think of the normal actions to cope. Many would dismiss this as anything serious, after all, it happened when she was driving in traffic. But, as Bronwyn explains, this is something very serious indeed."The problem with Anxiety Disorders is just that. That people dismiss it as not very serious and because everyone has moments when they feel mildly anxious, they don't understand that serious anxiety is a very serious health issue. An anxiety disorder up until recently was not even recognised as a mental illness. People who suffered from this disorder where said to be eccentric, or locked away in mental hospitals, or suffered from alcoholism which covered the real underlying cause. People don't understand that it can have a devastating effect on your life."
And Bronwyn is not alone in suffering from an anxiety disorder. Figures from the ABS of March 1998 put Anxiety Disorders as the most common mental disorders affecting 9.7% or 1,299,000 Australians. The Anxiety Disorders Association of Victoria (ADAVIC) is a strong reflection of this, with hundreds of new sufferers calling for support each year.
ADAVIC, which runs regular meetings and workshops began seven years ago and is there to assist those who are suffering from anxiety disorders such as panic disorders, social phobias, agoraphobia, generalised anxiety and depression.
While all the staff work on a voluntary basis, Coordinator Anna Kouloubos maintains that there is a strong network on offer through the organisation.
"We run day and night support groups for adults and have also introduced an anxiety management and prevention program for adolescents," she explains.
Despite the media interest gained by high profile community members such as Garry McDonald and Simon Palomares publicly sharing and discussing the effects of anxiety disorders on their lives, ADAVIC is still trying to counter a critical lack of information and support for sufferers. Their key success has been helping people to accelerate the recovery from anxiety and panic disorders. However, there is still a large number who "slip through the net" because they either have such a severe case that it prohibits them attending any seminars or meetings, or they do not believe having an anxiety disorder is something you talk about.
"A lot of people are very secretive and ashamed to admit that they have an anxiety disorder. I have one member who asks me not to put our sticker on the envelope when sending out his newsletter. I try to tell him that you shouldn't be ashamed. That by not hiding it, you are helping yourself with the process of dealing with you disorder. It also helps to rid the stigma attached to having this disorder. The more people who are admitting it the more it becomes a normal part of life." says Anna.
One area that both Bronwyn and Anna like to stress is the role of medication. "One of the things I get truly angry about is that most new sufferers go to their doctor and are instantly put on medication for depression. While I agree that medication is an important part of treatment, the problem is that if there are no other options or supports given to a person, they are never really going to learn how to deal with the disorder. Then, when they try to get off the medication, they find they are right back at square one, suffering just as badly as before and so go straight back on the medication," explains Bronwyn.
What Bronwyn Fox and ADAVIC are keen to promote are alternatives to medication that truly work through newsletters, books and workshops such as Bronwyn's workshop.
"I show people in my workshops mindfulness meditation. It is a non-religious, non-spiritual form of meditation and it has been the one thing that has cured me of my anxiety. Meditation is one of the oldest forms of cognitive therapy and is recognised by the leading doctors studying anxiety disorders as the most effect method of combating it".
Anna also points to the information that ADAVIC has about dealing with doctors. "We advocate asking questions and not jut being a passive part of the decision to go on medication".
Taken from ADAVIC's own information sheet are their suggested questions:
- What precisely can I expect the medication to do?
- What are the side effects?
- How long until the medication takes effect?
- How long should I expect to be on medication?
- What happens if I choose to come off it?
- Are there any precautions I should take? (e.g. avoiding certain foods, operating machinery etc.)
- Are there any alternatives to medication that I can look into?
