Everyone experiences anxiety. It’s part of the normal range of human emotions. If you think you have never been anxious, you’re probably in denial.
There’s nothing wrong with being anxious, and I thought it would make an interesting subject given Thursday was R U OK Day, an initiative that encourages people to check in with those around them to see how they’re feeling.
Gavin Andrews, professor of psychiatry at the University of NSW, is one of the top anxiety specialists in Australia and leads the anxiety and depression clinic at Sydney’s St Vincent’s Hospital.
Andrews says that a moderate amount of anxiety is actually good for you: it’s one of the drivers that enable people to perform at their work. “It’s when anxiety reaches such levels that it becomes debilitating that it can become a problem,” he says.
If you’re suffering anxiety and you want to do something to alleviate it, Andrews says the first step is to write down what’s making you worry.
“It’s usually not the specific event that’s making you anxious – it’s what you think about it. One way to work out if your worries are rational is to write them down, which can help give you some perspective on them,” he advises.
If you identify a problem you need to solve, Andrews says, the next step is to go through a process to try to resolve the situation.
“Brainstorm solutions until you have between five and eight different ways to solve the problem. Then, choose the most practical one and implement it,” he says. “So the idea is that instead of sitting there worrying, cogently plan how you will solve your predicament.”
But above all, says Andrews, if you are troubled by chronic anxiety and your ability to function is limited, it’s essential to get treatment. “Of all the mental disorders, the ones that are most successfully treated by cognitive behaviour therapy are anxiety disorders and depression. This is because this type of therapy taps the propensity to dwell on worrying thoughts. If people develop phobias or panic attacks then it’s essential to get treatment.”
But it’s often difficult to convince someone who is suffering from anxiety to seek treatment – Andrews acknowledges he has “no idea” how to encourage a person who is reluctant to receive help to do so.
But these days there are a number of online anxiety treatment options that people who are disinclined to see a psychologist or psychiatrist might consider. Andrews recommends the online clinic This Way Up, which has a number of self-help programs that assist with alleviating sadness, worrying and shyness. But he says although online courses are useful for some people, the success rate is higher for people who are referred to treatment through their GP.
“The problem with self-help programs is that eight out of 10 people drop out because there’s no one looking over their shoulder. But the drop-out rate for people who are referred to a clinic through their GP is only six out of 10 – and many people drop out because they have taken what they needed from the treatment and don’t need to continue it any more,” he says.
I like Andrews’ simple, practical advice, and who am I to question the methods of probably the most highly respected anxiety specialist in Australia? But if treating anxiety was easy, then no one would suffer from it. Clearly this isn’t the case: many people suffer from anxiety. In fact, it's the most common mental health disorder. According to figures published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics in 2007, anxiety disorders affect 14 per cent of all people aged 16 to 85.
Nevertheless, I think his ideas for treatment are a good place to start. As far as I can see, humans are complex creatures, and if you suffer from anxiety there is probably a range of factors at play that need to be addressed. I guess the idea is to start with one of the things that’s troubling you, rather than seeing your worries as an amorphous blob that’s too hard to deal with, and when you feel you have resolved that problem, pick something else.
