Insight on Anxiety
Posted: November 28th, 2014 | Category: Anxiety Disorders, Mental Health
The popular SBS program, “Insight”, is celebrating its 10th year, and has been airing some of their most popular episodes.
On Tuesday, 25th November, 2014, they showed the episode from 2010 on anxiety. It was one of the most popular episodes from 2010, perhaps not surprisingly given that anxiety affects approximately 16% of Australians in any single year.
One of the experts, Professor Ron Rapee, is the Director for the Centre for Emotional Health at Macquarie University. Our Psychologist, Ivone Rebelo, worked with Ron in the Centre for Emotional Health for many years, including in the role of Clinic Manager. She gained a wealth of experience treating anxiety in children and adults. Below is a section of the transcript from Professor Rapee outlining the treatment:
“The very first thing is to try to change the way that people are looking at the world – their beliefs, their ideas – the things that a lot of the people here have been saying. It’s realising that you’re not the centre of the world – just realising that people are not judging you badly. It’s realising that you’re not going to die of that heart attack. That’s the first step. The second step is the old adage of “Just do it.” Unfortunately, there’s no good way around it. It’s just getting out there, it’s doing things that you’re scared of. It’s approaching those situations, facing your fears over and over and over again.”
Later in the program, Professor Gavin Andrews of the St Vincents Hospital Anxiety Clinic adds to this description of treatment:
“It’s not the event, it’s what you think about it. So let’s help you restructure your thinking. And the way to do that properly is to confront the event and work out what’s happened, and know, “I managed that.” You confront it in a planned way, doing the bits you can manage, and building up to the stuff that used to terrify you. And that’s simple skills that you learn and master.”
A common question people ask is whether they need treatment, or whether their anxiety is severe enough to warrant getting help. Professor Rapee commented in the program,
“It helps to get it early because, as we’ve been saying, in a lot of this conversation, anxiety is often a long-term problem. And it tends to go on in people if it’s untreated for many, many years. So getting it early is important because it helps a person rediscover their life, and re-establish their goals and potential.”
The program interviews adults and teenagers who have received treatment for anxiety, and asks what their experiences were like. One of the treatments they describe is the “Cool Kids” program, which Ivone Rebelo has provided to many children and their parents. Across the different programs for anxiety, Ivone has helped over 300 families who were struggling with anxiety, as well as many adults. She works in the ways described in the Insight program.
If you’re interested to watch the program, or read the full transcript, visit the Insight website.
If you’d like to see Ivone Rebelo, or any of our Psychologists, to help you or a loved one struggling with anxiety, please call us on 02 8068 4361 or fill in our contact form.
