The good folk at BeyondBlue have today released new research that suggests a whopping one in five Australians think people with anxiety are just ‘putting it on’.
A survey of more than 1200 people has shown that, despite anxiety being the most common mental health condition in the country, more than 10% of 30 to 34-year-olds believing people with the condition are untrustworthy.
Georgie Harman, chief exec of BeyondBlue, said “everyone feels anxious from time to time, but for someone experiencing anxiety, these feelings can’t be easily controlled.”
The research will no doubt be incredibly irritating to those who deal with the condition on a daily basis. It only reinforces the fact that damaging attitudes around anxiety and mental health conditions are still rife within our society.
“It is not just the relatively small number of harmful and incorrect attitudes we are working to change, but the larger proportion of the public who are unaware that anxiety can be effectively managed and treated,” Harman added.
Symptoms of anxiety can vary greatly from person to person, and BeyondBlue outlines a few of them on their website as:
– Physical: panic attacks, hot and cold flushes, racing heart, tightening of the chest, quick breathing, restlessness, or feeling tense, wound up and edgy.– Psychological: excessive fear, worry, catastrophizing, or obsessive thinking.– Behavioural: avoidance of situations that make you feel anxious which can impact on study, work or social life.
A commenter’s response on The Age‘s article this morning summed up our feelings perfectly:
Too right.
Source: The Age.
Photo: Russell Johnson / Getty.
If you’re experiencing anxiety or depression, you can give one of these guys a buzz: Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636 (24 hours a day, 7 days a week), Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800, or Lifeline Australia on 13 11 14. If you’d like to learn more about mental illness and how to seek help, visit Beyond Blue, Black Dog Institute, or Headspace.
