THERAPIES OF ANXIETY DISORDERS: UNDERSTANDING OUR ANGER
The number of therapies and treatments which people have tried with little or no result is a major area of concern. Not only does this contribute to the general sense of helplessness and hopelessness, it can also generate anger towards the health professions. In some cases this will prevent people from seeking further help.
Before we look at why various treatments haven’t been as effective as they could have been, we will look at the issue of anger.
Understanding our anger
In many instances our anger is more than justified, but we need to realise why we haven’t had the help we need. We also need to be careful that our anger doesn’t prevent us from seeking further help.
We may be angry about the overall lack of understanding and knowledge of anxiety disorders, or at not receiving an earlier diagnosis and effective treatment. Many people who have had the disorder for years feel cheated by the loss of family, social and employment opportunities. There is also anger that the lack of understanding has strengthened the myths and stigma surrounding anxiety disorders. These myths include: we are weak in character, not trying hard enough, or gaining too many secondary benefits from the disorder to really want to recover.
We need to understand why adequate help has not been available to us, and why it is still limited. As I said in the beginning, panic disorder has only been classified as a separate disorder since 1980. It has been only in the last few years that researchers have realised the possible serious disabilities associated with the disorders. Up until now the lack of understanding and adequate treatment hasn’t been anyone’s fault. The community as a whole is still not aware of the full extent and possible serious disabilities associated with the disorders; as individuals, we are. Some of us live with the disorder for years, but because of the lack of understanding we are too ashamed and humiliated to speak out. This is a mistake.
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