Introduction

About a decade ago, not only was there a lack of effective treatment services, many thousands of people hadn't been diagnosed. People had been living with the Disorder undiagnosed and untreated for a number of years, a few for fifty years before being diagnosed.

To be fair to the health professions, Anxiety Disorders were only recognised as discrete disorders in 1980, and as a consequence many health professionals had received very little, if any, training in the diagnosis and treatment of these Disorders.

The lack of understanding resulted in a 'generic' diagnosis of either anxiety or stress. People were expected to be able to 'pull themselves together'. What was not really understood was there is a marked difference between the 'normal' experience of anxiety and that of an Anxiety Disorder. If it was purely the experience of anxiety per se, people would recognise what was wrong with them and would have been able to take steps to help themselves.

It is this difference which is highlighted by the fact that some Health Professionals are still unable to recognise, let alone diagnose or treat these disorders. It is this lack of specific diagnosis and appropriate treatment which is the major driving force in the development of the disabilities associated with these disorders.

Over the last few years, we have seen dramatic changes both in the diagnosis and treatment of the Anxiety Disorders. Unfortunately, we are still seeing many thousands of people who are still undiagnosed and untreated. As a result of a publicity campaign early in 1997, we received over 6000 telephone calls. The majority of people had not been diagnosed, nor were receiving appropriate treatment. Early diagnosis and appropriate treatment can prevent so much of the suffering and the ensuing disabilities associated with the panic and anxiety disorders.

The following is based not only upon current research, but also upon our contact with over 20,000 people who experience an Anxiety Disorder. The majority of people have experienced enormous difficulties, not just with their disorder, but also in accessing and receiving appropriate treatment. We rarely have contact with people who have recovered from an Anxiety Disorder.

From what we have found over the years, not only personally, but also professionally, recovery for many of us who have experienced Panic Disorder means we the LOSE all FEAR of having an attack. As such, we have lost the fear that:

• the attack is a heart attack
• we are going to die from the attack
• we are going crazy
• we have a brain tumour
• we are going to lose control in some way.

It can mean in times of severe stress and/or when we haven't had enough sleep and/or skipping meals, we may have an attack, BUT, instead of 'What if,' we have an attitude of 'So What'. The attacks can still be as violent as before, but without the fear and anxiety, the attacks last for 30 -60 seconds and they are over as quickly as they began and we can continue with whatever we are doing. There is no 'what ifs,' no anticipation, no anxiety or fear of having another one. Those of us who reach this point usually do so by using Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and in using CBT we can live our lives without needing to take medication for the Disorder again.

There are many conflicting opinions regarding treatment for the Anxiety Disorders. As such, we advise people to become fully informed about their own disorder and about the treatment options, and their implications. This way they can make an informed choice as to which therapy/ies would be of most benefit to them.

As a group, we are passive people and we can be extremely passive towards our disorder and when working with our therapist. Many of us have been victims of the lack of understanding and appropriate treatment services, but we need not be 'victims' of our disorder.

We need to become very pro-active in working towards our recovery and work in partnership with our therapist, not simply wait for therapist to do something. Based on thousands of anecdotal stories and reports of various treatments and therapists, we advise people to:

• Ask your therapist if they are experienced in treating Anxiety Disorders and if so, the particular therapy/ies they use and the number of people they have treated successfully. Ask them how long your therapy will take and the expected outcomes.
• Become fully informed about their particular Disorder. Not just by speaking with your therapist, but by using resources such local Anxiety Disorder organisations, Internet, books, videos, tapes.
• Develop a working relationship with your therapist. Be prepared to be open and honest about your experience. In many cases people hold back vital information because they feel ashamed or embarrassed or think the /therapist will not understand. If you feel you cannot develop an open working relationship with your therapist then find a therapist you feel more comfortable with.