Getting help for anxiety

Whatever type of anxiety you are experiencing, if it’s interfering with areas of your day-to-day life, such as schoolwork and relationships with people, you probably need some help to get back on track.

A good place to start is with your doctor (Link to GP page), who can help you identify your anxiety disorder and find the best way to manage it. Your doctor may recommend some information to read and refer you to someone who specialises in anxiety disorders.

Common ways of treating anxiety include learning relaxation and Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) techniques.

• Youthbeyondblue Fact sheet 4: Treatments for depression and anxiety.
• beyondblue Fact sheet 10: Changing your thinking – Cognitive Behaviour Therapy.

Medication is prescribed also for some anxiety disorders in some circumstances (particularly OCD), but caution is generally needed in young people

• Youthbeyondblue Fact Sheet 5: Antidepressants for the treatment of depression in children and adolescents.

Helping yourself if you have an anxiety disorder

There are many things that you can do to reduce anxiety in your life.

Look at the things that are causing you stress and if you can, change your lifestyle to avoid or confront those things. Looking after yourself will also improve your overall health and well-being.

• Staying healthy — Make sure that you are eating healthy foods and regular meals, and try to stay active and get enough sleep.
• Relaxing — There are many ways to help yourself relax. You could try going for walks, doing a class like yoga or Tai Chi, learning to meditate or playing footy with a friend.
• Talking — Bottling things up is likely to keep your anxiety levels high. If possible, talk to a friend about the things that are making you feel anxious and see if they can be sorted out.
• Alcohol and drugs — These might seem to help, but they only make things harder in the long run.

More Information

• ARAFMI (Association of Relatives and Friends of the Mentally Ill)
• ARAFMI offers a range of services for carers of people experiencing mental illness, including support groups, information and telephone counselling.