I have just seen the Ad relating to Anxiety by Beyond Blue. Sadly, I find the closing statement in the Ad very
disappointing. I was so surprised by it I thought I had misheard and had to
check it on youtube to make sure I had heard correctly.
The Ad and its concept are fine but the closing is just wrong – indeed it runs counter to information about anxiety and anxiety
disorders provided by Beyond Blue on its website, facebook page etc. Here is a
link to the Ad for those who have not seen it:
The Ad ends as follows “Is it you or your anxiety talking” –
fine, we all know that feeling but then : “Visit Beyond Blue to start a life beyond anxiety”
Coming from a specialist mental health organisation that is
a terribly ignorant statement and it sends the wrong message idea to that part of the community who know nothing of anxiety.
1) Anxiety is natural, normal and vital to survival – that
is just stating the obvious.
2) Where anxiety is present at a level or in a form that is
debilitating or amounts to a disorder its amenability to treatment is highly
variable. Some people may find after a few sessions with a psychologist they
have the tools to deal with it adequately. On the other extreme some people,
myself included, might suffer severe anxiety and engage in a lifelong struggle trying
every measure through trends in psychology, developments in medication (on and
off label) in psychiatry etc.
By all means encourage people to recognize/come forward if
they are having the troubling thoughts illustrated in the Ad, but even hinting
at a life “beyond anxiety” is misleading and does not fit with BB’s fine
reputation – at least in my view.
[Mod note: we have embedded the ad directly into this post so it can be viewed easily]
Hi all, to me, 'beyond anxiety' in the message connotes a path of hope despite anxiety, a potential way to live "on top of" anxiety. And 'beyond anxiety' rhymes well with Beyond Blue, the name of the organisation. It resonates with me.
I'm sorry that some of us have taken it another way. The phrase doesn't classify anxiety as abnormal. It acknowledges anxiety and looks to possible transcendence above anxiety.
Thanks for your comments and the information you have provided.
As to the Survey results you quoted, I can't find those in the "Statistics" section or in any Media Release. As it was a survey of the general public are you able to provide a reference so I can see number of respondents, methodology etc (in another era I worked for the Bureau of Stats and take an interest in these things). Additionally, the very high levels of acceptance (basically 9/10) are extraordinarily high. That is a rare result in any survey of the public, especially given differing attitudes across age and cultural cohorts.
I also had a look at the three short videos and I have mixed feelings about them (to anyone reading yes I can hear myself and I agree that I sound like a COMPLETE negative Nancy but I am just expressing an opinion without any rancour and good intentions I assure you!!). I suppose it is necessary to present matters in a positive light. eg, telling a close friend actually strengthens the friendship; revealing you suffer from anxiety at an interview for your first legal position results in your boss being very supportive etc.
But whilst these messages may ring true for some with anxiety disorders I am unsure how many would relate to them - indeed I would go so far as to say treat them with caution. I say this because, in my lived experience, some colleagues and indeed some friends and family may say the right supportive things but actually don't have much of an idea of what you are going through and more importantly have no way of feeling what you are going through. So some may feel a little uncomfortable toward you, some may be overly attentive and some may be dispassionate. Of course, some may also be there when you need them and keep their distance when that is what you need - I have been blessed in that my wife has been that person all these years.
But when I watch those Ads and the rosy stories I think to myself "where is the caution?". If, by way of illustration, a young person suffering the odd panic attack does the sensible thing, consults his/her GP, does a bit of research about PD, watches the BB videos and then decides to tell their boss of late night shelf packing at the supermarket what he/she has been suffering from, I would suggest the outcome may be highly unpredictable to put it in the kindest terms.
So to try and draw the threads of this rather inarticulate post together, my experience is that understanding of anxiety disorders in practice in the community is still not great (although to be fair I would add that I didn't know the ins and outs of hip replacements until I saw the surgeon about what was involved - so I have some sympathy on that score!!!) and I am therefore undecided about the merits of the three unqualified positive videos. If, god forbid, I was in one (perhaps I'll start a youtube channel - I can do that without going out of the house) my message would be to think and choose very carefully who you tell - support can be great, but anything short of that can be very detrimental indeed.
I have been following this post and I want to just start by saying that it is so nice to see how respectful and considerate everyone is of each other's opinion. It is great that people feel open enough to share their opinions and others are equally receptive of it. Such discussions enable us to increase our insights.
My two cents worth - as someone who has suffered from anxiety (and severe depression) for most of her life, has seen it manifest in her brother and parents (very severely) and as someone who has been through enough bouts now to come out the other side and start having some normality to her life - I feel that 'a life beyond anxiety' tag line is referring to a life beyond the debilitating symptoms that stop you from functioning. My anxiety will always be there, and I will continue to fight this battle but living a life beyond anxiety to me means I am able to manage it rather than the anxiety managing me.
I also think that the way we talk about mental illness has changed a lot over the years. 13 years ago, I would not have been able to talk about anxiety and depression like I do now. My parents are shocked when they realise I talk about it openly to my friends (a function of how mental illness was perceived in their generation). Things are changing now, and a lot has to do with such campaigns - they may not be perfect but at least it gets people talking, at least there is awareness of it, at least people know that anxiety is more than feeling nervous and depression is more than feeling sad, at least we know that a problem exists which needs to be addressed. When I think of the overall campaign above, the quote - The Whole is Greater than the Sum of its Parts comes to my mind. There are practicalities of summarising 20 years+ experience of mental illness in a 45 sec video, ensuring the clip is interesting enough to get a second look from people who have no awareness of it, etc. so let us focus on the overall intent of the campaign (the whole) - which (in my opinion) is that your anxiety may be telling you that it is not ok to tell someone close to you (socially/work/family), but what if they think differently to how you think they think? What if they are accepting and more compassionate than you thought? Would that not help you live a better life than constantly facing the burden of hiding things from them? To me, that's neither positive nor negative, it's real - and that's the true spirit of being imperfectly human together.
Absolutely stoked to see new members joining in too (Hi Simon and Kia!).
NMTB mentioned caution is unfortunately still required when discussing mental illness and I do agree... Somewhat... 😊
In my own experience speaking out in the workplace (I worked for the government too which is shameful to have to say) was pretty awful. I left a job of 7 years.
However I chose to speak up. Because at my worst I couldn't and that led me to a very low place which put me at risk. So in order to never end up there again I chose to be loud and proud.
The curious thing about honesty in my view is it exposes your colleagues, employer, friends and even family too. You get to see who are with you, whose opinion perhaps shouldn't carry so much weight with you... And who is toxic to you.
Again this might seem like a luxury (we all have bills to pay and if speaking out risks your job I fully understand it may not seem possible).
But when you've hit rock bottom and what you have to lose is your life sometimes priorities change. Mine did. I changed jobs and love it. Spoke out and feel good for it. Stopped giving a crap about what people think of me (work in progress of course) and felt better for it.
As Kia said speaking out is what makes change happen. If you can that's great. If you need privacy and security that is equally as ok. Hopefully one day noone will have to feel the need to be cautious.
Hi NMTB, some more data is provided below about how the survey was conducted. Kia has provided a good summary of the intent of the campaign; we realise that people's individual experiences with stigma will vary, but what we are saying is that if fear of stigma is one of the reasons you are not seeking help for anxiety, then perhaps that is worth re-considering.
Anxiety is a condition that naturally presuppposes us toward imagining the worst possible outcome, and the steps made toward reducing stigma in recent years have been substantial. The survey we conducted below is a small indication of that change in attitude.
**
Beyond Blue commissioned a social research agency to conduct an online survey of the Australian population in September 2017. People were recruited using a blend of multiple online panels. The survey was 20-25 minutes in duration and asked participants questions about their understanding, experience of, and attitudes towards anxiety, as well as their help-seeking attitudes and experiences. Many of the questions, including the stigma-related questions, were from psychometrically valid questionnaires.
The survey had a total of 1400 participants, with a main sample of 1000 and a booster sample of 35-44 year olds (n=400), which is the age at which the prevalence of anxiety conditions is highest. Quotas were applied for age, gender and location at the total level.
Data were weighted post data collection to match the ABS 2016 Census figures for adults aged 18 year or older. This was conducted to ensure the data reflected a nationally representative sample of Australian adults.
I know no one has discussed this ad since last year. Just wanted to simply say that, this ad and the tag line helped me notice why i was restless and being grumpy at home. and also the way that I still think when my boss calls for a chat or has whispered conversations near me. i never knew what it could be.
The ad itself is a good idea. The term beyond anxiety was probably not the best choice of words as mental health is an ongoing recovery. I am wondering if the research was conducted with respondents with or without mental health issues as it may skew results if they haven’t had experience. Perhaps a better Tagline would be “recovery is possible”. It’s not an affirmation like “beyond anxiety” is.
Hello Mar, and a warm welcome to a difficult thread that's been posted.
I tend to agree with you that 'recovery is possible' because it aligns itself with 'staying well'.
BB says 'the sooner people with anxiety get support, the more likely they are to recover', true, however, this illness is enormous and can differ from one type of anxiety to another one where depression could also be involved.
Beyond anxiety would be ideal, just as not having depression, but there are different types and combinations that maybe causing this anguish.
