Current Newsletter

From the E.D.'s Desk

Before I begin to speak about some of the activity since the last "Winter Strides" came out I would like to first acknowledge and welcome all of the new subscribers to the newsletter. I was very pleased to hear that our subscription numbers have almost tripled in the last two months which is very exiting.

We have had several requests to come out and speak casually to various groups that were interested in learning more about anxiety and providing some basic strategies for learning to manage it. We spoke to the BC leukemia and lymphoma societies Surrey support group in March, a group of amputees at the GF Strong Rehabilitation Centre in April. We also had an opportunity to speak to a support group in Richmond dealing with Mental Health challenges. All the groups were formed for very different reasons, yet they all shared the burden of an increase in their anxiety due to their unexpected and unplanned life circumstances. I definitely feel as though it was a mutual learning experience as it was a real eye opener to hear some of their personal stories, and at the same time witness the courage displayed by these individuals.  The message we were hoping to get across was that mental health is a key component to overall health and that even in the midst of a serious physical health condition that a strategy to manage ones mental health is vital.

On another note we are very close to having our second self help DVD available with the topic, Effectively Managing Panic Disorder: A Self-Help Guide teaches you how to understand and master panic attacks using evidence-based cognitive-behavioral strategies that have been proven to work. This program includes:

• Expert interviews with a clinical psychologist and psychiatrist
• Interviews with individuals who have overcome panic disorder
• Practical information about panic disorder and demonstrations of how to use the strategies

You will learn FUNDAMENTAL panic management skills:

• Becoming an expert on the facts about panic attacks
• Adopting more helpful, realistic ways of thinking about panic
• Facing and taking charge of feared bodily sensations
• Learning how to stop avoiding and start entering feared situations

Additional information in this program includes: the role of medications; when and how to seek professional help; and what friends and family can do to help.

Arto Tienaho

Anxiety Disorders Association of Canada 2010 Scientific and Academic Conference

April 22 – 24, 2010 was the "Inovations In Treatments Of Anxiety Disorders" scientific and academic conference. The following are two articles from AnxietyBC's Board President. The First is a summary of the confrence, and the second is a copy of her opening remarks to the conference.

Sherry Holt President ADAC, Shelly Jones President AnxietyBC