AWARENESS

THE IMPORTANCE OF AWARENESS

It is extremely important to raise awareness of mental health illnesses and promote
healthy behaviours in the community because:
 People that are victims can feel understood and know that they matter to the society
 Without awareness, people will continuously engage in that behaviour as they are not
reminded of what they are doing
 It helps to build healthy environments, as it encourages inclusive and supportive social
networks.
 Awareness increases the chances for early intervention, hence can result in a fast
recovery.
 Promoting healthy behaviours allows people to understand what the disorder is and the
impacts.
 EVIDENCE
• The Australian Government has provided $9 million over 4 years to Beyond Blue
for targeted campaigns. This has allowed Beyond Blue to create more effective
campaigns to raise awareness for many mental health issues such as the “Get to
know Anxiety” campaign.
• In 2007 it was estimated that 46% of Australians had experienced a mental health
disorder in their lifetime, however in 2017 it was reduced to 14%. This period was
when mental health awareness was becoming a more popular method of
prevention. Although this decrease isn’t wholly due to awareness, it still had
helped in decreasing the number of people that had experienced a mental health
disorder.
HEALTHY HEARTS
 GOAL

• The goal of this campaign is to bring

awareness to anxiety disorder and eliminate
common stereotypes associated with it, to
gradually reduce the number of people
suffering from the disorder.
 KEY MESSAGES

The misconception that anxiety

disorder is not a real medical
illness is false.

Anxiety disorder can be effectively

managed and treated through
support.
 STRATEGIES
As part of this campaign many strategies have been implemented to
convey the key messages. These include:
o Workshops: On the first Saturday of every month, a free
workshop is held to inform people of anxiety disorders and to
eliminate the stigma surrounding it. These workshops are also
held at schools after requesting.
o Twitter Page: This page is created to inform people of the
multiple events that are held. However, it also allows for people
to share their stories, to motivate other people going through
anxiety disorder and to ask personal questions.
 ANXIETY DISORDER
Anxiety disorder is a mental health disorder distinguished by strong feelings of worry, anxiety or
fear that interferes with daily activities. There are different types of anxiety disorders but the
most common are:
o Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) – if you feel anxious most of the days for a period of
more than 6 months.
o Social Anxiety – when a person has an intense fear when in public for being criticised,
embarrassed, or humiliated even in normal situations.
o Specific Phobias – when people go through a great extent to avoid certain
circumstances/objects they are afraid of.
o Panic Disorder – when a person has recurrent panic attacks which are intense, overwhelming,
and uncontrollable or has a persistent fear of having one for more than one month.
o Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) – when a person has constant
unwanted thoughts and fears that cause anxiety.
o Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) – when a person has
experienced a traumatic event that triggers them constantly through
symptoms like difficulty relaxing, upsetting dreams or flashbacks,
and avoiding anything related to the incident for at least a month.
The treatments for anxiety disorders vary on the type of anxiety
experienced. Mild symptoms can be treated by lifestyle changes such as
regular physical exercise and reducing stress levels. However, for
moderate to severe symptoms, psychological or medical treatments are
probably required.
 STATISTICS
o One quarter of Australians will experience an anxiety condition in their lifetime.
o 26.3% of Australians aged 16 to 85 have experienced an anxiety disorder

The following data was also collected from a survey:

o Half of those surveyed either didn’t know (33%) or incorrectly believed (14%) that
anxiety was part of someone’s personality
o More than a third (37%) didn’t know if anxiety could be treated successfully
o 40% of the population said they don’t know how prevalent anxiety is, or incorrectly
thought only a small proportion was affected (14%).
 TIPS

1) Social Coping Strategies such as

talking to someone and getting
involved. When experiencing
anxiety it is common to isolate
yourself, however, finding events
to participate in and talking to
close family can establish a sense
of belonging and allow us to feel
purposeful.
2) Emotional Coping Strategies allow
to cope with intrusive thoughts,
constant worry or fear and feelings of
uncertainty. These include practices
of mindfulness such as prayer and
deep breathing which allows us to
focus on the present rather than the
future by slowing down.

Let’s try this!

• Physical coping strategies like eating and
exercising. Foods can impact our mood, hence
what you put inside our body matters. Dark
chocolate is actually proven to make you less
anxious as it helps lower your blood pressure and
boost the blood flow to your brain and heart. In
one study, individuals who had 74% dark
chocolate twice daily for two weeks had improved
levels of stress hormones commonly associated
with anxiety. Exercising also helps to boost our
endorphins and release tension.
 SERVICES
1) Beyond Blue provides telephone, online chat and
email support for people suffering depression or
anxiety or going through a difficult time. They aim
to inform everyone to protect their own mental
health and give support to others as well as aim to
tackle stigma, prejudice, and discrimination.
2) Headspace provides mental health support for
depression, anxiety, and other mental health
concerns. They provide online and phone
counselling as well as treatment centres all around
Australia.
REFLECTION
 IS THE CAMPAIGN SUCCESSFUL?

• I believe that this campaign would be successful for the

most part, as it provides clear information of the disorder for
people to understand and includes facts and statistics to
support it. However, it is mainly up to the viewers to decide
if they want to follow the tips given and to support those
around them.
 BARRIERS
o A common barrier associated with people with anxiety disorder
that prevents them from getting help is the negative attitude
towards the disorder. Many people associate anxiety to being
weak and don’t recognise it as a real mental illness. Hence, this
prevents people with anxiety disorder from getting help.
o Another barrier is poor mental health literacy, whereby people
don’t know how to identify when the difficulties they are facing
are beyond the normal level of stressing. This means that they
believe that what they are facing is normal and everyone also
suffers the same way. This stops them from getting help.
 ADDITIONAL RESOURCES AND STRATEGIES
o Advertisements could be created to inform the
people of the symptoms of anxiety disorder and
to distinguish that it is a real mental illness.
o Apps could also be made to quiz people on the
disorder and to assist them if they need help.
o Weekly support groups can allow people to
share their personal stories and to let their
feelings out, as well as get support from the
people around them to overcome their situation.
THANK YOU!