This young lady from Singapore shares her experience of coping with generalised anxiety disorder through a combination of professional help and self-care despite the challenges of her hectic study schedule. As told to Indra Venkatram.
Anita (name changed) is a 21 year old young lady, studying bachelors in psychological science. She lives with generalized anxiety disorder which sometimes comes with a predisposition for clinical depression.
Early signs & symptoms:
She had signs of it from childhood where she would have ‘fits’ which later she came to understand were actually panic attacks. She also had thoughts about death and ideas of harming herself from her early teenage years. In addition, she also had a sad disposition since her childhood.
When did she get help?
Her parents decided to get professional help when she was 15 as a result of a few episodes of severe self harm and a failed attempt at suicide taking sleeping pills. They further realised the seriousness of the situation when they went through her messages to friends.
What are the avenues for help used and their effectiveness?
They sought help initially from a psychologist and a psychiatrist. They used Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) to get her to role play and talk about her problems to break down the problem into separate parts involving thoughts, feelings and actions. She did not find this therapy effective and later sought help from another therapist. This new therapist used other intervention methods such as psychodynamic, humanistic and more person centred approaches which she found to be more effective in helping her manage her anxiety. She also took medicines. In addition, she also did yoga and meditation and made dietary changes which have helped to varying degrees. However, she found them hard to maintain given her hectic school schedule.
What must she do maintain a stable condition?
While she still lives with the condition, she continues to manage it. She is happy that she has not been suicidal in over 5 years and has not engaged in self harm in over 4 years. She manages her anxiety by focusing on the basics like getting good sleep, maintaining a healthy diet. A good family support system and getting professional help when required has helped her manage her condition effectively. She continues to go for therapy once a month and does things that work for her that include writing, being around good friends and keeping things simple as she takes it one day at a time.
Handling situations when her condition worsens
Her condition worsens when she has traumatic things happening in her life such as breakups, betrayals by friends, etc. Other smaller events that may upset her also trigger the condition but to a lesser degree. When such things happen, she may falter and go into depression. However, with the help she has received, she is able to manage these situations better. She makes it a point to follow a few things: she takes it a day at a time, she talks to herself positively and gently. She takes control of the situation by doing things that would give her joy. Whether it is going out with good friends or eating lots of comfort food like potato chips, she focuses on self-care. She also ensures that she does not miss therapy no matter how tired she may be as she finds that it helps her deal better with her anxiety and plan her action for self-care.
Her advice for others
- Recognise the symptoms and get help early.
- If one has thoughts of self-harm or suicide, seek professional help immediately.
- Timely help of trained professionals can really help you manage your feelings and come up with interventions.
- Take care of basics - sleep well, eat healthy, balanced meals and exercise regularly.
If you need help in Singapore, call Singapore Suicide Prevention Hotline
If you need help in India, call India Suicide Prevention Hotlines
