Seven Ways to Have a Good Day

1. Talk health, happiness and prosperity to every person you meet.
2. Look at the sunny side of everything.
3. Think only of the best, work only for the best, and expect only the best.
4. Be as enthusiastic about success of others as you are about your own.
5. Forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.
6. Give everyone a smile.
7. Spend so much time improving yourself that you have no time left to criticize others.

Duty of Disclosure!

Duty of Disclosure – Who do I have to tell I have a Mental Illness?


A common question that arises when someone is diagnosed with a Mental Illness is: - “Who do I have to tell?”

Your Employer?

Generally you don’t have to tell your employer about your Mental Illness unless it’s an occupational health and safety risk. The same is the case if you are applying for a new job.

Also, your employer can’t force you to see their doctor or to sign authorities to get reports from your doctors. There are some exceptions such as for Worker’s Compensation claims.

However, telling your employer might be a positive move. It may help explain any problems you have doing your job and might result in changes to your work which could mean you can continue to work productively.

It’s important to consider what your employer’s reaction will be and maybe get the help of your doctor, union or your relevant Mental Illness association.

If you have been discriminated against as a result of the disclosing your Mental Illness to your employer, you have rights under the Equal Opportunity Act 1995 and the Federal Disability Discrimination Act 1992.

The Road Traffic Authority?

You may have to notify the Road Traffic Authority in your state of a Mental Illness in some circumstances. Most Road Traffic Authorities require you to tell them about a Mental Illness if it is likely to affect your ability to drive, as soon as practical.

It is important to note that your driving licence could be affected if you disclose your Mental Illness. Depending on the recommendation of your doctor, your licence could be suspended, cancelled or amended to include a condition requiring you to carry a medical certificate if you are driving. If your doctor thinks that your condition may affect your ability to drive, your doctor may be obliged at law to notify the Road Traffic Authority in your state. Also, if a member of the public, a friend or family is concerned with your ability to drive, they may also be able to notify the Road Traffic Authority in your state. If this occurs, the relevant Authority may investigate your medical condition to check your ability to drive.

If you’re not sure of your position you should speak with your doctor.

Insurance Companies?

Some but not all insurance policies require you to tell the insurer if you have a Mental Illness before you take out the policy. Life insurance, income protection insurance and disability insurance policies usually require you to fill in a health questionnaire and if you don’t tell them about your Mental Illness they might try to cancel your policy and not pay you if they find out when you claim.

However, you don’t always have to tell them if your Mental Illness is under control and you can often challenge decisions of insurance companies.

It might also be possible to get disability and death insurance cover without any health questions such as under “group insurance” schemes eg with your employment super, employer income protection insurance or credit union. If you start a job, join a superannuation fund or an organisation that offers insurance, check to see whether you get automatic insurance cover without any health questions.

Your Superannuation Fund

Most employment superannuation funds include disability and death insurance benefits without having to fill in any health questionnaires up to a certain monetary limit. If you want to get insurance cover over the limit, you will have to fill in a health questionnaire and you will probably have to tell them about your Mental Illness.

You can usually get lump sum cover for death and total and permanent disability and maybe also monthly income protection payments under superannuation funds even if you have a Mental Illness. If you have to stop work because of your Mental Illness and you have the insurance cover attached to your superannuation, you may then be able to make a claim.

The terms and conditions vary from one superannuation fund to another so it is important to check what you are covered for and whether you have to tell the superannuation fund or their insurance company about your Mental Illness.

Help
If you have any questions about your disclosure obligations or regarding your employment, insurance or superannuation rights, you can contact Maurice Blackburn Lawyers on 1800 810 812 for free advice.

Daniela’s Story……

Firstly, I would like to point out that my story is not an answer to depression, it’s simply a story that I hope can give peace to someone else that may be going through anxiety and depression. To read about someone else’s story gives you some insight, guidance and comfort that you are really not the only one feeling like this.

I was a happy, smart, and motivated teenager. I finished VCE and went onto Uni. My anxiety began 2 months into uni, I was 19. I remember exactly what I was doing when I felt my first panic attack. It was just a normal Saturday night at home with my family and we had just ordered fish and chips. We began eating and after about five minutes I started to feel panicky and dizzy. I wasn’t sure what was wrong with me but I knew that this feeling was not something I had experienced before, and as time went on I became more and more scared. I went into the lounge room and curled up into a ball on the couch. My mum came and sat beside me and said are you feeling ok? I just burst into tears for no apparent reason. My head started spinning, I was sweating profusely at the palm of my hands, my legs went to jelly and my stomach felt horrible. Most importantly I couldn’t think straight and my heart started beating uncontrollably. Not knowing what my diagnosis was at this point, my only thought was that I was dying. The thoughts going through my head were – “I’m too young to die”, “I don’t deserve this”, “I haven’t done all the things I wanted to do in life”, “what will my family do without me”. It turns out, this was the first of my panic attack episodes. I spent the next couple of weeks home, constantly crying and sleeping on the couch all day long. I needed to have my mother by my side otherwise it would get worse. I still didn’t know what was wrong with me at this point.  I remember one particular week I visited the doctor every day – five days in a row. I first saw my doctor and told him that i didn’t understand what was wrong with me, i felt i needed to see a doctor but couldn’t really describe what the issue was. After I explained the symptoms of the last couple of weeks, I was diagnosed with Generalised Anxiety Disorder.

Living with depression is, very very hard. Living with depression affects your every day routines and most importantly relationships with loved ones. Being with a partner and getting them to understand depression was a battle for me. A long battle which would play on my mind each minute, losing faith and doubting myself. Will I be a good enough wife, mother, daughter, friend, lover, friend? Will I suffer depression when I’m older? Will I fall into that spout of depression where I cry uncontrollably and cannot understand why I’m unhappy? Will I have thoughts of suicide, will I have panic attacks? Who will help me? My mum and sister won’t be around for me forever. Who will understand and be able to help me through panic attacks, times of being so low that my body becomes irritable and my mind races a million miles per hour. But I will say that reading other people’s stories, finding a tiny bit of inner peace and reading up on symptoms, side effects and just to know that there are millions of other people in the same situation has given me something that makes me get up each morning and have that bit in me to keep going. Bottom line is I have achieved good things and I know that one day my strength will overcome this inner feeling I hold each day.

In conclusion, nobody should live in fear and anxiety. We have choices in life and we have choice in most things we come across. It’s how we take situations is what defines our path. We can choose to crumble or we can choose to stand strong and fight our problems. Some days are easier than others, but just remember you are not alone.

By Daniela – from the December 2008 ADAVIC Newsletter

I Picked Up a Few Groceries Today...

So? Big deal, right? Yes, it's a big deal for someone who has been housebound for 5 years.

I had my first panic attacks in grocery stores and they were the first places I avoided, followed by everywhere else, until I became completely agoraphobic. Didn't even know the meaning of that word until years later when depression and extreme anxiety forced me to seek help.

It's been a long and difficult journey to get where I am today…putting groceries away and dancing with delight. I did it! Yes, me! My self-esteem is elevated, my legs are steady, and my heart is light.

After many weeks of driving "just another block today", and many weeks of actually going into the store, I became able to push the cart around before escaping. A few more weeks and I could put some groceries in the cart before I left.

I Picked Up a Few Groceries Today...actually stayed, paid, and brought them home. Please go with me as I recall the day.

11.00 a.m. Too early for the lunch rush, too late for school busses…time is right. I will drive. Into the store and check the shopping list (no list, just an excuse to locate the exit and breathe). OK, Thank God for carts to hang on to and don't look at the neon lights. Concentrate. Up and down the aisles, some are alright, others are terrible.

12:00 p.m. I have finished grocery shopping now and it's time to go through the check-out. GOD, the check-out.

12:05 p.m. I manage to get the groceries on the conveyor belt even though people around me must know I am weird.

12:06 p.m. It's time to pay…the check is already made out (2 days ago), all I have to do is fill in the amount and I have forgotten how to do it. More deep breathing, settle down and ignore the people who think you are weird.

1:00 p.m. I Picked Up a Few Groceries Today... does anyone need a urinal deodorizer or 3 lbs of brown sugar? How about pimple cream? I have everything now…including my self-esteem.

Thanks for reading.

Bless, Elizabeth.

BE THANKFUL - POEM

Be thankful that you don't already have everything you desire.
If you did, what would there be to look forward to?
Be thankful when you don't know something,
for it gives you the opportunity to learn.

Be thankful for the difficult times.
During those times you grow.
Be thankful for your limitations,
because they give you opportunities for improvement.
Be thankful for each new challenge,
because it will build your strength and character.

Be thankful for your mistakes. They will teach you valuable lessons.
Be thankful when you're tired and weary,
because it means you've made a difference.

It's easy to be thankful for the good things.
A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who
are also thankful for the setbacks.
Gratitude can turn a negative into a positive.
Find a way to be thankful for your troubles,
and they can become your blessings.

-Author Unknown-

Helpful Foods

Below is a list of foods to eat to reduce anxiety and maintain a calm state


Asparagus
Carrots
Onions
Beetroot
Celery
Broccoli
Spinach & green leafy vegetables
Avocado
Paw Paw
Bananas
Dried fruit (not if candida is present)
Stone Fruit

Seaweeds
Legumes
Soy products


Raw nuts & seeds (unsalted)

Wheat germ
Barley, millet, corn, oats, amaranth, quinoa
Brewers yeast

The below recipe was submitted by Janesse for ADAVIC's September 2005 Newsletter

SPINACH AND BEAN SALAD
100G baby spinach
1 bunch of rocket
1 cucumber sliced
3 tomatoes or a punnet of cherry tomatoes
1 cup mung beans
1/2 avocado sliced
1 small red onion sliced
420g can of four bean mix, drained and rinsed
1 cup kalamata olives

DRESSING
1tbspn olive oil
1tbspn lemon juice
1tbspn balsamic vinegar

Place all salad ingredients into a large serving bowl.
In a seperate bowl whisk dressing ingredients until combined.

Sprinkle salad with dressing and serve.
By Janesse—Sept 2005

Meetup group!!!

Here is the link for our new social events group
http://www.meetup.com/ADAVIC-Social-Events/

More recipes to come!!

We will add more delicous and mostly healthy recipes soon as we have a few people at ADAVIC who contribute to our quarterly newsletter - I guess soups are in order as winter will be upon as before we know it.

A recipe!

Recipe - Easy Fish
By Janesse

Fish is a great source of Omega 3s. There has been a lot of evidence and research recently that suggests Omega 3s can help with anxiety and depression so I thought this time I would give you some fish recipes to try.


EASY FISH

I find this is a quick and easy way to cook fish.

Just take any sort of fish fillet and wrap it in foil and bake in the oven for about 15-20 mins depending on the thickness of the fish.

You can add whatever you like to the fish before you wrap it in foil.

I like mine quite plain with chopped garlic and lots of lemon but you can add any kind of herb or spice you like. For example you could do a Thai inspired fish with lime juice, corriander and sweet chilli sauce.

While the fish is baking you can steam some nice fresh vegetables to go with it.

Easy, quick and good for you!

World first in online mental health treatment!

Below is information about a new online service that might be of benefit to you - check it out!

21 October 2009
For immediate release

World first in online mental
health treatment
Australia’s mental health services will receive a boost with the launch of the world’s first online assessment and treatment clinic for people with anxiety disorders.

With over a quarter of Australia’s population affected by anxiety disorders, it is hoped that Anxiety Online will greatly improve the accessibility of mental health treatments, particularly for Australians in rural and remote areas.

The online clinic, developed by Swinburne University’s National eTherapy Centre and based in Melbourne, is the first of its kind in the world.

“Anxiety Online is the first full-service online psychology clinic in the world,” Associate Professor David Austin, Co-Director of the National eTherapy Centre said. “It is the first to offer a complete service online, from assessment through to clinical treatment, in the convenience of a person’s own home.”

Treatment programs via the internet have traditionally been self-guided or linked the user to a face-to-face therapist.

The service includes free online psychological assessments, diagnoses, referrals and educational information on anxiety disorders such as Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Panic Disorder, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Social Phobia.

“We expect the service to be used by a high proportion of people from remote and regional Australia, people who don’t have a choice in regards to accessing face-to-face psych services because they simply don’t exist,” Austin said.

Austin also expects the online treatment service will appeal to people who aren’t comfortable visiting a therapist face-to-face.

“Our experiences to date suggest people participate in online treatment services for a number of reasons. It helps people avoid the social stigma associated with many anxiety disorders, and it is often more convenient and accessible,” he said.

Users are given a unique login and password and after an initial online assessment can access a free 12-week self-directed program based on their diagnosed disorder. By paying $120 over 12 weeks, users can also access a low cost therapist-assisted program where a trained ‘eTherapist’ will conduct email sessions with the client on a weekly basis.

The program will be officially launched on Friday 23 October at the State Library of Victoria.

The keynote speaker at the launch will be former ACCC Chairman, Professor Allan Fels. Professor Fels is a long time patron of the Swinburne Psychology Clinic and a supporter of mental health reforms. He chairs the Haven Foundation which supports accommodation for the long term mentally ill. He is also a Patron of the Mental Health Council of Australia and a member of the National Mental Health Advisory Council.

Those attending the launch will have the opportunity to trial the program at http://www.anxietyonline.org.au

Anxiety Online is provided by the National eTherapy Centre at Swinburne University of Technology and is funded by the Federal Department of Health and Ageing.

E-News

Hi everyone,

ADAVIC is providing a free monthly eNews letter - if you have't already signed up for it feel free to do so by going to the home page of our site at http://www.adavic.org.au/ and only takes a minute to enter your email address and you will receive a free eNews letter every month.

Setbacks!

You will have wonderful surges forward.
Then there must be a time of consolidating
before the next forward surge.

Accept this as part of the process
and never become downhearted.

Eileen Caddy

Louise Hay affirmation!

The point of Power
is always in
the present moment
The past is over and done and has no more power over me.

I can begin to be free in this moment.

Today's thoughts create my future. I am in change.

I now take my own power back. I am safe and I am free.

Pics from STOMP OUT THE ANTS book launch!

The launch of Sally-Anne McCormack's book STOMP OUT THE ANTS was launched tonight in Kew and below are some pics.

From left to right, it is Dawn McCormack, Terry McCormack (Sally-Anne's parents!), Sally-Anne McCormack, Hector (her husband) Paige, Melanie & Kiera her three beautiful daughters. Amber (her oldest) was unable to come on the night.

Quotes to Overcome Worry and Anxiety!

Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influences of each.
Henry David Thoreau


I never think of the future - it comes soon enough.
Albert Einstein



Surely there is something in the unruffled calm of nature that overawes our little anxieties and doubts; the sight of the deep-blue sky and the clustering stars above seems to impart a quiet to the mind.
Jonathan Edwards

What’s on at ADAVIC in March and April 2010

Thursday 18th March
7.30 pm—9.15 pm
Phyllis Hore Room (Kew Library)
Cnr Civic Drive & Cotham Roads, Kew
Sally-Anne McCormack, Psychologist - STOMP out the ANTs! - (Automatic Negative Thoughts)
If you have ever been anxious, depressed, or had any negative thoughts, then come along to the book launch to hear about the analogy of the ANTs—(Automatic Negative Thoughts). Sally-Anne will describe some popular strategies to “stomp” out the ANTs, and ways of helping yourself to prevent future infestations!
Sally-Anne McCormack is the principal psychologist at her private practices in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne. She is a registered psychologist, a former teacher, and a mother of four.
As well as working with adults, she has a special interest in working with children and adolescents. She has extensive experience dealing with a broad range of mental health disorders especially depression, anxiety and sleep as well as parenting and educational issues.
As a psychologist, Sally-Anne is often consulted and interviewed by the media to comment professionally on current topics both in Victoria and interstate/overseas. In her ‘spare time’ Sally-Anne is a member of an amateur theatre company which encourages community involvement in theatre.


Thursday 25th March
7:30 pm to 9.00 pm
Northcote Town Hall
189 High Street, Northcote
Dr Janet Hall, Clinical Psychologist - How Hypnosis Can Help With Anxiety
This presentation by Dr Janet Hall will answer these common questions:
What is the main advantage of hypnosis? What Hypnosis is. What Hypnosis is not. Can the hypnotist control you and make you do unethical or foolish things against your will? How do you know if you have been hypnotised? Is hypnosis magic? Is hypnosis a therapy in its own right? How does hypnosis work? What effects might people experience in hypnosis? How can these effects be useful in helping people overcome their anxiety? What is the difference between hypnosis which is conducted by another person and self-hypnosis? How can you maximize the chances of hypnosis helping you to succeed? How can you sabotage the positive effects of hypnosis? Is everyone equally hypnotizable? How can you know if you are a highly hypnotizable subject? How do you choose a reliable and expert hypnotherapist?
Dr Hall is an experienced and highly qualified Clinical Psychologist who uses cognitive behavioural techniques, hypnosis and insight therapy to help people with anxiety and depression.


Thursday 15th April
7:30 pm to 9:00pm
Grattan Gardens Community Centre, 40 Grattan Street, Prahran
Bev Aisbett, Author & Counsellor - Anxiety and Depression ‘Taking the fear out of it’
Having had first-hand experience of severe anxiety and depression, Bev’s subsequent and mainly self-steered recovery led to her passing on her unique techniques to the many who suffer from anxiety, depression and OCD. By personifying her fears and anxiety into a cartoon character- “IT”, Bev was able to assist readers of her books to gain a new and healthier perspective on their anxiety, with the added bonus of gentle and disarming humour. A trained counsellor, Bev has honed her skills in many modalities through ongoing research and training and is a highly perceptive and intuitive teacher.


Thursday 29th April
7:30pm to 9:30 pm
Grattan Gardens Community Centre, 40 Grattan Street, Prahran
Francine Cockerill & Kaye Hakopian , - Parenting Support Strategies: How Stillness Meditation Can Reduce Anxiety
Francine and Kaye will talk about how the simplicity of Stillness Meditation can have a profound effect on managing anxiety. This form of meditation was originated by psychiatrist Dr. Ainslie Meares.
Why Stillness? - All children and adolescents face problems of some kind and therefore stress.—Some children and adolescents are facing severe problems and therefore severe stress.— Stress and related problems involve anxiety and tension.— Stillness Meditation is a very easy way to help young people manage anxiety, tension and stress from the natural reservoir of strength within themselves.—The practice of Stillness leads to wider benefits :
- improved resilience & coping ability - improved concentration & competency
- new respect for self & others - increased insight & creativity
- flow on effect for the whole family


Bookings at www.adavic.org.au
or call (03) 9853-8089

Brooke's last day!

Brooke has been an ADAVIC Volunteer for over a year and we were sad to see her go last Thursday (11th March).
Having said that she will be back during holidays and will be helping out at the odd event.
Anna and Brooke made the most of Brooke's last day by having a few funny pics taken.

Advertise with ADAVIC!!!

Do you have a workshop, program, event or some news that you believe would be of interest to ADAVIC members and supporters?
ADAVIC is now providing professionals, organisations and schools the opportunity to advertise through ADAVIC – below are some of the options.

Monthly eNewsletter
Quarterly Newsletter – editions: March, June, September and December
ADAVIC website at www.adavic.org.au

For further information contact us via email at adavic@adavic.org.au

Personal Growth and Self Development Quotes!!!

The only journey is the journey within.
Rainer Maria Rilke


Every day do something that will inch you closer to a better tomorrow.
Doug Firebaugh


Insist on yourself. Never imitate.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Relight the Fire - Poem by Nicci Wall

Relight the Fire

I am taking the time to think about, what is right for me,
Instead of bowing to the unreachable expectations, of my family.
Important decisions about my life, are my own to make,
Give me credit for knowing, their consequences are also mine to take.
With every step in a new direction, an element of risk will be there,
I have never been one to do things on a whim, or without a reasonable amount of care.
My responsibilities and commitments, I most definitely do not take lightly,
And I no longer endure the type of behaviour, I deem as unsightly.
I am insisting on a better life, I will not accept the conditions placed on the one I had,
And for the chance to start anew, I know I will always be glad.
I believe the new road I have chosen, to travel with my kin,
Will hold all the positive aspects, to relight the fire within.

By Nicci Wall

ADAVIC’s online bookstore!!!

Below are just a few Books and CD’s that are available from our online bookstore:

Living With IT - Living It UP - Letting IT Go all written and illustrated by Bev Aisbett, Author and Counsellor;

In stillness Conquer Fear (25th Anniversary edition) written by Pauline McKinnon, Psychotherapist and Author;

Happythoughts are Everywhere by Nicky Johnston, Author and Mother,
These days, Bayden is a happy and confident boy. There was a time, not long ago when Bayden worried about everything. ALL of the time. That was, until he discovered the power of Happythoughts!
Join Bayden's journey as he goes in search of his happythoughts. You'll never guess where he finds them!
This clever story has been written to help children learn that by changing their thoughts, they can change their feelings. A simple strategy to help them take control of their anxiety!
Full-colour, illustrated book for children;

Sleep Soundly CD by Sarah Edelman;
Moments of Stillness CD by Sarah Edelman;
Experiencing Stillness Meditation CD by Pauline McKinnon.

Check out our store at: http://www.adavic.org.au/product-search.aspx as there more books and CD’s available for purchase.

HOW YOU CAN HELP US HELP OTHERS:

One of the best ways to support ADAVIC is to set up a monthly direct debit from your bank account. Every donation is tax deductible and will help us continue our vital work in the community.

A donation as small as $5 a month will help ADAVIC to continue providing telephone support and free information packs to the community.

To set up a direct debit donation to ADAVIC please go to givenow.com.au/adavic

Alternatively you can donate directly through our website at:
http://www.adavic.org.au/PG-adavic-membership-sponsors.aspx#donations

We greatly appreciate all the support from our members.
You can also support us by buying your DVDs through our fundraising page at EzyDVD.

Logging into EzyDVD through our portal raises funds for us, while providing the same great prices and service to you!

http://adavic.ezydvdfundraising.com.au/

Happiness - a way of life!

The pursuit of happiness is as old as the human race, dating back to Aristotle who observed 2300 years ago that more than anything men and women seek happiness. Today it is a well known fact that happiness and positive mental states like joy, optimism and contentment are associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, pulmonary disease, hypertension, colds and upper respiratory infections. Furthermore research tells us that happy people are more confident, creative, and sociable, and are more likely to have better marriages and relationships, successful jobs, and live longer.

However, finding happiness within yourself can be one of the hardest things to do, particularly when life throws unexpected challenges your way. Knowing yourself and what makes you feel good and bad can help you move forward with your life as well as provide a sense of peace and fulfilment. Happiness is a state that exists naturally within each of us. At least that is our philosophy at the Positive Psychology Wellness Centre.

Positive Psychology is a new psychological approach that focuses on identifying and utilising individual strengths and creating a positive, fulfilling and meaningful life. According to this approach there are three ways you can increase happiness: get more pleasure out of life, become more engaged in what you do and find ways of making your life more meaningful.

At the Positive Psychology Wellness Centre we believe that everyone has unique character strengths and virtues and that happiness is a way of life. Our staff utilise positive psychology principles and interventions which focus on increasing long term happiness and decreasing depressive and anxiety symptoms. Our mission is to provide treatment that not just about fixing what is wrong but building what is right.

For more information contact Positive Psychology Wellness Centre on 9570 8440 or visit
www.positivepsychology.net.au
Written by Peter Kyriakoulis
Clinical Psychologist & Director of Positive Psychology Centre

Some new ADAVIC Volunteers and Placement Students!

Katerina - March 2010

Amy - March 2010

Alyssa - March 2010

Want to help with Research?

Deakin Family Options: A Clinical Research Trial. A team of researchers from Deakin University are conducting a trial of psychological therapies, funded by beyondblue: the national depression initiative.

As part of the trial, free psychological treatments are being offered to youth (aged 12 – 26) with depression, anxiety issues, or drug and alcohol problems. Parent/s of young people with these issues are also invited to take part.

Two kinds of psychological treatment programs are being compared in the trial, each lasting for around 12 weeks. One option is a one-on-one treatment program being offered for the young person with a trained youth counsellor. The other option is a parent/family program for the relatives of youth facing these issues.

The programs are being offered to eligible families in 2010, in Melbourne (at Drummond Street Relationships Centre in Carlton) and Geelong (at JIGSAW Young Persons Metal Health Service). In order to be eligible, participating youth and/or families must complete assessments at the start, end, and six months after treatment. This allows the researchers to determine the impact of the treatments on youth and families.

Please contact Melanie or Catherine in Geelong on 5227 8415, or Gabrielle Connell or Olivia Morrow in Melbourne on 9663 6733. Or email us at familyoptions@deakin.edu.au for further information.

How Hypnosis Can Help With Anxiety - Lecture!

ANXIETY DISORDERS ASSOCIATION OF VICTORIA

Presents

Dr Janet Hall, CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST

Date: Thursday, 25th March 2010
Venue: Northcote Town Hall, 189 High Street, Northcote
Roof Top Function Room
Time: 7.30 p.m. to 9.00 p.m.
Cost: $20.00 non-members and $10.00 ADAVIC members
Topic: How Hypnosis Can Help With Anxiety


This presentation by Dr Janet Hall will answer these common questions:

What is the main advantage of hypnosis?
What Hypnosis is. What Hypnosis is not.
Can the hypnotist control you and make you do unethical or foolish things against your will?
How do you know if you have been hypnotised?
Is hypnosis magic? Is hypnosis a therapy in its own right?
How does hypnosis work?
What effects might people experience in hypnosis?
How can these effects be useful in helping people overcome their anxiety?
What is the difference between hypnosis which is conducted by another person and self-hypnosis?
How can you maximize the chances of hypnosis helping you to succeed?
How can you sabotage the positive effects of hypnosis?
Is everyone equally hypnotizable?
How can you know if you are a highly hypnotizable subject?
How do you choose a reliable and expert hypnotherapist?

Dr Hall is an experienced and highly qualified Clinical Psychologist who uses cognitive behavioural techniques, hypnosis and insight therapy to help people with anxiety and depression, stop-smoking and weight loss, relationship difficulties and sex therapy. Dr Janet is also author of eight books, has recorded 34 CDs and is a media spokesperson often on radio, television and in print media.

BOOKINGS ESSENTIAL!
MONIES NON REFUNDABLE
Bookings can be made by calling ADAVIC (03) 9853 8089
Or email us at adavic@adavic.org.au
Note: a $2 surcharge fee will apply to invoices

Book Launch - STOMP OUT THE ANTS!

ANXIETY DISORDERS ASSOCIATION OF VICTORIA

Presents

Book Launch:
STOMP out the ANTs! – (Automatic Negative Thoughts)

Date: Thursday, 18th March 2010
Venue: Phyllis Hore Room (at Kew Library)
Cnr. Civic Drive and Cotham Rd, KEW
Time: 7.30 p.m. to 9.15 p.m.
Presenter: Sally-Anne McCormack, Psychologist
Cost: $20.00 non-members and $10.00 ADAVIC members

This book is targeted to an adult audience.

If you have ever been anxious, depressed, or had any negative thoughts, then come along to the book launch to hear about the analogy of the ANTs – (Automatic Negative Thoughts). ANTs - everyone gets them, they are hard to get rid of, and we often don’t notice them until there is a huge pile of black pests hiding all of the good things underneath them.

Sally-Anne will describe some popular strategies to “stomp” out the ANTs, and ways of helping yourself to prevent future infestations!


About the Author

Sally-Anne McCormack is the principal psychologist at her private practices in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne. She is a registered psychologist, a former teacher, and a mother of four.

As well as working with adults, she has a special interest in working with children and adolescents. She has extensive experience dealing with a broad range of mental health disorders especially depression, anxiety and sleep as well as parenting and educational issues.

Sally-Anne offers individual and group sessions for all ages (prevention or treatment) of these illnesses, and in addition runs three websites – www.WebPsychologist.com.au www.ParentsOnline.com.au and www.CyberPsych.com.au – which provide information and support to the wider community.

As a psychologist, Sally-Anne is often consulted and interviewed by the media to comment professionally on current topics both in Victoria and interstate/overseas. In her ‘spare time’ Sally-Anne is a member of an amateur theatre company which encourages community involvement in theatre.

BOOKINGS ESSENTIAL!
MONIES NON REFUNDABLE
Bookings can be made by calling ADAVIC (03) 9853 8089
Or email us at adavic@adavic.org.au
Note: a $2 surcharge fee will apply to invoices

History of ADAVIC up to 2004!

Anxious to help - a story about the reasons for ADAVIC
By Shikkiah de Quadros-Wander
March 2004.

The episodes began to increase in severity; not only would I be dizzy but I would tremble and be sweaty and a rush of nausea would overcome me. Afterwards I would feel physically and mentally exhausted. I would spend the rest of the day nestled up in bed praying for the day to end so I wouldn't feel sick. As life continued I lived in fear of these attacks. I was always thinking, 'When will the next one occur? When is it going to get me?' Fear had taken over my life. (Alexis' Story, ADAVIC website)

One in ten Australians cannot define the limits of their anxiety. Many cannot control the degree to which it dictates what they are able to do. At this point, anxiety becomes a disorder.

Anxiety disorders are ongoing and appear in many forms. Generalised Anxiety Disorder describes a condition where a person is constantly anxious about the real or imagined possibilities of things going wrong in everyday life. Social and other phobias are specific forms of anxiety disorders. Another related condition is Panic Disorder, which involves unexpected panic attacks in circumstances that wouldn't ordinarily cause anxiety. This can lead to agoraphobia - a fear of having a panic attack in an outside situation. This severe phobia causes sufferers to avoid leaving their house at all.

ADAVIC - the Anxiety Disorders Association of Victoria - began in 1994 in response to the number of people in the local community who had anxiety problems. At the time, Anna Kouloubos was working as a volunteer in the Kew Community House and was struggling with her own experiences. 'The co-ordinator up there knew I had problems with agoraphobia and anxiety - I used to turn up with panic attacks sometimes,' she recalls. The co-ordinator also knew of others in the area in similar situations and encouraged Kouloubos to initiate a support group to meet weekly.

With the help of two social work students she managed to get the program off the ground. Apart from the support groups (which were doubled to twice a week), information sessions were conducted and the community house became a base for what was then known as the Kew Anxiety and Panic Disorders Support Group. Four years later, Anna Kouloubos decided she wanted to make changes to the way the organisation was running and relocated the administrative centre to her home. It is from here that ADAVIC has been operating since 1998 - in one room of a small unit in Kew.

The size of the office belies its enormous function. Two desks face opposite walls with computers on each, and every space on top of filing cabinets and bookshelves is taken up with colour-coded pamphlets for information sessions, psychologist referrals, or support group information. From its local beginnings, ADAVIC is fast becoming a service utilised across metropolitan Melbourne with its list of members now standing at just over 200.

The aims of this non-profit organisation are modest: to reassure people with anxiety that they are not alone; to provide an affordable, friendly and reliable service; to challenge sufferers to overcome their anxiety through support groups and workshops; to organise information sessions; and to destigmatise anxiety disorders in the community by promoting awareness, sensitivity and understanding.

Catherine Madigan is a consulting psychologist on the ADAVIC committee who specialises in treating anxiety. She describes the disorder as a combination of physical and psychological symptoms. 'The physical signs include blushing, sweating, nausea, hot and cold flushes, chest pain, rubbery legs, feeling faint and having heart palpitations,' she says, 'And the psychological signs? A lot of people tell me that their mind just goes blank.' Madigan explains that most people also experience derealisation - disconnection from the world - or an even more frightening sense of depersonalisation, a sense of disconnection from themselves.

Depending on the type of anxiety suffered, people will have their greatest trouble with the smallest things. 'Someone who gets panic attacks will have problems driving on a freeway or being in a crowded place where it's hard to escape from,' Madigan says. 'People with social anxiety will be terrified of job interviews or dating.' And when does being anxious actually become a disorder? 'A certain amount of anxiety is helpful, but when it begins to negatively impact on a person's life - when they start avoiding things they want or have to do - then it's a real problem.'

Madigan, while not against using medication in treatment, is ambivalent about benzodiazepines - the specific class of highly addictive anxiety-reducing drugs. 'For some people with very severe anxiety, without antidepressants they might not get anywhere,' she admits, 'But I'm certainly not into the benzodiazepines. It's best if people can stay away from them.' Many people also overcome anxiety through cognitive-behavioural therapy, which involves being taught to modify anxiety-provoking thoughts and replace them with constructive alternatives.

This form of therapy played a large role in the recovery of Noel Brown, now the President of ADAVIC. Brown is a 71-year-old retiree whose role entails overseeing the administrative management of the organisation. 'And if Anna has any challenging situations that she doesn't feel like tackling, then I approach the people instead,' he explains. For the man who now acts as Kouloubos' liaison in situations likely to cause anxiety, it is phenomenal that he was once a sufferer himself.

Noel Brown's problems began in 1985 when he was the manager of a linen distribution service operating from the Royal Melbourne Hospital, which serviced around 90 other hospitals across Victoria. Coming from a background in aeronautical and industrial engineering, Brown reflects on the first few years of the new job as 'extremely rewarding'. When the Labour Government came into power in the mid-eighties, there was a clash between the unions, the health department and the health minister, putting his company under threat.

Between receiving threatening phone calls at work and having his tyres slashed, Brown was finding each day progressively harder. 'I was driving through picket lines to deliver linen to hospitals because I felt very responsible,' he remembers. 'Around that time I said to [my wife] Joan, "Why are you washing my clothes in hot water? The shirts are shrinking around the collar." And that's when I realised.' What he realised was that he was experiencing some of the physical symptoms of anxiety with tightness in the chest and difficulty breathing. At that point, a doctor prescribed anxiety-reducing drugs. 'Of course they're addictive,' Brown says, shaking his head, 'but I only know that now.'

By the time his work situation had reached crisis point, Noel Brown had taken it upon himself to increase his dosage from two to ten tablets a day and was feeling no better for it. A stressful meeting resulted in a panic attack - the first of many he would experience over the next few years. The attack was so distressing that he quit his job and was referred to a psychologist, then a psychiatrist, who eased him off the medication through a combination of non-dependent drugs and cognitive-behavioural therapy.

Was the therapy effective? Brown nods and grins. '[The psychiatrist] taught me to go back every time I had a panic attack and ask myself, "Why was that so? What started it?" And I could always trace it back to something.' He thinks for a minute. 'Like I'd be in the car and I'd see one of our hospital trucks delivering linen and that would set me off.' In recognising his triggers, Brown became more conscious of where his anxiety was coming from and grew to anticipate and deal with it.

Eventually he was able to overcome more challenging situations and recovered to the point of being able to visit a sick friend in the Royal Melbourne Hospital, the place where his problems began.

Although he knew that anxiety was not uncommon, Noel didn't realise how many people shared his condition until he began attending the support group at the Kew Community House. 'I sat down and I was astounded,' Noel says, remembering the first time he attended. 'There were sixteen people in the room and they all had similar problems. I didn't like talking about it much but I thought I was unique.' The composition of the group also surprised him. 'Most of these people were professionals - very articulate, obviously intelligent people.'

He wonders now whether he depended on the support group for longer than he should have, but has no doubt about the role it played in his recovery. 'It lifted me from a plateau that the psychiatrist had got me to, to being what I think is pretty normal again,' he says with a smile. After he stopped going to the meetings, Noel retained contact with Anna Kouloubos and now, eight years on, is heading the organisation that she founded.

Kouloubos is the cornerstone of the entire operation, working every day to provide fundamental continuity, but without the seven volunteers currently working for ADAVIC she would have a difficult time keeping up with the phone calls, advertising, lecture bookings, and mailing information packs to carers and people with anxiety. Celeste Grant, a Psychology student in her Honours year at Melbourne University, has been volunteering with the association since the beginning of the year.

How does she, as a student, respond to people who call ADAVIC seeking a phone-counselling service? 'I say that I'm not a professional counsellor but I'm happy to have a chat with them about any of the problems they've been having,' she answers. 'I'm not sure that I use my psych degree at all really - it's not a matter of telling people what to do. Listening to them is so much more a part of it, and helping them feel supported.'

Today Grant received a call from a woman who was experiencing shortness of breath and having difficulty swallowing. Four doctors and a cardiologist had assured her there was nothing physically wrong with her and that her symptoms were anxiety-related. 'It was hard getting her to accept that her fear wasn't a rational fear, not a constructive fear,' she says, 'We talked about trying to stop that cycle of making the anxiety worse by monitoring the physical symptoms.'

Grant spent the rest of the phone call discussing issues that the woman could raise with her counsellor, like habits of thinking and cognitive behavioural therapy. 'It's really about empowering people,' she finishes, 'And this has been a really good introduction for me.'

ADAVIC is a good reference point for people seeking information about anxiety and panic disorders, but the weekly and fortnightly support groups (located in South Kingsville, Brunswick and Kew) continue to be the most practical ongoing service offered to people with the condition. The groups are attended on a casual basis, with anywhere from one to ten people each week, and are run by trained facilitators with a professional or personal background in anxiety.

Eva Savov is another ADAVIC member whose contact with the organisation began because of her own anxiety disorder. Savov facilitates the South Kingsville support group with three other people and has found a great deal of strength in her role. Each session begins with the reading of the creed - a set of goals and guidelines that include a statement that the groups are about making connections, not prescribing or diagnosing. Those who wish to remain anonymous or not speak at all are welcome to make that choice, and every person is entitled to an equal chance to talk.

How long people remain with the groups is an individual decision. 'Each person's recovery is going to be different, and each person's perception of anxiety is going to be different,' says Savov. 'Some people come to a support group and think it's going to change their lives forever. It's not the case. We're there to listen to them and to help them feel they're not alone.'

Earlier in the year, Eva Savov wrote an article for the ADAVIC newsletter in which she described the personal joy of watching people recover from anxiety and benefit from the advice and insight provided by the support groups. However the article also mentioned how sad she felt when people began treating the groups as 'their salvation, social gathering, therapy session or a place where they become opinionated'.

When questioned as to why she wrote the article, Savov sighs. 'You'll always have one or two people like that. For me it's not an issue, but for the other sufferers.' She is silent for a minute. 'It's not about being influenced, it's about discovering your own potential.'

The support groups run at a nominal cost to attendees and contribute little to ADAVIC's survival. This raises the same question that all non-profit organisations inevitably face: where does the money come from? 'Mainly memberships, the programs that we run, the info nights, the workshops, and a little bit of local government funding which is pretty much all for the adolescent information packs,' Kouloubos explains. 'And a Rotary Club gave us some equipment and some money as well, which we have to use very wisely.'

The lectures and workshops that ADAVIC hosts throughout the year are a crucial source of funding. Well-known psychologists and other experts in the field of anxiety often conduct these without charging a fee, allowing the proceeds from the sessions to support ADAVIC. Without these people's beliefs in the importance of the organisation, there simply wouldn't be enough money to provide a service.

Pauline McKinnon runs the Life Development Centre in Kew and has been an important figure to ADAVIC for many years. She is a psychotherapist but is best known for her work and publications on Stillness Meditation - a very simple form of meditation that she credits as playing a special role in her own recovery from anxiety and agoraphobia. Her most recent association with ADAVIC was through a generous offer to conduct a Stillness Meditation Day at the Balwyn Community House on October 11th this year.

McKinnon has an extraordinarily calming presence. She speaks in a gentle voice about the benefits of Stillness Meditation, paying close attention to her audience and addressing people by name whenever possible. While some of the people attending the session are purely interested members of the public, many others have anxiety.

Most of the questions come after Pauline McKinnon has led the first session of meditation. 'How does this actually work for anxiety?' asks one woman. 'Anxiety is a natural emotion,' McKinnon explains, 'And Stillness Meditation is also natural. When we're uncomfortable about anything, our automatic reaction is to tense our bodies. Stillness Meditation is a chance to learn to override these reactions and to practise doing this before the anxiety attacks happen.'

'What techniques did you use when you learnt this form of meditation?' another woman wants to know. McKinnon answers without hesitation. 'There are no techniques,' she says, 'It's based on simplicity. The more effort we make, the less easy it is. We have to accept that the naturalness, like the anxiety, is there within us.' She describes Stillness Meditation as a process of letting go and of giving in to a 'less evolved, less intellectual, less logical' way of overcoming stress, be it in the form of everyday pressures or an all-consuming disorder.

The relationship between Stillness and coping with anxiety may appear dubious, but ADAVIC has hosted many similar sessions - Yoga and Reiki courses, relaxation and breathing classes, and a 'sleeping better naturally' program. Other information evenings held in the past have also dealt with educating people about the effects of anxiety-reducing drugs and alternatives to prescribed medication. Does this reflect one of ADAVIC's philosophies? Kouloubos pauses before she answers. 'It's not that we're
anti-medication,' she says carefully, 'But we certainly encourage people not to develop a reliance on medication. We provide alternatives.'

ADAVIC runs as efficiently as it can, but the set-up is far from ideal. 'I want an office with a room for each girl to work in!' Kouloubos laughs when asked what her preference would be as far as her workplace is concerned. Without the funds to rent elsewhere, there is no choice for her but to continue working from her home which, for a person with agoraphobia, has both its advantages and its disadvantages. 'I'm in two minds about it,' she explains, 'With my own problem, my agoraphobia, it's easy to work. I don't have to go anywhere, do I? But I feel it's getting to the point where sooner or later I'll have to move. I need a rest from this. I'm not going to get any better myself if I'm just helping everyone else.'

Noel Brown expresses a similar feeling when questioned about ADAVIC's future. 'Anna won't always be doing that role,' he says with certainty, expressing his hope that she will one day have the freedom to pursue her own recovery. 'If she ever said, "Look, I can't do this any more," the whole thing would just collapse. There's no succession plan.'

This is a major concern for all who are affiliated with the organisation. ADAVIC is continuing to expand its services into parts of the community that have not previously had the benefit of proximity to workshops and lectures for people with anxiety. The demands on Kouloubos will only increase, but the funds to support her are simply not available or forthcoming. This does not seem to sway her from her mission to construct an email database of doctors, community houses and health services from every city council in Melbourne with a view to eventually establishing a support group in every shire.

Such a project would take many years, and the goal is not entirely unachievable. The organisation has not stopped growing since Anna Kouloubos decided that those with anxiety deserved an affordable and reliable source of information and support. From the moment it began, she knew how many people in the community needed a group like ADAVIC and was never under the illusion that the task would be small. Regardless of the limited space and funding, her vision remains undeterred. 'Everywhere,' Kouloubos insists, when asked which areas are most in need of ADAVIC's services. 'Everywhere.'

By Shikkiah de Quadros-Wander
March 2004.