Overcoming Anxiety Through Community

Current estimates suggest that approximately 10% - 15% of the general population suffers from an anxiety disorder. These numbers suggest that as many as 50 million Americans may be experiencing symptoms at any given time. But what can we make of these numbers? On the one hand the sheer size of the population of anxiety sufferers can give one pause and lead to thoughts that the problem is almost too big to be adequately dealt with. On the other hand, the commonalty of the problem suggests that there are many things that anxiety sufferers can teach each other. In the past having an anxiety disorder was like being sequestered on a lonely island. Most sufferers felt some shame in their diagnosis and having anxiety was something more likely to be covered up than discussed openly. As such many people suffered in silence with little more than a therapist or psychiatrist to give them solace. Today this is not the case. Among the positives of the growth in the internet over the past dozen years has been the emergence of new communities where people who suffer from anxiety disorders can congregate. Many of these communities began as forums and newsgroups where sufferers of mental illness could find support. However, over time an enterprising group of such sufferers began personal weblogs and journals sharing their own experiences and, most importantly, techniques that they had discovered which helped mitigate their symptoms. One of the most fruitful elements to emerge from this group was the personal anxiety blog. Today there are thousands of these so-called anxiety blogs where individuals with anxiety disorders share their personal stories of struggle and, in many cases, accomplishment. What began as a phenomenon whereby an individual could simply discuss their day-to-day life has become a forum for anxiety reduction techniques to be discussed. As a result many individuals are learning new ways to manage and even beat their disorders from other people who are just like them. This is, in and of itself, a new development. In the past their was a strict division between the people who treated mental illness and the people who suffered from it. A person with a severe anxiety disorder (who avoided inpatient psychiatric care) might never have a single frank discussion with another person who shared their symptoms. This was problematic as psychiatrists and therapists, for all their value, tend not to have a great deal of personal, first hand experience of living with an anxiety disorder. Therefore, anxiety sufferers were essentially in the dark about many techniques and alternative therapies. If their counselor was unaware of a technique the patient simply would never hear about it. Today that has changed. With the rise of the anxiety blog, anxiety sufferers have found a voice and have rallied around each other in pursuit of a common goal: overcoming anxiety disorders. As a result new and vibrant communities of have sprung up sharing stories of inspiration, struggle and, ultimately, achievement. The anxiety community provides a tremendous service towards its own self growth. As other disciplines have shown, there is nothing more beneficial as first-hand accounts of strategies that have been shown to work. If a person in New Orleans has found an alternative therapy that has benefited their life, they now have a channel with which to share that therapy with a person suffering from a similar condition in Boston. Therefore the rise of anxiety blogs has resulted in the rise of a community of individuals working and sharing together in pursuit of a common goal. It is still too early to tell whether the growth of the self-help community online will have a significant impact on traditional models of therapy. However, anecdotal evidence suggests that even therapists and counselors are learning new methods for combating anxiety from these online communities. And, as the challenge of confronting mental illness goes forward, these are very positive developments.