Mental Health Awareness Month : Steps for Overcoming Anxiety Disorder
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The South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG), the leading Mental Health patient advocacy group, is dedicated to raising awareness and providing vital support for individuals affected by Mental Health issues. In honour of Mental Health Awareness Month in July, SADAG is focusing on unpacking Anxiety Disorders to help understand what the many symptoms look like, how to get help, and vital self-help tips.
Zane Wilson, the Founder of SADAG struggled for many years with undiagnosed Panic Disorder, having up to 6 Panic Attacks a day. It got so bad that she was unable to drive or even go shopping. After 10 years and many attempts to resolve them, she finally received the correct diagnosis and treatment. Although it was a massive undertaking, with the correct solutions, she got better much faster than expected. 30 years later, disorders like Zane’s are much easier to identify and treat, and there are now endless resources that can alleviate people’s suffering.
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According to Zane, “Starting a Panic Support Group over 30 years ago was a huge undertaking. Since then, we opened many Support Groups for Groups and provided many resources that really have achieved amazing steps forward to providing fast support to people living with Panic to help them to learn skills.”
Clinical Psychologist and SADAG Board Chairperson, Dr Colinda Linde, said, “The state of Mental Healthcare in South Africa was in crisis long before Covid-19, and we need to ensure that Anxiety healthcare is prioritised across all sectors, provinces, and ages, to help the growing demand for mental health services.”
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Throughout the month of July, SADAG will be collaborating with Mental Health experts and trained individuals to host a powerful series of online events and campaigns aimed at increasing awareness and reducing the stigma surrounding Anxiety Disorders. We will be covering the following 4 topics: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Panic Disorder, Obsessive Compulsion Disorder and Social Phobia.
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Cassey Chambers SADAG Operations Director advises: ”Including the patient's voice is extremely important when talking about Anxiety Disorders. Having insight from an expert is crucial but having the voice of a patient who has learned to cope with the Mental Health Issues is very important for people to connect and relate.”
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Below is SADAG’s calendar of events
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Ask The Expert – Facebook Live every Friday at 1 pm
7 July: PTSD – Dr Lerato (Psychiatrist) & Lindiwe (Support Group Leader)
14 July: Panic Disorder – Dr Colinda Linde (SADAG Board Chairperson & Clinical Psychologist) & Rams (Support Group Leader)
21 July: OCD – Shai Friedland (Clinical Psychologist) & Dean (Support Group Leader)
28 July: Social Phobia – Dr David Rosenstein (Clinical Psychologist)
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Twitter Spaces at 7pm
On the 10th of July is Panic Awareness Day and at 7 pm on Twitter spaces @TheSADAG a panel of experts and opinion leaders sharing lived experiences and coping strategies, especially how to help a loved one who is having a Panic Attack
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Tik Tok Live at 1pm
On 11th July on Tik Tok @sadag_official we will be chatting about Anxiety Disorders at 1 pm with Alexa Scher (Clinical Psychologist) and Fatima Seedat (SADAG’s Development Manager)
To continue through the month, SADAG will share helpful resources via our website and social media platforms. We will share daily self-help tips and useful information on these Anxiety Disorders. Please follow us on Facebook (@TheSADAG) Twitter (@TheSADAG), Instagram (@sadag_official) and TikTok (@sadag_official)
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In case you missed our last "Ask the Expert", we had Clinical Psychologist Matsedeso Nthako and Psychologist and Support Group Leader Zandile Shabangu talking about Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Please click on the link below to watch on our Facebook Page
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For anyone who may be struggling with their Mental Health and is in need of support for Anxiety, PTSD, OCD, Panic Disorder or Social Phobia please reach out to SADAG Toll-Free Helpline on 0800 456 789 (24hrs), SMS 31393 or WhatsApp at 076 285 2776 (8 am-5 pm). For more information, please visit our website at www.sadag.org
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