Educate community about anxiety disorder screening
Assessment tools available
May 1 is National Anxiety Disorders Screening Day, and health care sites interested in commemorating the occasion by doing a public screening can obtain all the necessary tools from Freedom From Fear, the Staten Island, NY-based organization sponsoring the event. These materials include educational brochures, promotional flyers, screening forms, a video about the various anxiety disorders and their symptoms, bookmarks, and instructional information for running a screening.
"We do a lot of publicity and promotion to remove the stigma around mental illness, specifically anxiety and depressive disorders, by educating the public," says Jeanine Christiana, associate director of Freedom From Fear.
Community education prior to the screening can attract the interest of people who may be suffering from these disorders. It’s a good idea to publicize the symptoms beforehand, Christiana says. These symptoms include:
- Depression: Not able to concentrate or eat.
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder: Repetitive obsessive thoughts and compulsive behavior such as hand-washing.
- Social anxiety disorder: Fear of doing things in front of others because of the possibility of being scrutinized or humiliated.
- Panic disorder: Panic attacks that come out of the blue and cause shortness of breath, sweating, and rapid heart rate.
- Post-traumatic stress syndrome: Those who have experienced a traumatic event and are having flashbacks, problems sleeping, and the tendency to relive the event.
The organization advises health care facilities to use licensed mental health professionals at the screenings to evaluate the forms. These could include social workers, psychiatric registered nurses, psychiatrists, and psychologists. "It takes about 10 to 15 minutes to review the form with the individual and to provide them with referrals if they screen positive," says Christiana.
Screenings are free and can be anonymous. "Most of our promotion is around symptoms so people will know about anxiety disorder. We want them to know that there is treatment, it is effective, and they can get help," says Christiana.
For more information, contact Jeanine Christiana, National Anxiety Disorders Screening Day, National Mental Illness Screening Project, Freedom from Fear, 308 Seaview Ave., Staten Island, NY 10305. Telephone: (718) 351-1717. Web site: www.freedomfromfear.org.
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