Blog for Greg Hampson in Brisbane

Anxiety - The Facts Anxiety is the most common form of mental disorder facing every day Australians. In fact, the figures are as high as one in ten. What are the symptoms? There are different types including general anxiety disorder, phobias, obsessive compulsive disorder, and post traumatic stress disorder. The symptoms of general anxiety are constant worrying, fear, a level of anxiety that makes it difficult to conduct everyday activities such as work, study and socializing. You may tire easily and have difficulty sleeping and concentrating. What are the causes of anxiety? If there is a family history, this may predispose you to general anxiety disorder. Personality may be another reason and this includes important factors such as our relationship to ourselves and the way we interact with others. Another common reason is the level of stress in our lives including overwork or illness. What you can do? The most common and effective treatment is talk therapies such as counselling and psychotherapy. More severe cases may require medication and for this you may need to see a psychiatrist.

Did you know that in the USA, over 52.5% of all persons in prison are incarcerated for drug related crimes whereas only 6% are imprisoned for violent crime? 1 The USA imprisons more people than the USSR did under Communism or South Africa did under apartheid. The so called ‘war on drugs’ costs USA taxpayers $16 billion per annum during the late nineties. This is about the same amount that the American people spent per annum on buying illegal drugs. The cost for treating drug users as criminals has been an enormous failure and has let down those citizens with what is widely recognised as a medical problems and not an issue of weakness or morality. If you were as ineffective in the workplace as the ‘war on drugs’ has been in decreasing drug usage you would have been fired long ago. So why do we persist with a punitive approach when it simply does not work. Mostly it is because of ignorance, judgement and fear. In professional circles the debate is over, drug usage is a medical problem. Then why is it that a teenager caught with a joint of marijuana can still end up with a criminal record? Well people believe that if we are soft on drugs then the problem will rage out of control. Again, there is a very lengthy lag time before scientific facts and research are understood and taken up by society. There are several countries in Europe that have not only made marijuana usage legal or decriminalised it, but gone ahead and decriminalised it and the use of heroin and brought its regulation under government control. No one is saying that marijuana doesn’t create serious problems for people pre-disposed to schizophrenia and psychosis. Nor am I saying that heroin doesn’t destroy people’s lives. But let’s take heroin usage as an example. Countries that have legalised heroin and brought its sale under government control have seen no increase in its usage and have seen marked decreases in the transmission of HIV and hepatitis C. Even more importantly in the immediate future, it has decreased the occurrence of overdose, which is the main killer of intravenous drug users. Why? Because the main course of overdose is incorrect dose rates which is a problem that is caused by its illegality. When you buy heroin in the street you don’t know what’s in it or how strong it is. It is widely understood amongst health care practitioners that if we can keep heroin users safe until they are about 30 most of them will have stopped using of their own accord. In this country, we have seen fit to leave the management and control of this industry to organised crime. It is also true that the cost for addicts maybe in excess of a $1,000 per week, forcing young people into crime and prostitution whereas government controlled supply is at minimal cost to users, with no increase in the drugs usage. One of the ways that we avoid showing care and understanding for drug users is to compartmentalise our own behaviours. Many in the community who take prescription medications, drink alcohol or smoke tobacco do not see themselves as drug users or addicts. It is easier to be judgemental of others when we see ourselves as different to those people taking illicit drugs. While not necessarily recognising it there are many of us out there who are self-medicating. Alcohol helps to numb us and thus ease our suffering. It is also a powerful social lubricant. Cigarettes provide oral gratification and you may have noticed that when smokers are under stress they reach for a cigarette. This is because cigarettes provide an immediate relief to anxiety. The whole ‘say no to drugs’ campaign has been an insulting simplistic approach to drug treatment. We are complex creatures and most of us have valid issues that could cause us to take drugs. It is believed that up to 80% of all people in prison have drug related problems. Mind you it is not all doom and gloom. Injecting rooms, drug court and an increase in treatment and rehab programs show that we are starting to take notice and are showing greater care and compassion for those who are suffering. In finishing, if you are a drug user and wish to quit, we must first seek to understand our need to use and look to replace them with healthier life affirming actions and behaviours. Often this process takes time and is best handled by competent caring non-judgemental professionals. ------------------------ 1. Bureau of Justice Statistics. (2011). Federal Justice Statistics 2009 - Statistical Tables. NCJ: U.S. Department of Justice

Depression - Fact Sheet Depression is very common in our society affecting as many as one in six women and one in four men. What are the symptoms? Sad and unhappy most of the time. Loss of interest and pleasure in your day-to-day activities. Negative outlook on life. Insomnia. Withdrawal from family and friends. Loss of confidence. Lethargy. Who are most at risk? People with unresolved psychological issues. Unhappy family or relationship problems. People who are self critical, negative, perfectionists, low self esteem, shy and/or unassertive. What you can do? Different people respond to different treatments: Therapy. Medication. Exercise. Lifestyle changes. Full medical check up.

When we talk about anxiety, we are talking about fear in all its various shapes and forms. Some forms of fear are serving an important function. For example, fear of violence, bloodshed or rape are genuine fears, being alerted to dangers thus allowing us to take preventative action. The trouble begins when the fear and worry we experience is not proportionate or when these fears continue to escalate in the absence of any real danger. When this happens the impact on the mind and body can be very destructive indeed, creating both emotional suffering, unhappiness and even physical illness. On a mental level, chronic anxiety may impair our decision making and limit our ability to cope with stress, thus impairing our overall effectiveness. On a physical level, anxiety may cause impaired immune function, muscle tension, upset stomach, heart disease and tiredness. Anxiety may have many different causes. For some people, there is a biological predisposition to anxiety and worry. For example, some people have a neurological difficulty in producing serotonin which is a neurotransmitter effecting mood regulation. Alternatively there may be an overproduction of cortisol which is a hormone the body produces under stress. People falling into this category need medical attention. This said, not all forms of toxic worry is biological. There is a greater proportion of us for whom anxiety is a learned response. This is the place where counselling or psychotherapy may come into play as a useful tool for better understanding ourselves. For those of us simply facing day-to-day worries, then diet, meditation, exercise and a deeper sense of connection with other people and good therapy are invaluable for tackling anxiety. I remember a valuable tool suggested by the Dalai Lama who said that “if the situation you are worrying about is something that can be remedied, then there is no reason to worry. If alternatively, there is no solution or no way out, then there is no point in worrying because there is nothing you can do about it anyway.” Of course, in order to do this we must first address the problem head on. This form of remedy is something we may have to return to time and again. One very common form of anxiety experienced by all of us is to fear how we appear to other people. To address this kind of anxiety may be helped by addressing our motivation. If we have been sincere in our motivation eg. intended no harm, and we have done our best, then if we fail it is because the situation is beyond our best efforts. This sort of thinking helps to decrease both anxiety and regret.

Most of us recognise and accept honesty as a ‘virtue’. But what are the practical reasons for this? Most of us would agree that needing to be seen, heard and understood is of infinite personal value to us… particularly by family, friends and perhaps in the workplace too. These things cannot be achieved without being ‘up front’ about who we are, how we feel and what we want. For example, in our love relationship most would agree that intimacy and close companionship are the lasting characteristics we want built into our relationships. Thinking that just sharing good times is the answer is fraught with disappointment. This is because the good times are transient. They come and they go. Relationships that last the test of time need to support us equally in times of difficulty. True intimacy, not just sexual, has its basis in honest communication. Pretence in all its forms is unsustainable and lacks the grace of simple, open and honest commune. So why are people dishonest? I believe that behind most dishonesty is a desire to make things easier for ourselves and sometimes to make things easier for someone else. To be honest requires strength of character. If we don’t practice daily, we may find ourselves feeling isolated and emotionally impoverished. To be honest requires a commitment to self knowledge. The outcome of this is our level of emotional intelligence. Being honest in our relationships generally causes a deepening and strengthening of our circumstance. To apply honesty in these situations, we must look sincerely at presenting who we are, not just how we wish to be seen by the other person. A failure to do so may lead to our relationships being affected in a negative way. For example, you may feel criticised by your partner but have failed to address it. Over time this criticism makes you feel badly about yourself and resentful toward your partner. This resentment in turn erodes the love and generosity that are the glue that holds our relationships together. In the above circumstance you may have been avoiding the confrontation and the discomfort that comes from being honest about your needs and feelings. However in the longer term you pay the price with the loss of intimacy. If it happens that there are numerous places where you hold back on being honest, you may find yourself feeling stuck as opportunities to change and grow are lost. To be honest with other people, we must start in our own backyard To confront your partner about criticising you, you may have to look at the painful places that as a child you were rejected or abandoned around the issue of attending to your needs. So as you can see, we must first explore what is happening that causes distance in our relationships and then we must attend to our own part in this happening. Last but not least we need to take the risk of addressing the issue with the other person. To go through this process you may need to have a counsellor or psychotherapist in your corner helping you to steer your way through this involved process as sometimes you may need to address issues that are unconscious in you. Good luck on your journey.