An alarming number of people think anxiety

An alarming number of people think anxiety is a personality trait rather than a treatable mental health illness that is more common in Australia than depression.  

136. O you who believe! Believe in Allah, and His Messenger (Muhammad ), and the Book (the Qur'an) which He has sent down to His Messenger, and the Scripture which He sent down to those before (him), and whosoever disbelieves in Allah, His Angels, His Books, His Messengers, and the Last Day, then indeed he has strayed far away.

137. Verily, those who believe, then disbelieve, then believe (again), and (again) disbelieve, and go on increasing in disbelief; Allah will not forgive them, nor guide them on the (Right) Way.

138. Give to the hypocrites the tidings that there is for them a painful torment.

139. Those who take disbelievers for Auliya' (protectors or helpers or friends) instead of believers, do they seek honour, power and glory with them? Verily, then to Allah belongs all honour, power and glory. 4. Surah An-Nisa' (The Women)

Mental health charity beyondblue has relaunched its national anxiety campaign after its own analysis showed 40 per cent of people think anxiety is "just stress".

A survey of 700 people aged between 25 and 45 found that only half of those knew anxiety was not part of someone's personality, and about the same number thought it affects only a small proportion of people.

In fact, about a quarter of Australians will experience an anxiety condition at some time in their lives and about 3 million people currently have a condition, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

"Feeling anxious or stressed about something is part of our daily lexicon but, in fact, when we're talking about anxiety it is very disabling," beyondblue head Georgie Harman says.

Many people don't recognise the symptoms of anxiety, which can include hot and cold flushes, a racing heart, snowballing and negative thoughts and compulsive behaviour.

For Fatimah Abbouchi Del Cid, now 28, her first panic attack arrived unexpectedly about seven years ago when she was having dinner with her sister at a Melbourne restaurant.

It felt, she says simply, like she was going to die.

Amid an overwhelming feeling of nausea, dizziness, the shakes and hysteria, Ms Abbouchi Del Cid was told gently by a fellow diner – a doctor – that she was probably having a panic attack.

This was a foreign concept to her – she thought anxiety was something you might experience before, for example, public speaking.

Hospital staff confirmed this diagnosis and she started cognitive behavioural therapy, as well as trying meditation and yoga.

"Most people don't get it. They think anxiety means you're a bit stressed out or making it up," Ms Abbouchi Del Cid said.

"Having this diagnosis allowed me to look back on the times when I'd had anxiety in the past, not knowing then what they were."

Women are more likely to experience anxiety than men – one in three will experience it in their lifetime compared with one in five men.

Anxiety can rob people of their peace of mind, stop them leaving their homes or holding down a job, Ms Harman said.

"No one should have to live with the relentless worrying, panic attacks or compulsive rituals that often characterise anxiety."

A young woman with mental health problems sought help at Canberra Hospital two days  before she allegedly murdered her mother in brutal fashion at their family home.

But Gabriela Woutersz, 24, was not admitted for treatment at the hospital, and instead went home and later allegedly killed Norma Cheryl Woutersz, 56.

Woutersz is accused of inflicting fatal injuries to her mother's head, tying her hands and feet with rope, and leaving her body in the backyard of their Dunlop home

The alleged murder took place on the afternoon of Friday, October 17, and Woutersz was arrested at the scene later that night.

It can be revealed now that Woutersz sought help from the emergency department at Canberra Hospital on Wednesday, October 15.

The full extent of her interaction with hospital staff is not clear but it is understood she at least told them she needed help and was depressed.

Patients are typically put through multiple levels of screenings when they go to hospitals complaining of mental health issues. They are generally admitted if they are deemed unstable.

Woutersz was not admitted to the hospital, and instead was allowed to go home. 

Yet four days later, when she appeared in court charged with murder, serious concerns were being raised about her mental state. 

The court sent her immediately to Canberra Hospital's mental health unit for assessments.

She returned to court four days later, but medical staff said they needed more time to assess her. She was sent back to the psychiatric unit for weeks, and was eventually transferred to the Alexander Maconochie Centre, where she remains.

The prosecution and her defence are attempting to have more testing done. Her barrister Bernard Collaery has said  she is not being treated adequately in the Alexander Maconochie Centre and should be in a secure mental health facility, which the ACT still lacks.

ACT Health said it could not comment on the personal clinical details of the case or on criminal proceedings before the court.

"ACT Health is committed to the promotion of good mental health and the provision of mental health services," a spokeswoman said.

Patients who present to the hospital with mental health problems are generally triaged by emergency department staff on arrival, and admitted immediately if they are deemed unstable. 

Even if the person is considered stable, a further mental health screening is supposed to occur if there are concerns about their state of mind.

Then they will be discharged or taken to a  mental health assessment unit for a more comprehensive assessment by a clinician.  

Victims of Crime Commissioner John Hinchey said the circumstances of the presentation should be investigated.

"If Gabriela did make herself known it would be very concerning," he said. "The consequences of that need to be investigated once this court case is over to get to the bottom of what happened."

The revelation that Woutersz sought help unsuccessfully will add to the debate about mental health services in the ACT.

Two recent murder caseshave raised questions about the territory's mental health system.

Aleksander Vojneski, 31, was said to have slipped through the system's cracks during his chequered life in the ACT.

Vojneski, an ice addict who was paranoid schizophrenic, stabbed to death his partner Paula Conlon, 30, in a Macgregor home in 2012. 

Before he was sentenced to life, Vojneski's barrister Jack Pappas spoke at length of his client's mental health problems, which he had suffered since his teenage years.

"For a number of years, Mr Vojneski continued to slip through the fingers of the mental health system, and his condition continued to get worse," Mr Pappas said.

The case of Gabor Laszlo Aranyi, 35, also raised questions about the services in the ACT.

Aranyi strangled his mother to death in the kitchen of their Yarralumla home in 2012, after she pestered him to go to an assessment with mental health services.

Twice before her death, Aranyi's mother had told mental health workers she feared her son, who was paranoid schizophrenic, was going to hurt or kill her.

She sought an order through the ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal in late February to have her son's mental health assessed, which was eventually granted.

The tribunal ordered Aranyi be assessed by the Woden mental health service on April 2, one month and 10 days after his mother expressed fears for her safety.

The day before the appointment, she went to service and delivered a letter saying she feared her son was going to hurt her.

The next day, she pestered her son to go to the appointment and he strangled her to death.

Aranyi was treated and medicated properly while in custody and his condition stabilised. He was found not guilty of murder by way of mental impairment.

He realises now and regrets what he has done.

A mental health nurse who was charged for assaulting his wife has been given a 12-month caution after he failed to tell bosses of his conviction.

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Jarmanjeet Singh, who worked at Millenia House in Needwood Close, Wolverhampton, was found guilty of failing to disclose the information to the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) following his conviction at the city's magistrates court in March 2013.

He was convicted after he aggressively held his wife in front of his children.

Singh, who was in divorce proceedings with his wife at the time, was concerned his children had been left unattended. He then called the police but assaulted his wife just before their arrival. He was fined £400 and ordered to pay costs of £85 and a victim surcharge of £40.

But he failed to notify his bosses of the conviction and failed to disclose such information in register forms.

He was found to have made a clear breach to the Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics for Nurses and Midwives 2008 Code which states 'you must inform the NMC if you have been cautioned, charged, or found guilty of a criminal offence'. The disciplinary panel found his actions had fallen 'significantly short of the standards expected of a registered nurse'.

But mitigation statements carried out by the NMC as part of the disciplinary investigation said the actions were out of character.

The manager of West Bromwich's Hilltop Lodge Nursing Home, where he also used to work, said: "Jarmanjeet's conviction and dishonesty charges are totally against his character as I wish to express that this unfortunate situation was most probably one of a kind."

Another statement said: "Having known Jarmenjeet for almost six years now, I was taken aback when I heard of these charges of dishonesty filed against him. The entire incident seems extremely out of character for someone as upright as Jarmanjeet."

In a witness statement Mr Singh said: "I am deeply regretful for my actions and wish it had not occurred. I have learnt a lot about myself through this process.

"I know that I will always conduct myself professionally and in a proper manner in the future."

In a report of the hearing proceedings, it adds: "The panel was of the view that a caution order adequately reflected the mitigation, insight, regret and remorse shown by you (Mr Singh) as well as the highly positive references about you."

The panel felt a suspension was not appropriate giving his previous clean history as a mental health nurse and the mitigation statements.

For years, Kathy KyoungAh Khang worked hard to build the kind of life many would covet. A university degree, followed by a rewarding job as a college ministries director. A marriage to a caring husband and a home filled with three lively children.

But shortly after turning 40, Khang was standing in her Chicago kitchen one day and began to weep without knowing why.

"Things had been going on for a while. It was taking too much energy to keep things together," Khang, now 44, recalls. She says she realized those feelings were not a "normal" she wanted to live with. "I didn't want to pretend anymore."

Soon, her doctor delivered a diagnosis: depression.

For Khang and many Asian-Americans, depression and other mental illnesses are culturally taboo subjects, laden with shame, stigma, and secrecy. Although Khang sought help, statistics show that Asian-Americans are among the least likely of all racial groups to seek mental health services.

"They aren't jumping up to go see a mental health professional," says Joyce P. Chu, PhD. She's an associate professor of clinical psychology at Palo Alto University in the San Francisco Bay area.

"We didn't really have a language for even understanding what (mental health) was," says Chu, a Chinese-American. "Families didn't know how to speak about it, how to get treatment or help."

In recent years, numerous mental health organizations have launched educational campaigns in hopes of breaking through the silence for Asian-Americans.

Next week, the World Psychiatric Association will co-host "Together Against Stigma," an international conference in San Francisco with a strong focus on cultural issues, including ones known to impact Asian-Americans. For the past 2 years, the White House has gathered government officials, mental health professionals, and community leaders to address mental illness andsuicide among Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders. And last year, three national major organizations, including the National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association, joined forces to urge Asian-American college students to seek help for mental disorders.

In the U.S., an estimated 18.2 million people claim full or partial Asian descent, according to government figures. This group of people is diverse, ranging from fifth-generation Japanese to newcomers from India.

Estimates vary, but one recent study found Asian-Americans face a 17.3% lifetime chance of getting a psychiatric disorder, including depression. Although that was less than among other minorities, the study called mental health among Asian-Americans a growing public health concern, given the stigma around treatment and barriers to getting it.

They are less likely than whites to mention their mental health concerns to:

• A friend or relative (12% vs. 25%)
• A mental health professional (4% vs. 26%)
• A physician (2% vs. 13 %)

Studies of Asian-American college students have found that Asian-Americans had higher rates of depression than white students, and they showed the most distress at the time they sought counseling compared to all racial groups.

Suicide is the 8th leading cause of death for Asian-Americans, compared to 11th for the entire U.S. population. And the suicide rate of 11.6 per 100,000 for Asian women 65 and older is more than double that of white women.

"Mental health is a significant and unaddressed issue," says Brian Gee, executive chair of the National Asian Pacific Islander American Panhellenic Association, a fraternity and sorority group engaged in the college partnership.

Intense anger or anxiety greatly increases the risk of heart attack, a new study warns.

"While the absolute risk of any one anger episode triggering a heart attack is low, our data demonstrates that the danger is real and still there," said Dr. Thomas Buckley, a senior lecturer and researcher from the University of Sydney and Royal North Shore Hospital in Australia.

The increased risk of heart attack after intense anger or anxiety is "most likely the result of increased heart rate and blood pressure, tightening of blood vessels and increased clotting, all associated with triggering of heart attacks," Buckley said.

In the study, Buckley's team assessed more than 300 heart attack patients and asked them to use a 7-point scale to rate their levels of anger over the previous 48 hours. On the scale, 1 was calm, 5 was intense anger, and 7 was enraged/out of control.

Seven (2.2 percent) of the patients experienced at least level 5 within two hours before their heart attack and one patient reached that level within four hours before the heart attack. Level 4 (so hassled it shows in your voice) was reported by two patients within two hours before their heart attack, and by three patients within four hours before their heart attack.

The researchers concluded that the risk of heart attack in the two hours after a bout of intense anger or worse -- level 5 or more -- was 8.5 times higher than normal. They also found the risk of heart attack was 9.5 times higher than normal in the two hours after extreme anxiety.

The was published Feb. 23 in the European Heart Journal: Acute Cardiovascular Care.

The study couldn't prove cause-and-effect. However, Buckley's group believes the findings confirm those from prior studies, and highlight the need to find ways to protect people most at risk during bouts of extreme anger.

Events that triggered patients' anger-triggered heart attack included arguments with family members and other people, work conflicts, and road rage.

Doctors should check heart patients or people at risk of heart disease for anger and anxiety problems, Buckley suggested in a journal news release.

"Potential preventive approaches may be stress reduction training to limit the responses of anger and anxiety, or avoiding activities that usually prompt such intense reactions," he said.

"And for those at very high risk, one could potentially consider protective medication therapy at the time of or just prior to an episode, a strategy we have shown to be feasible in other studies," Buckley said.

Controlling high blood pressure and quitting smoking would also lower risk, he added.

Younger women may ignore early warning signs of a heart attack, a new study reveals.

The finding could help explain why younger women have higher rates of death from heart attack than men in their age group.

"Young women with multiple risk factors and a strong family history of cardiac disease should not assume they are too young to have a heart attack," said lead researcher Judith Lichtman, chair of the department of chronic disease epidemiology at the Yale School of Public Health in New Haven, Conn.

"Participants in our study said they were concerned about initiating a false alarm in case their symptoms were due to something other than a heart attack," Lichtman said in a university news release.

Yale researchers interviewed women aged 30 to 55 who survived a heart attack. The study authors found that many of the women didn't pay attention to early warning signs such as pain and dizziness.

The interviews revealed that wide variations in the type of initial heart attack symptoms, and factors such as work and family, sometimes influenced the women's decisions to seek emergency medical care.

Not all of the women received an immediate or complete assessment of their symptoms or a formal diagnosis of heart attack, according to the study published Feb. 24 in the journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes. And some women said they did not take steps to prevent heart disease.

Identifying strategies to help women recognize symptoms and encourage them to seek prompt care without stigma or perceived judgment may be critical for young women at increased risk for heart disease, Lichtman suggested.

The findings show the need to better educate women about the early symptoms of heart attack, and to change the way that women and medical teams respond to such symptoms, added study senior author Leslie Curry, a senior research scientist at the Yale Global Health Leadership Institute.

More than 15,000 women younger than 55 die from heart disease in the United States each year, making it a leading cause of death in that age group, the researchers noted.