National Anxiety Disorders Screening Day
PLEASE NOTE THAT SINCE 1997, MY OFFICE HAS BEEN A YEARLY LOCAL HOST-SITE FOR NATIONAL ANXIETY DISORDERS SCREENING DAYS. ALTHOUGH MY FUTURE PARTICIPATION WILL BE LIMITED, CALLERS CAN CONTACT MY OFFICE, ANYTIME THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, FOR A FREE PHONE SCREENING. PARTICIPANTS CAN ALSO LOCATE CURRENT HOST-SITES BY VISITING THE FOLLOWING LINKS OR CALLING THE TOLL-FREE NUMBER BELOW.
What do Kim Bassinger, Marc Summers and football great Earl Campbell have in common? They have all suffered from an anxiety disorder, America’s most common mental illness. According to the National Institute for Mental Health, at least 24.9% of the adult population, in this country, will suffer from an anxiety disorder at sometime in their lives. Unlike normal anxieties, these individuals can experience a variety of symptoms which can include spontaneous panic attacks, endlessly checking and rechecking their actions, persistent, uncontrollable worry and social anxiety, which interferes with their lives. These are symptoms of anxiety disorders, characterized by fear and anxiety that appear for no apparent reason. Anxiety disorders include: Panic Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Social Phobia, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Left untreated, these conditions often become accompanied by depression, substance abuse and suicidal thoughts.
To help individuals learn about anxiety disorders, their symptoms and effective treatments, on Wednesday, May 5th (2004), from 6:30 to 8:30 P.M., psychologist Gerald Solfanelli’s Dunmore office will be a local host site for a free anxiety screening, as part of the nineth annual National Anxiety Disorders Screening Day (NADSD). NADSD is a free, anonymous screening and educational program for consumers, developed and promoted by non-profit organizations and sponsored, in part, by the National Institute of Mental Health, the American Psychiatric Association, Freedom From Fear and the American Psychological Association. At the screenings, participants learn more about the signs and symptoms of clinical anxiety, take a short anxiety assessment, and meet privately with a mental health professional to review test results and referral options, if warranted.
.
Solfanelli, whose office also participates yearly in the October's National Depression Screening Day, believes that these types of screenings help to both raise community awareness of mental health issues and the availability of successful treatment options. “They are also a valuable chance for people who otherwise might be timid about discussing their concerns or symptoms to do so without feeling pressured”, he says.
For further information, or for additional host site information, anyone can call the toll-free NADSD hotline at: 1-888-442-2022.
