Frequently Asked Questions


1. What is beyondblue?

beyondblue is an independent, not-for-profit organisation working to increase awareness of depression anxiety and related disorders throughout Australia. beyondblue works with health services, schools, workplaces, universities, media and community organisations, as well as people living with these disorders, to bring together their expertise.

To find out more about beyondblue click here

2. What are the symptoms of depression?

Common symptoms of depression include:

• Feeling sad, down or miserable most of the time
• Losing interest or pleasure in most of your usual activities
• Loosing or gained a lot of weight
• A decrease or increase in appetite
• Sleep disturbances
• Feeling slowed down, restless or excessively busy
• Feeling tired or having no energy
• Feeling worthless or excessively guilty about things you should  not have been feeling guilty about
• Poor concentration or difficulties thinking or being very indecisive
• Having recurrent thoughts of death

For more information on the symptoms of depression click here


3. What are the symptoms of anxiety?

There are many types of anxiety disorders with a range of signs and symptoms.

Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) involves :

• feeling very worried
• finding it hard to stop worrying
• finding it difficult to carry out everyday activities
• feeling restless or on edge
• feeling tired easily
• difficulty concentrating
• feeling irritable
• muscle pain
• trouble sleeping

Phobia

Phobias involve feeling very nervous when faced with a specific object or situation
(e.g. flying on an aeroplane, going near an animal, receiving an injection going to a social event. This leads a person to• avoid a situation that might cause the person to face the phobia (e.g.: changing work patterns, not attending social appointments or not getting health check-ups).


Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

OCD occurs when people have ongoing unwanted/intrusive thoughts and fears that cause anxiety - often called obsessions. These obsessions make people feel they need to carry out  certain rituals in order to feel less anxious and these are known as compulsions. A person may have OCD if they have:

• repetitive thoughts or concerns that are not about real life problems
• performed the same activity repeatedly and in a very ordered, precise and similar way each time
• felt relieved in the short term by doing these things, but soon felt the need to repeat them
• recognised that these feelings, thoughts and behaviour patterns are unreasonable found that these thoughts or behaviour patterns take up more than 1 hour a day and/or interfered with the person's normal routine

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

PTSD involves experiencing bursts of anxiety that occur after a person has a major emotional shock following a stressful event i.e. a trauma. The person could be experiencing PTSD if he/she has:

• experienced or seen something that involved death, injury, torture or abuse and felt very frightened or helpless 
•  had upsetting memories or dreams of the event for at least a month
• found it hard to go about daily life
• avoided activities that are a reminder of the event 
• had trouble remembering parts of the event
• felt less interested in doing things they used to enjoy 
• had trouble feeling intensely positive emotions
• thought less about the future
• had difficulty sleeping
• become angry or irritated easily
• had trouble concentrating
• felt on guard 
• been easily startled. 

Panic Disorder

Panic disorder involves having panic attacks frequently. Panic attacks are intense feelings of anxiety that seem like they cannot be brought under control. A person may have panic disorder if within a 10 MINUTE PERIOD he/she felt FOUR OR MORE of the following:

• sweaty? 
• shaky?
• increased heart rate?
• short of breath?
• choked?
• nauseous or pain in the stomach?
• dizzy, lightheaded or faint?
• numb or tingly?
• detached from themselves or their surroundings?
• hot or cold flushes?
• afraid of going crazy?
• afraid of dying?
• felt scared, for ONE MONTH OR MORE, of experiencing these feelings again.?
  

5. How can I tell if I have/ someone I know has an anxiety disorder?

While everyone feels anxious from time to time, some people experience these feelings so often and/or so strongly that it can affect their everyday lives.

Often people confuse anxiety disorders with stress. Stress is a normal reaction to a situation where a person feels under pressure. For example, it's common for people to feel stressed or uptight when meeting work deadlines, sitting exams or speaking in front of a group of people. However, for some people these feelings are ongoing, happen for no apparent reason or continue after the stressful event has passed.

For more information on the symptoms of anxiety click here


6. What can I do for someone who is depressed or anxious?

It's not always easy to help someone who may be experiencing depression. It can be hard to know what to say or do. Listening to what the person is going through and encouraging the person to seek professional help from their family doctor or a mental health worker is a start.

For more information on how to help someone with depression click here  and for more information on helping someone with an anxiety disorder click here

7. Where can I get help for depression and anxiety?

If you, or someone you care about is in crisis, and you feel immediate action needs to be taken, you can contact the services listed below and they will be able to assist you.

• Emergency appointment with your local general practitioner - check the white pages for the phone number.
• Call the local Crisis Assessment Team (CAT team) - check the white pages for the phone number.
• Accident and Emergency department of your local hospital.
• Ambulance 000.
• Lifeline 13 11 14.
  

8. What causes depression?

Most people assume that depression is caused simply by recent personal difficulties. While depression can be triggered by stressful events such as separation, divorce, death of a loved one, changing schools or jobs, moving house, trauma or abuse, other long-term risk factors also play a part. These include:

To find out more about what puts a person at risk of depression click here

9. How can I get help for depression and anxiety?

Depression is treatable. Different types of depression and anxiety require different types of treatment. This may include physical exercise for preventing and treating mild anxiety and depression, through to psychological treatments and/or drug treatments for moderate or severe depression and anxiety.
It's important to seek help early. A doctor will be able to tell if a person is depressed and may assist the person or refer them to a psychiatrist or psychologist for specialist mental health treatment.

To find a doctor click here
To find a psychologist click here 
For more information on getting help with depression click here  or anxiety click here


10. What are the psychological treatments for depression and anxiety?

Psychological treatments may not only help a person to recover, but can also help to prevent a recurrence of anxiety. Some types of psychological treatments have been found to be the most effective way of treating depression and anxiety disorders. Psychological treatments can help a person to change their thought patterns and the way they react to certain situations. This can help their recovery and prevent the illness returning. Psychological therapies are usually administered by a clinical psychologist, a psychiatrist or other mental health worker such as social workers and occupational therapists.

For more information on psychological therapies for depression click here  or anxiety click here