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Getting help with anxiety

Whai āwhina mō te mānawanawa

If self-help techniques and lifestyle changes alone haven't helped you feel better, you should look for support from a health professional.

Start by talking to your general practice team or other health professional about how you're feeling. They can help with treatment ideas and options to best suit you.

Often, a combination of treatments with self-help and lifestyle changes works best.

Online therapy

Consider doing an online course. This can help you understand your illness and give you options to try to reduce your anxiety.

Just a Thought
Free online courses for people with anxiety and depression. The courses take six to eight weeks to complete and include a generalised anxiety and a depression course.
Beating the Blues
This online programme is based on cognitive behavioural therapy, one of the most common treatments for anxiety. The programme is free, but you'll need to be referred by your general practice team to take part in this programme.
Centre for Clinical Interventions
This page has some general information sheets and worksheets for helping you deal with anxiety.
Small Steps
A set of tools to help with feelings of anxiety, stress or low mood.

Talking therapy (psychological treatments)

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is the recommended talking therapy for anxiety. It aims to teach you to manage thoughts, feelings and behaviours so you can respond in a better way to anxiety.

A psychologist, counsellor or BIS worker can provide talking therapy and emotional support.

Your general practice team can help you find a therapist or refer you for some free counselling. You can find a counsellor, therapist or psychiatrist in the Family Services Directory. The Mental Health Education and Resource Centre (MHERC) can also help. Some therapy options will cost but your general practice team can talk through the approximate cost with you.

Apps

Clearhead app
The Clearhead app is your private wellbeing assistant that will help you with learning about your mental health. It's free and you can use it 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can receive regular support and advice from your mobile phone or computer wherever you are, whenever you need it. You can use it in English or te reo Māori.

Medications

Medication is used to help some people with anxiety. It's best used with other treatments such as talking therapies or self-help courses that can help make long-lasting changes.

Antidepressant medications may be used. Even if you aren't depressed, they can reduce your symptoms. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) such as citalopram, escitalopram, fluoxetine and sertraline are commonly used. It can take four to six weeks on each dose before you notice the full benefits. It's important to keep taking the medication even on days when you don't feel anxious.
You can get side effects, which can include nausea (feeling sick), headaches and sleep problems. Sometimes your anxiety can temporarily get worse. Talk to your health professional before stopping the medication.
Benzodiazepines are sometimes used to help with anxiety while other treatments are put in place. They aren't suitable for long-term use because they can reduce alertness and affect coordination and can be addictive.
You can find out more about the medicines you're taking in Medications for mental health issues.

Specialist therapists

A community support worker can help you with many difficulties you might be having in day-to-day life. These can include managing household tasks, finances and relationships.

Other health professionals can help with mental health including physiotherapists, occupational therapists and dietitians.

Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand Waitaha Canterbury's Specialist Mental Health Services (including the Anxiety Disorders Outpatient Unit)

Te Whatu Ora Waitaha Specialist Mental Health Service is the major provider of mental health services in Canterbury. You'll need a referral from your general practice team to see the Anxiety Disorders Team, which is for people with severe anxiety problems.

Community support groups

In Canterbury, you can find a support group by contacting one of the following groups:

Mental Health Advocacy and Peer Support (MHAPS) – They offer several types of support, including one-on-one peer support, support groups and education programmes and workshops.
Mental Health Education and Resource Centre (MHERC) – Phone (03) 365‑5344. They can put you in touch with support groups in Canterbury. They also lend books, DVDs and CDs about anxiety.
Anxiety New Zealand – Helps people with anxiety, phobic and compulsive disorders.
OCD NZ – Information and support for people with obsessive compulsive disorder, including their member-only Facebook support and action group called Fixate.

HealthInfo recommends the following videos

Melon Health – First steps to managing anxiety
A series of short videos explaining anxiety and offering suggestions to help manage it.

HealthInfo recommends the following pages

Depression.org.nz – How to treat depression & anxiety
Information about ways of treating depression and anxiety.
The Lowdown – Anxiety
Website helping young Kiwis understand and deal with depression and anxiety.

HealthInfo recommends the following apps