HealthInfo West Coast-Te Tai Poutini
If self-help techniques and lifestyle changes alone haven't helped you feel better, look for support from a health professional.
Start by talking to your GP, practice nurse 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 work best.
Consider doing an online course. This can help you understand your illness and give you options to try to reduce your anxiety.
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.
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 GP to take part in this programme.
This is a self-help interactive programme. You can use it for generalised anxiety, worry, social anxiety, relationship breakdown, depression, loss and grief. It was designed by Australia's Centre for Mental Health Research. There's a fee to access to the programme but if your organisation or employer has provided you with a token, there's no fee.
Talking therapies help with anxiety in all age groups. They help you find new ways to think about events in your life and are very effective at treating anxiety.
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is one type of talking therapy that's commonly used. It aims to teach you to think differently so you can respond in a better way to anxiety.
A psychologist, counsellor or BIS worker can provide talking therapy and emotional support.
Your GP 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 GP can talk through the approximate cost with you.
The Clearhead app is your private wellbeing assistant who 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.
Medication is used to help some people with anxiety. It's best used with other treatments such as talking therapies or self-help courses which can help make long-lasting changes.
You can get side effects, which can include nausea (feeling sick), headaches and sleep problems. Sometimes your anxiety can get worse. Talk to your health professional before stopping the medication.
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, dietitians and chiropractors.
West Coast DHB's Specialist Mental Health Service is the major provider of mental health services on the West Coast. You will need a referral from your GP to use this service, which is for people with severe anxiety problems.
On the West Coast, you can find a support group by contacting one of the following groups:
HealthInfo recommends the following videos
A series of short videos explaining anxiety and offering suggestions to help manage it.
HealthInfo recommends the following pages
Information about ways of treating depression and anxiety.
Website helping young Kiwis understand and deal with depression and anxiety.
On the next page: Supporting someone with anxiety
Written by HealthInfo clinical advisers. Last reviewed April 2020.
See also:
Review key: HIAXA-50595