Relaxing with his surfboard at Altona beach, Steve Myszkorowski is proof that anxiety can be overcome.
He is urging others to attend a forum in Altona this month hosted by the Anxiety Disorders Association of Victoria (ADAVIC).
“I ended up in hospital one day thinking I was going insane, having a mental breakdown,” he says. “In actual fact, all I was having was a panic attack with anxiety and I didn’t know what it was.
“This trembling came on and the anxiety kept going for an hour or so.
“But there was no real reason for it happening on that particular day; it was probably just that time and it was ready to happen at that time.”
Mr Myszkorowski said he had anxiety disorder for about eight years.
“Slowly, over time, I stopped doing those things where I was involved with the public, where I was somewhere locked in traffic, in a queue,” he says.
“Without the education about anxiety disorder, I didn’t realise at the time I had that choice to step out for a breather or use management techniques for driving. It took a long time to find out what was wrong with me.
‘‘The good thing about our interview today is I can tell people that it’s anxiety disorder and there’s so much known about it today. Apparently, it’s one of the easiest mental conditions to treat.’’
At the forum, clinical psychologist Jeremy Adams will speak about the neurobiological causes of anxiety and coping strategies. The forum, from 7.30pm-9pm on Wednesday, October 23, costs $22 ($12 for ADAVIC members).
» www.adavic.org.au/product-view.aspx?Id=175 or phone 9853 8089
