Does knowing the cause of anxiety help you get better?

[Boo Bass]

Hello

I dont know the answer to this question, except that therapy never helped me.

To quote Claire Weekes, "Learning that your mother didnt love you enough as a child may be interesting, but it rarely helped any of my patients recover"

[Rick(amateur)]

I personally believe knowing the cause is vital to recovery. It's less of what is causing the anxiety and more of why it's causing anxiety.

Let's use your quote as an example. Does the patient wanted more attention at a young age? Is the patient envious of others who appear to be getting more love? That statement brings out a lot of questions since it's too vague.

Looking back into your past will get you a lot of information. Often, you'll find things you forgot or maybe even suppressed by your mind. These will inform you better of who you are but doesn't get you closer to the root of the problem. It's digging deep down to the core of yourself. I don't know about other people but, as I struggle with anxiety and depression, I build "walls" thinking they'll protect me. They do the opposite but the real me is now behind all this barrier.

Essentially, the facts are only useful if you know what to do with them. Otherwise, it's just another piece of a puzzle we don't know how to utilize. Before we can even get the puzzle, we must dig down to learn who we are. Often, we must break down all these barriers we built over time. Therapy may or may not help you there. We all have a different way to find our true self and the real cause of the anxiety.

[Boo Bass]

Hi Rick

Thanks for your input.

Can I just ask

When you (think) you find cause of anxiety, do you automatically start to recover?

Thanks

BB

[Rick(amateur)]

It's a bit like physical illness. Let's say you have all these symptoms and, after a number of tests like x-ray and stuff, you know the illness. You won't get better unless you take medicine or the doctors treat you.

I find this is very much the case for anxiety. You have found the cause but that doesn't let you recover. It just shows you what you need to do to recover. Take me for example. I suffer anxiety because I've been a failure all my life. Being a failure is the cause of my anxiety. Knowing this won't be enough. I must work hard and pursue my dreams so, until I find success, I will continue feeling like I'm a failure and the anxiety will still haunt me.

Looking back at the quote, I can see some sense to it. Learning about it isn't enough. Knowing this information and do what's needed to get you out of your situation is another challenge before us. You could say finding the cause is half the battle but a vital one. Hope this helps!

[iwanttobeok]

I think it's really about the over-emphasis of the root that appears to not get people anywhere and just make you concentrate too much on the fact that it happened. Sometimes reminding yourself of it without figuring out how exactly it has affected you helps little, but what can help you is to sort of branch out from there. In short, I see where Rick is coming from.

[Herewegoagain]

Yes and no. It helps to have an understanding of why you are feeling this way, but that won't make your issues dissapear.

I've been through some times when I felt so anxious and didn't quite know why while it was happening, then the answers came to me once I started to feel better.

[gypsylee]

I haven't read the other replies but the one above I certainly agree with. I also agree with the awesome Claire Weekes and the statement you quote is very close to home for me..

[Boo Bass]

Another quote by Claire Weekes

"Some people have no cause for their anxiety, nothing in their lives keeping them ill ..."

Does this mean they cant be cured? Just a thought

[Rick(amateur)]

I'm struggling to see a situation where a person has anxiety and has nothing causing it. I can see how a healthy person is creating anxiety with negative thinking but the negative thinking is the cause of the anxiety. Can you elaborate on this quote?

[martin05]

Another quote by Claire Weekes

"Some people have no cause for their anxiety, nothing in their lives keeping them ill ..."

Does this mean they cant be cured? Just a thought

Yeah, the context for the quote is important. I'm not sure whether she's saying some people can't be cured, or some people create their own imaginary demons to be afraid of.

[iwanttobeok]

Seeing that she has a certain view on things, you can probably at this point just make an assumption about her intent with this quote. To me she might be saying that some people with anxiety in the grand scheme of things don't have much to worry about, or a comparison is being made with the root of their anxiety and someone else's who "has it worse".

[Boo Bass]

Nope, she's saying panic can come out of nowhere.

I think its somewhere on this 70 minute audio tapes. Or maybe on other audio.

http://www.junior-anxiety-depression-exchange.org.uk/relax.html

Worth listening to anyway

BB

[iwanttobeok]

Looks like a helpful resource! And I suppose what she said can be used to help explain to the friends and family of those with panic that it can come out of seemingly nowhere, and it shouldn't be easily dismissed :) And ah, I understand. I have mixed thoughts about comparing ailments, because it could actually help sort of tone down anxiety and be helpful when there really isn't objectively much to worry about, but saying at least you aren't so and so can be nonconstructive as well if you get what I mean.

[Boo Bass]

Hi iwanttobeok

Yep please listen to it.

What she says is that no matter how long you have been I'll or whatever may have caused it, everyone can recover in the same way if they're prepared to be patient and let time pass

[RoadToRecovery]

I agree with Rick that it is vital to understand what is causing your anxiety. In almost all cases, unhealthy thinking patterns caused by our unhealthy belief systems are at the core. As Rick has stated, knowing this isn't enough. It is only one piece to the puzzle. Identification is critical, but we also have to work at changing our belief systems to experience true recovery. Not that this is easy - it is very challenging and takes a lot of patience, faith, and time. But we can - through repetition and reinforcement - change our thinking patterns as well as challenge our unhealthy thinking patterns. In time, our beliefs can change, and as a result, we won't be thinking fearfully nearly as often anymore, which will cure the disorder.

However Rick, I would also disagree with some of your comments. You state the following:

"Take me for example. I suffer anxiety because I've been a failure all my life. Being a failure is the cause of my anxiety. Knowing this won't be enough. I must work hard and pursue my dreams so, until I find success, I will continue feeling like I'm a failure and the anxiety will still haunt me."

I would challenge you to think differently about this Rick. "Being a failure" isn't the CAUSE of your anxiety, but BELIEVING YOU ARE A FAILURE can certainly attribute to anxiety and depression. There are plenty of people in this world that some would label as "a failure", yet they don't struggle with anxiety and depression. Why? Because they don't BELIEVE that they are a failure. A negative system of beliefs is what is at the heart of an anxiety disorder. Many people that are afraid of failure also fear things like not achieving what you set out to or want to accomplish, Being criticized, Being viewed as a failure, Being viewed as an inferior, Being viewed as stupid or not smart enough, Being viewed as not having the skills or intellect necessary to be successful, People thinking poorly of you,Being rejected or made fun of, Being abandoned and alone for the rest of your life because you are a failure, Financial ruin/destitute because of failing, and Letting others down because of your inability to succeed. These fears and belief systems are what keeps our foot on the gas, and keeps us entrenched in a struggle with anxiety.

[Boo Bass]

What if there is no cause for your anxiety? Or is that impossible?

I'm a xious because I'm in jail with a noose round my neck. Will knowing that help me get better?

[iwanttobeok]

Depends what no cause means to you :p It could mean there isn't really some kind of situation(s) bothering you but instead some sort of illness/imbalance, or it could mean that there is some sort of issue stewing about in your sub-conscious that is causing it that obviously needs to be ID'd. And about the last thing, there is a difference between knowing your situation and making it the only thing on your mind 24/7, focusing on the lid over you all the time I guess. It's annoying when people want to focus on the cause too much though when you want to move on to the fun stuff- the solutions. For someone in that situation, focusing on making internal peace starts with knowing whether or not the situation calls for you to be bothered lol.

[Barong Baj Baj]

I think so, if you have a cause. Mine is general and seemingly limitless at times. I guess it can be genetic? that can give some solace depending on mymood.
But regardless you can always act on it, and you will find a way to deal with it