Even if therapy and medication are helping you to cope with anxiety, it can still be difficult to live with an anxiety disorder. You may feel like no one else really understands what you’re going through. Joining a support group can help, and even play an important role in your recovery from the anxiety disorder.
Anxiety Disorder: How Support Groups Help
"Support groups are wonderful," says Sally R. Connolly, LCSW, a therapist at the Couples Clinic of Louisville in Kentucky. For people with anxiety disorders, "it can be very helpful to know that they're not alone."
It can be a huge relief just to find others dealing with the same issues. "Being in a support group helped me learn to admit that I had this illness," recalls Rita Clark of Lake Forest, Calif., now the consumer chair for the Anxiety Disorders Association of America. "I was with people who were all suffering the same thing and were trying to get better. The therapist and the other people in the group really validated that I was not alone," Clark says.
While the others in her support group did not always share the same anxiety symptoms as Clark, she still felt they shared a bond. "Even though they had panic with different situations than I did, the bottom line was that we were really afraid of feeling those feelings, and I learned in that support group that's the one common thing that we all had," notes Clark.
Clark had secretly suffered from panic attacks for 20 years before she sought treatment, which included attending an in-person support group. Since then, Clark has started nine new anxiety disorder support groups in California.
Anxiety treatment is all about baby steps, not huge leaps. No one understands that better than other people dealing with an anxiety disorder. People who can relate to your struggles can be with you every step of the way in your recovery, explains Clark, and that's one of the most rewarding things about going to a support group.
"It's a place where you are totally supported and understood. You have a place that's safe to talk without judgment. No one will understand better than the people in that room," Clark says.
Anxiety Disorder: Creating Your Support Network
To find a support group in your area, ask your therapist or psychiatrist for recommendations. You can also check your local phone book or search online for anxiety disorder support groups at Web sites such as the Anxiety Disorders Association of America.
Connolly stresses the importance of only visiting reputable Web sites, like those affiliated with larger associations. She suggests Anxietypanic.com, which offers good educational information and an online support group and message board. While online support groups and networks can be very helpful, Connolly recommends finding an in-person anxiety disorder support group as well.
Connolly also urges people with anxiety disorders to consider involving family members in their treatment. "Families and marriages are affected by the anxiety and affect the anxiety. So when someone in a relationship struggles with anxiety, it can be really important to get some sort of couples or family therapy," explains Connolly.
Even if you already have a strong network of friends and family, and especially if you don't, a support group can help you cope with an anxiety disorder. Surrounding yourself with people who understand what you're going through and are there to celebrate each step of your recovery can really boost your spirits. And when your success helps encourage other people with anxiety disorders, you'll feel even better.
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