Let’s debunk the first five stigmas and misconceptions we mentioned:
I. “People with anxiety can just avoid what’s causing their fear.”
Definitely not. The most obvious thing (to some neurotypical people), for people with anxiety to do, is to avoid what they fear or feel anxious about. However, that’s not exactly possible, and that’s because of our fast-paced world. As our world demands us to be faster and faster in everything we do, anxiety and stress are inevitable. Conflict and the unknown are also daily occurrences, so avoiding triggers for PTSD, for example, is next to impossible. As hard as it may be for some (if not all) people with anxiety to do, we believe they should face their fears and find ways to lessen the negative impact of their reaction to them.
II. “People with anxiety shouldn’t be given responsibilities.”
Absolutely false. People with anxiety are indeed more susceptible to sources of stress. However, that doesn’t mean that they can’t handle stressful situations, or that they should be constantly treated like fragile pieces of porcelain. With the right support, both medically and socially, people with anxiety can face real-world challenges head-on and be almost indistinguishable from neurotypical people.
III. “I can’t work with those with anxiety disorders. Their anxiety will affect them too much.”
Nope! Like we mentioned above, people with anxiety disorders can function normally like neurotypical people, with the right amount of care and support. It may take a little more effort and patience to work with those battling anxiety disorders, but it’s not impossible.
IV. “People with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder are just neat freaks. OR they can’t stop hurting themselves, so why should we bother trying to help them?
Again, nope! Firstly, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is not just being perfectionist, or ridiculously neat. Not even close. The deciding factor of whether people have OCD is whether they do these behaviours (such as
V. “Unwinding with a drink will help those with anxiety.”
This is actually quite dangerous to think. For neurotypical people (of age of course), we may think that ‘cracking open a cold one’ can help us to ‘chill’. We may even think that drinking or taking any other kinds of substances can help people with anxiety disorders to ‘take the edge off’ and ‘chillax’. That could not be further from the truth. In the short term, perhaps drinking beer could help a little. In the long term, drinking might lead to addiction, which is detrimental to people with anxiety.
Source (Infographic):
Counterarguments Are Critical to Debunking Misinformation
Sources (Text):
1: https://www.anxietycentre.com/anxiety-myths.shtml
2: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/insight-therapy/201807/7-common-misconceptions-about-anxiety
Breaking Through The Stigma on Mental Illness 