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Anxiety Disorders

Q & A with Dr. Paul Foxman

by Paul Foxman, Ph.D., is Director of the Center for Anxiety Disorders, a private practice and therapist training program in Burlington, Vermont. Dr. Foxman is the author of The Worried Child (2004) and Dancing With Fear (1996), and other publications on the topic of anxiety. Dr. Foxman's web site is www.drfoxman.com.

Why and how does anxiety develop?

Anxiety is related to the survival instinct. Normally, we react self-protectively to threat or danger with the “fight or flight response.” This state of high mental alertness and physical arousal prepares us to “fight” or “flee” from danger. However, the fear reaction can occur when there is no present danger or threat. For example, if a child is a victim of bullying in school he is likely to perceive school as a dangerous place and experience anxiety in that setting. He may even refuse to go to school or develop separation anxiety. In other words, anxiety is the fear reaction to a perception or anticipation of danger when no actual threat is present. Sensitive people—those who react strongly to external or internal experiences—have a higher risk of developing anxiety.

In an effort to control anxiety, we may avoid certain situations, worry frequently, or develop obsessive-compulsive and other behavior. These patterns are not productive and they usually interfere with daily life. [More]

NOTE: Choose a location before choosing a topic to limit results to organizations relevant to residents of that community.

Resource Organizations » Anxiety Disorders

6 listing(s), including 1 offering support groups

In Massachusetts

Needham Health Department

(Needham residents only)
www.needhamma.gov/health
1471 Highland Ave.
Needham, MA 02492
781-455-7523

The Needham Health Department offers a range of mental health services for citizens of the town. Public Health Nurses provide confidential counseling and referrals to all ages. Short-term home-based services for at-risk teenagers and their families are provided through Riverside Community Care's Alternative Youth Services program. The program includes family counseling, advocacy, information, and referral. Call the Health Department for more information on these free services. The town's Substance Abuse Prevention and Education program provides informational programs, educational resources, and confidential substance abuse support services for Needham youth, adults, and seniors. Contact Carol Read at the Health Department to find out more about inpatient and outpatient treatment, individual and group counseling, and peer support resources regarding substance abuse, addiction and chemical dependency.

Needham Youth Services

(Needham residents only)
www.needhamma.gov/youth
1471 Highland Ave.
Needham, MA 02492
781-455-7518

This is a town-funded department which provides professional and confidential mental health services to youth and their families in Needham. It offers support, information, and direction on issues such as peer relationships, stress, grief and loss, substance use, suicide, and other concerns. Most services are free of charge. The department collaborates regularly with civic and community organizations on a variety of projects.

Obsessive-Compulsive Foundation of Greater Boston

www.ocfboston.org
Offers support group(s)
115 Mill Street, Belmont, MA
Belmont, MA 02478

The Obsessive-Compulsive Foundation of Greater Boston (OCF/GB) was formed in 1995 by a small group of people diagnosed with OCD, their families and friends. This affiliate of the International OCD Foundation (link below) was organized in response to the absence of local support groups and educational resources. Although its name suggests a jurisdiction limited to the Greater Boston area, it extends its services in Massachusetts and Southern New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine.

The primary goals of the organization are: to assist individuals afflicted with OCD identify, seek, and gain access to appropriate support and affordable treatment; to provide education and information about OCD and related disorders to sufferers and their families; and to assist those diagnosed with OCD to become recognized as valuable members of their community.

Worry Wise Kids

worrywisekids.org

This site was launched because of the urgent need to address the growing needs of our children to be equipped to cope with and overcome the stress, worry and anxieties in their life. Our mission is to improve the quality of life for anxious children and their families by providing parents, educators and mental health professionals with comprehensive, user-friendly information on the full range of anxiety disorders. Because children may be secretive about their worries and suffer in silence, our goal is to help adults who care about kids to be on the lookout for red flags. We offer information about treatment options, kid-friendly explanations for the mechanisms that create and maintain anxiety, parenting do's and don'ts, how to handle school issues and more.

Outside Massachusetts

Anxiety Disorders Association of America (ADAA)

www.adaa.org
8730 Georgia Ave
Silver Spring, MD 20910
781-338-3000

The Anxiety Disorders Association of America (ADAA) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote the prevention, treatment and cure of anxiety disorders and to improve the lives of all people who suffer from them. ADAA is the only national nonprofit organization solely dedicated to informing the public, health care professionals, and media that anxiety disorders are real, serious, and treatable. ADAA promotes professional and public awareness of anxiety and related disorders and their impact on people's lives, and encourages the advancement of scientific knowledge about causes and treatment of anxiety and related disorders. The organization also links people who need treatment with the health care professionals who provide it.

Freedom From Fear

www.freedomfromfear.org
308 Seaview Avenue
Staten Island, NY 10305
718-351-171

Freedom From Fear is a national not-for-profit mental health advocacy association. The mission of FFF is to impact, in a positive way, the lives of all those affected by anxiety, depressive and related disorders through advocacy, education, research and community support. The website provides information on anxiety and depression along with self-screening tools for these conditions, referrals for support groups and mental health professionals, and resources on accessing treatment for those with and without health insurance.

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Additional Sources of Information

From SAMHSA's National Mental Health Information Center

From the School Psychiatry Program and MADI Resource Center

 

Publications

List of books, articles and other publications on Anxiety Disorders.

36th Annual National Suicide Prevention Week, September 5th - 11th, 2010. See Families, Community Systems and Suicide, from the American Association of Suicidology.

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The work of Project INTERFACE is supported in part by the Massachusetts Child Psychiatry Access Project (MCPAP).

 
Disclaimer: Material on the Project INTERFACE web site is intended as general information. It is not a recommendation for treatment, nor should it be considered medical or mental health advice. Project INTERFACE urges families to discuss all information and questions related to medical or mental health care with a health care professional.