Over the years, I’ve come across a number of “facts” about anxiety which are either complete myths or not the whole truth. Here are the worst offenders:
Please add your own myths or questions using the comments section below!
1. Anxiety is caused by childhood trauma.
Well, yes and no. It certainly can be caused by childhood trauma but there are so many other causes of anxiety that you certainly can’t make any assumptions. It can be caused by PTSD in adulthood, various medical conditions, hormonal changes, gut problems….the list goes on! So this one is not exactly a myth, just an oversimplification.
2. Anxiety is incurable
Lots of anxiety sufferers believe that they are incurable however that is not the case. Lots of people get over anxiety and lead normal lives. What people forget is that anxiety is a natural emotion, so when you get over it you don’t never feel anxious again. You just feel anxious when it is more appropriate and to a more manageable degree.
3. Drugs cure anxiety
The normal anti-anxiety drugs such as SSRI’s and Benzodiazepines (and indeed the illegal ones) do not cure anxiety. They treat the symptoms but not the problem but of course the problem itself might disappear during the period of medication. If someone takes antidepressants for five years, who knows what changes could happen in that time that would reduce anxiety?
4. Anxiety is caused by negative thinking and CBT cures that
CBT revolves around the idea that anxiety and panic starts with a negative thought. They say that sometimes it is so fast you miss it. But perhaps you miss it because it doesn’t actually happen. CBT can be great for anxiety, but it doesn’t necessarily identify the cause. The root of our anxious thoughts might not be in the parts of our brain that use language, but in the older parts that deal with feeling and instinct. As this therapist says, “Simply pointing out why a thought is irrational, doesn’t really alleviate the emotional attachment to a more irrational belief.”. That doesn’t mean CBT can’t be useful though.
5. Hypnotic regression can cure anxiety
I believe that regression based therapies such as hypnoanalysis are a waste of time and money and can just be a money-making scam on behalf of the therapist. They are expensive and they don’t work. I have never know it to help anyone. If you know differently, please do comment below. That doesn’t mean that examining the past can’t be useful, but the idea that a therapist can somehow extract the anxiety out of you by quickly cleaning up and releasing past emotions through hypnosis….I’ll wait for the evidence to prove it.
If you can think of any more anxiety myths please add them below in the comments section!
