Vogue Williams shares how anxiety affects her physically and emotionally. Dr. Malie Coyne explains how the amygdala "hijacks" the brain during a perceived threat, impeding the pre-frontal cortex; she recommends cognitive behavioral therapy.
Acute Anxiety Disorders (06:11)
Katrina suffers from agoraphobia and OCD. She discusses her rituals for checking appliances before leaving home and becoming suicidal. CBT has helped her function; she shows contents of her "security" backpack.
Managing Agoraphobia (01:44)
Katrina visits her college before the semester begins to acclimatize herself to the campus environment. Seeing closed doors at the end of a corridor makes her nervous.
Social Media and Anxiety (03:20)
Anxiety and depression has increased 70% in the last 20 years among young people in Ireland. Negative social media impacts include sleep deprivation, cyber bullying, body image, and the fear of missing out.
Younger Generation and Social Media (02:54)
Williams consults four of Ireland's most popular Instagrammers about benefits and drawbacks of online networks. Profiles can give a false impression of perfection but allow users to broaden their social circles.
Screen Time Addiction (04:26)
Williams hires UnPlug to monitor and analyze her phone use. She logs up to seven hours per day on email and social media for work. She hopes limiting phone time will reduce her anxiety.
Raising Mental Health Awareness (04:05)
Anxiety has always existed as a human condition, but has been stigmatized. Professor Jim Lucey discusses new societal stresses contributing to increased self-harm, addiction, and anxiety among young people in Ireland. The best treatments are non-pharmacological.
Panic Disorder (04:37)
Linda suffers panic attacks that have contributed to the development of agoraphobia. Having a new baby has helped her cope with the fear of leaving home, but her anxiety persists. Williams accompanies her on a neighborhood walk.
Treating Phobias (05:55)
Williams has a new alarm clock; she keeps her phone outside her bedroom in an attempt to improve sleep quality. Therapist Michael Carthy uses virtual reality to gradually expose Williams to spiders.
Treating OCD (03:54)
Williams attends a meditation and breathing session for patients. They discuss how yoga has helped alleviate intrusive thoughts.
Social Anxiety (07:10)
Williams meets with Step Out Ireland, a group that developed a conversational board game to help increase interaction among members. She finds support groups available for all anxiety disorders and encourages people suffering from anxiety to seek help.
Credits: Vogue: My Anxious Life (01:02)
Credits: Vogue: My Anxious Life
