ADAVIC Survival Guide - reviews
By Janesse Gorman - Sydney - September 2004
The Anxiety Survival Guide was developed by ADAVIC to address the lack of information available about anxiety disorders, and it does its job very well.
Chapter by chapter, health professionals explain the various anxiety disorders and discuss treatments. Each of the chapters are very user-friendly; they are informative but they are also easy to read and absorb.
One of the best features of the guide is the diversity of information, allowing the reader to receive a wide range of options. Each of the health professionals brings their own perspective, which makes for very interesting reading.
One area, which is often neglected, is diet and anxiety. The Guide has a wonderful chapter by Donna Maree Dunlop covering this. While every contributor has something valuable to say, my favorite chapters were the ones on Mediation for the Relief and Management of Anxiety by Pauline McKinnon and The Benefits of Exercise and Yoga for Anxiety by Dr Sallee McLaren.
Another useful feature of the guide is the section for recommended books and websites and a listing of other anxiety organizations not only in Victoria but also interstate.
If you have an anxiety disorder this guide will be of benefit to you. I would also suggest your friends and family read it as well to gain more of an insight into your disorder.
The Anxiety Survival Guide is a vital resource for the whole community. The need for information and understanding of anxiety disorders is critical. I would like to see it in every GPs surgery, hospital, government and community organization.
By Julie - September 2004
If I had to use one word to describe the Anxiety Disorders Survival Guide it would be 'comprehensive.' This guide achieves exactly what it sets out to achieve, that is, to be a valuable resource for sufferers, carers, family, friends, other organizations, and the community at large. I read the guide as a member of the last group; the community and I felt it was a great starting point for me to begin learning about anxiety disorders. It is informative because not only does it define common disorders, it also covers treatment options.
I felt that the fact that these were written by professionals in the anxiety field, not only made me feel as though what I was reading was legitimate, but it was straightforward and honest. There was no 'mumbo-jumbo,' that wasn't explained in a clear and interesting manner. In fact I got to the end of reading the guide and realised that it was just 78 pages long, and yet I felt like I had learnt what would probably take a semester at unit to learn through attending incomprehensible lectures.
The fact that it also contains information on mediation, yoga, exercise and diet not only added to the comprehension of the guide, I felt as though it gave it that little bit extra. It was extremely interesting to read.... I would recommend this to absolutely anyone, whether they have to deal with anxiety disorders or not, as a basic introduction. To summarize...I am extremely pleased and actually grateful that this was the first book given to me, I believe it has, as they say, 'put me on the right foot,' in beginning to understand anxiety.
