Thanks for the comment. We actually agree entirely. One of the most effective ways to combat anxiety is through a combination of psychiatric drugs administered alongside CBT. Unfortunately, not everyone has the means to pursue professional help, for a variety of reasons. Of the 40 million people in the U.S. with anxiety disorders, only 1/3 of them are actually seeking help. We're hoping that Pacifica can help bridge that gap, ideally helping people find the care that they really need.

I understand the challenges, they are similar to those faced by the adult ADHD community. Less than 1/5 of adults with ADHD are being treated.

Our society puts so many negative connotations on the use of drugs to address mental deficiencies that even after learning how much they could help, we hesitate for fear of the peer pressure and social stigma of "popping pills" in favor of "shut up and man up".

> We're hoping that Pacifica can help bridge that gap, ideally helping people find the care that they really need.

Great! Might I recommend using your app to provide advice on how to approach discussing this issue with their GP, or even giving links to professionals in their area? Or even provide a "doctor's view" which can be passed to your GP to assist in their diagnosis?

I make these suggestions because the emphasis on the word "privately" across your website concerns me. It seems to re-enforce the negative mindset of "this is your problem, don't bother anybody else" that I saw so profoundly affect my wife.

I love the idea of recommending how to approach this topic with a GP. We've been a little careful, as described in another comment, about crossing the line of providing medical advice. Currently, we see Pacifica as a self-help tool. We have to find the right ways to do some of this because we don't want to upset the FDA. The truth is that they have the same goals that we do, and we will try to work with them to provide the best application we can, while making sure it is safe to use.

Regarding "privately," we had a slightly different take. Because of the stigma, there are so many people that aren't seeking help. We think that providing an application that can help you understand where some of your thoughts come from might help you realize that you can start talking about this. And ultimately, our hope is that creating a consumer application that is widely used might contribute to breaking down some of those walls. It's a lofty goal, but our mission is to do what we can to combat the stigmas around mental health.

The scary thing is that, in the context of this app, "privately" means "in the privacy of the cloud, which we have access to".

I live in India and I suffer from crippling anxiety and the psychiatrists I've met here suck, thanks for making this app.

I would be hard pressed to NOT recommend CBT to someone, even the most positive and least anxiety-filled person. If you believe that CBT is only for someone with severe anxiety or negativity you are completely wrong. It can help anyone!

My apologies if it came across that I thought CBT was not helpful; I simply meant that seeing a professional is going to be much more beneficial, particularly if you haven't before.

Personally, I didn't think you alluded to "CBT was not helpful". Your advice was seek a professional which I wholeheartedly agree.

Oh no, I didn't get that at all. It did sound like you were saying that only people with severe issues need CBT though. I think that every single person would greatly benefit from CBT training, just as I feel that they'd benefit from meditation, a healthy diet and a consistent workout routine.

Anxiety can be mild or severe. Many people with anxiety won't need to see a professional, or won't have easy access to a professional. And, once they've seen a professional they might be asked to use some computer or book based CBT anyway.

But you're right, seeing a professional is useful.

Who do I go see? A normal doctor? A therapist?

A general practitioner is a good place to start. If the symptoms are clear cut, they can work with you right then and there to get you started on a treatment plan, and can recommend a counselor or psychiatrist to discuss more individualized treatment options.

And if the symptoms are not clear cut, they will still give you a recommendation to someone who can identify what is going on and give you the help you need.

The GP also has the advantage of being relatively cheap.

In England:

You go to see your GP. You explain that you have anxiety (or whatever), and that it interferes with your daily life. They should follow the NICE (see below) guidance. There are "books on prescription" - curated lists of recommended self-help books; talking therapies; medication.

Or you web-search for your local "IAPT" (improving access to psychological therapies) service. This is often but not always provided by your local NHS mental health provider. You should be able to self-refer, by phone. Here's the example page for Gloucestershire: http://www.talk2gether.nhs.uk/

You can get private treatment from therapists. The BACP (British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy) is a recognised respected professional body. So, web-search for therapists providing CBT and with a BACP registration.

NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) has some good information about what you should expect from providers.

http://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/QS53

http://pathways.nice.org.uk/pathways/generalised-anxiety-dis...

medication helps, but be wary of anything long term. especially benzodiazepines ... its not worth it.

There are people that are able to live on benzodiazepines long term without significant health impact. There are a lot of medications that are suitable for a lifetime of use in the SSRI and anti anxiolytic family that do not have the potential for habit forming either (and that's habit in the sense of your body becoming accustomed to it).

It's great that you're concerning yourself with the well-being of other people, but please allow concern over the use of medications to be between people with significant mental health issues who are taking those medications and their doctors.

I do agree with your sentiment.

I'm coming at this from a perspective of one doctor who advocated for long term use, only to meet with (several) other doctors years later who highly disagreed with the approach. In other words, there's lot of contradicting information out there and not every doctor is an expert.

This is me as a data point saying - if you're being lead down a path of long term benzo use - be aware that its a possibly dangerous trajectory and in some places its not even really allowed (UK).

Benzodiazepine withdrawal is hell at best, and at worst it can kill you. This is not something you often hear in a doctor's office.

I was prescribed an SSRI for my severe anxiety and it changed my life for the better. If you take them be aware it can take months before you feel the full effect (it took me about 3 months).

What were you prescribed?

What medication(s) helped your spouse the most?

It took a few weeks of trial and error to find the right medication, and she uses both a daily and an "emergency" medication. I don't know the specific names, sorry.