A Samoan man is interviewed for a job by an unsympathetic Pakeha. The film attempts to create awareness of cultural differences. Made with the help of Pacific Islanders Educational Resource Centre. Cast: Fraser McDonald, Al Hunkin.

A teenager assumes her murdered friend's identity and takes shelter with the girl's estranged family, but her vengeful pimp threatens her new life.

A small-time thief plots revenge after his wife is killed during a hold-up, and finds his tenuous grasp on reality fading as he struggles to care for their seven-year-old daughter.

A psychology student investigates the death of her roommate after the woman jumps from a roof and leaves a suicide note.

Join the Whatukura Panel as they give a perspective on life’s many challenges.

Commercial for "The Paperchaser' with advice to recycle newspapers.

A documentary about the life and times of Ken Loach, his politics in British television and cinema, and the chaos he has caused the establishment for 50 years.

Join the Whatukura Panel as they give a perspective on life’s many challenges.

The Islamic State, a Sunni jihadist group that formerly had ties to al Qaeda, has conquered large swathes of Iraq and Syria. Previously known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), the group has announced its intention to re-establish the caliphate and has declared its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, as the caliph.

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Jill's daughter takes up with a bad boy whose violent behaviour lands the young couple in trouble. To avoid a stint in prison, they appear to commit a double suicide.

Mysterious deaths surround an American ambassador. Could the child that he is raising actually be the Antichrist? The Devil's own son?

When 15-year-old Lizzie Holden is kidnapped, Tracy Spencer comes forward claiming she's a psychic and knows where Lizzie is. It soon becomes clear that Tracy has an agenda of her own.

Our 'Ask Your Auntie' host is joined by a rotating panel of talented and wise wahine offering straight-up advice in response to viewers’ personal-problem letters.

Former Vice President Al Gore explains the facts of global warming, presents arguments that the dangers of global warning have reached the level of crisis, and addresses the efforts of certain interests to discredit the anti-global warming cause. Between lecture segments, Gore discusses his personal commitment to the environment, sharing anecdotes from his experiences.

Adam Bell, a glum, disheveled history professor who seems disinterested even in his beautiful girlfriend Mary. Watching a movie on the recommendation of a colleague, Adam spots his double; a bit-part actor named Anthony St. Clair, and decides to track him down. The identical men meet and their lives become bizarrely and irrevocably intertwined.

Violette LeDuc is one of the foremost French writers of the twentieth century. In a beautifully mounted production, director Martin Provost depicts LeDuc's extraordinary life, from her low beginnings as the illegitimate daughter of a servant girl to becoming ensconced in France's literary elite. Violette LeDuc is determined, obsessed even, to make something of her life. Writing is her ticket out of misery, and with the encouragement and mentorship of Simone de Beauvoir, she achieves renown.

Join SpongeBob SquarePants and his friends in Bikini Bottom as they live life under the sea. Dubbed in Te Reo Maori.

In the carefree days before World War I, introverted Austrian author Jules strikes up a friendship with the exuberant Frenchman Jim. What will happen when they both fall for the same woman?

The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life is a short starring Aliza Sommer-Herz, Zdenka Fantlova, and Anita Lasker-Wallfisch. Aliza Sommer-Herz, aged 109 and the world's oldest Holocaust survivor, tells the story of how music saved her life: both during her time at Theresienstadt concentration camp and in the years afterwards.

Set in 1930, a French woman raises a Vietnamese princess as her own daughter. They both fall in love with a young French army officer, which changes both their lives significantly.

An unpublished writer returns to his hometown after graduating, where he seeks sponsors to publish his book while dealing with his father's gambling problem.

In Brooklyn, New York, Kyra loses her job and struggles to survive on her ailing mother's income. As the weeks and months go on, her problems worsen. This leads her on a risky and enigmatic path that threatens her life.

The murderous, backwoods Firefly family take to the road to escape a vengeful police force which is not afraid of being as ruthless as their target.

The rise and fall of the late Roger Ailes, from his early media influence on the Nixon presidency to his controversial leadership at Fox News.

One year after surviving a kidnapping, a young woman realises that she is being stalked again. Fearing for her life, but determined to no longer be a victim, she sets out to expose her tormentor.

In the 1940s, a young boy named Ralphie attempts to convince his parents, his teacher and Santa that a Red Ryder BB gun really is the perfect Christmas gift.

An inside look into how ABBA's music was made, as the band tell their story from pre-ABBA days onward.

A spoof of 300 (2006) and many other movies, TV series/shows/commercials, video games and celebrities. King Leonidas of Sparta and his army of 12 go to war against Xerxes of Persia to fight to the death for Sparta's freedom.

At our first school in the South Island, students open up to a new perspective on what each of them deal with at home.

Coming into South Auckland, Robett was determined to express an honest view on what the expectation would be on these kids as being part of the “statistic.”

Episode 1 explains how to tell if it’s a problem for you. This episode focuses on helpful facts about anxiety and real-life stories. “Anxiety is part of the common human experience,” says Clinical Psychologist Dr Eve Hermansson-Webb. “We’re all going to experience anxiety in our lifetime to some extent or another. But the problem arises when we start to experience threat where it’s unjustified.” Counsellor Shirleen Prasad says anxiety is like an alarm system in the body. While we all feel the alarm at times of stress and uncertainty, someone with an anxiety disorder has their alarm going off all the time. “When the alarm system in our body becomes over reactive, we start to feel anxious in non-threatening situations,” she says. Four criteria are used to help determine whether someone might have an anxiety disorder. They are: disproportionate, distressing, disruptive and duration. “The first thing is whether or not the stress response is disproportionate,” says Goldie Hamilton, Anxiety New Zealand Trust’s National Manager. “What that means is whether the stress response the person’s having is something that we’d expect for someone of that age in that particular situation. “Another criteria is whether or not it’s distressing. The third criteria is whether it’s disruptive – is it getting in the way of that person living the life they want to live? The last is duration – is it lasting a long time when they have that stress response?” People with anxiety describe it as feeling like a ball in their chest, having a weight on top of them, being a washing machine that’s in a spinning cycle, or having part of their brain constantly telling them the worst case scenario. “I like to think of it as I’m drowning in a sea of ridiculous thoughts and outrageous scenarios,” says Isoa Kavakimotu. “I’m trying my best to put on my life jacket and float but I’m just drowning.’ Mike Chunn describes it as “a living hell”. “You are extremely anxious to the state of physical insanity – vomiting, and diarrhoea, and shaking, and all of that, and a terror in the head – for no reason,” he says. But support is available – and there is hope. The ten Unravelling Anxiety episodes cover how anxiety develops and manifests, how to manage anxiety in the workplace, co-occurring conditions such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and eating disorders, how to support someone with anxiety, and how to get help.

Episode 2 explains what it looks like. Insights into how anxiety manifests and different types of anxiety. Goldie Hamilton, Anxiety New Zealand Trust’s National Manager, says anxiety can manifest differently for different people. “We have different names for the groupings of different ways that it shows up,” she says. “A really common one is Social Anxiety Disorder. Those who have social anxiety disorder tend to have a fear that they’re going to do something that’s going to be humiliating and that people are going to judge them and criticise them.” Another common form of anxiety is Generalised Anxiety Disorder. “It involves persistent and excessive worries about everyday things like work, health, finances and relationships,” says Clinical Psychologist Dr Eve Hermansson-Webb. “It’s often accompanied by physical sensations like fatigue, muscle tension, and shortness of breath.” Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), where people act out compulsions in a bid to alleviate recurring negative thoughts, is another manifestation of anxiety. There are many different types of OCD, from harm OCD (having intrusive and upsetting thoughts about harming others) to checking OCD (for example, compulsively needing to check that the stove is off). “I do have OCD, and it is feral,” says TikTok star Leighton Clarke (AKA Uncle Tics). “It’s like a feral rash that doesn’t want to go away.” Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is another manifestation of anxiety. Clinical Psychologist Dr Epenesa Olo-Whaanga says PTSD can be triggered by traumatic events. “This is when they’ve feared for their life or there’s been significant harm, or they’ve witnessed an event where the threat has been to someone else’s life,” she says. “If it happened in a certain location they might avoid that location, they may have dreams about it, and they may also relive that experience as if it’s happening in the moment.” Agoraphobia is another form of anxiety – as musician Mike Chunn well knows. After ten years of suffering debilitating panic attacks, he was flicking through a magazine when he came across an article about phobic disorders. “There was one called agoraphobia. It said ‘agoraphobia is the irrational fear you have of not being able to return to where you feel safe’. I thought ‘that’s me’,” Chunn says. “Every time I had a panic attack, all I wanted to do was sprint back to where I lived.” Panic attacks can be so intense that people can feel as though they’re dying. “Panic attacks involve heart palpitations, shortness of breath, sweating and trembling,” says Hermansson-Webb. “The person often tries to exit the situation that triggers the anxiety or the panic as quickly as possible.” The fear of having a panic attack can cause people to shrink their lives, says Hamilton. “Because these panic attacks often come out of nowhere, people become quite worried about what will happen when the next one arrives. Sometimes they start pulling back from things that they enjoy doing because they’re worried that a panic attack will catch them unawares.” But the experts say it’s important to try to keep going to new places, meeting new people, and doing new things for the first time. Learning techniques such as diaphragmatic breathing may also help in managing panic attacks.

Episode 3 reveals some common misconceptions about the condition. We all now know that depression is ‘real’ - but what about anxiety? There are a lot of misconceptions about anxiety – sometimes, even within the medical profession. “A psychiatrist my father sent me to said ‘it sounds like something you’ll get over’,” says Split Enz musician Mike Chunn. “And I thought, ‘well f*** you’.” But more often than not, it’s friends and whānau who get things wrong. Mental Health Nurse Jenna Goldsworthy says many people don’t understand the difference between feeling anxious and having anxiety. “They think ‘oh you’re just worried’, or ‘you’re just nervous’. I don’t think they quite understand the physiological and emotional reactions that happen, and the impact that it can have,” she says. “I think that there’s a tendency for people to say ‘toughen up, what have you got to worry about’.” The classic kiwi “harden up” and “she’ll be right” attitudes can be damaging. “I think one of the biggest misconceptions of anxiety is that people will get over it, or that things will come right,” says Clinical Psychologist Dr Epenesa Olo-Whaanga. “And I think that keeps people from asking for help.” Anxiety is also sometimes used as a punchline for a joke. People might laughingly say that they tidied their house because they’re “so OCD” or that a bad date “gave them PTSD”, when anxiety disorders go much deeper. And there are also different cultural expectations to contend with. Counsellor Shirleen Prasad says different cultures have different attitudes towards mental health, and some people with anxiety fear bringing shame to their families. “Because our roles are so embedded in our obligations – bringing honour to our families, being good role models to our cousins, to our siblings – how can we disclose that we’re not doing well?” she asks. Ivan Yeo is the Deputy Director at Asian Family Services, and he’s also had personal experience with anxiety. “Back in Malaysia in the 1980s there was not a lot of knowledge and understanding about mental health,” Yeo says. “My parents were quite superstitious and thought they’d consult with a Chinese priest to see if there was something wrong. The belief was that I was low in energy so it could be that some evil spirit was attacking me.” Later in life Yeo realised it wasn’t low energy he battled – it was anxiety. “I was never able to articulate it until I read the psychological textbooks and I realised what I have. There’s not many Asians that would put their hands up and say ‘I have mental health conditions’.” Cultural and family expectations can lead people to hide their anxiety. “People often downplay it to it’s not as bad as it actually is,” says TikTok star Leighton Clarke (AKA Uncle Tics). You can’t tell someone has anxiety from looking at them, says social media personality Krystine Nation. “I think so many times the people that we think are the most confident, they’re usually the ones that are shrivelling up inside,” she says. “Confidence can sometimes be a front.” Unlike having a cut or a broken arm, with anxiety it can be hard to see outward signs that something’s wrong.

Episode 4 asks why some people get it, while others don’t. Our experts unpack the aetiology/causes of anxiety. “The million dollar question is why some people suffer this extreme anxiety and some people don’t,” says Clinical Psychologist Dr Epenesa Olo-Whaanga. Anxiety New Zealand Trust National Manager Goldie Hamilton says anxiety can sometimes run in families. “Sometimes that’s potentially genetic – but it’s also because we share the environment at home,” she explains. “Maybe there’s some trauma in the home, or maybe the whole family went through a traumatic event together.” What we do know is that for many people, anxiety begins in childhood. “Young children can develop anxiety disorders,” says Olo-Whaanga. “Often people think ‘oh they’ll grow out of it’, so they don’t give it the attention that it really needs. If it’s untreated with no intervention that can persist into adolescence, and then that can persist into adulthood.” Dr Terry Fleming, Associate Professor at Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, has spent her career researching how to improve youth mental health. “If you were exposed to racism, and homophobia, and social exclusion, and systematic bullying and violence – then of course you’re much more at risk of developing an anxiety problem or a depression problem,” she says. For people like Ivan Yeo, Deputy Director Asian Family Services, anxiety can be a reaction to traumatic life events. “As a kid I knew I wasn’t like other kids,” Yeo says. “I believe my father back in Malaysia was a gangster, so as kids we’d move a lot. I think that is the reason my anxiety was created, because we always had to pick up and run.” Yeo started having panic attacks while he was still a school student. “On one occasion the schoolteacher had to call an ambulance, because I thought I couldn’t breathe.” Social media personality Krystine Nation also developed anxiety at a young age. “My teens to early adulthood were a very, very messy time for me,” she says. “If I was in trouble or if I was in an uncomfortable situation, I would literally clam up – and it’s weird to say now, but I would just hit myself and cry and hyperventilate. I only realised as an adult that that was anxiety.” Split Enz musician Mike Chunn believes his anxiety was brought on by the anticipation of a traumatic event. “I actually think why I got it in the first place was the fear that Split Enz was going to break up,” he says. “My brother left the band. My brother and I had spent all our teenage years dreaming of being Beatles, and all of a sudden he was gone – and bang, I went down.” Recent extreme weather events and the Covid-19 pandemic were triggers for many people, says Olo-Whaanga. “Anxiety can be about lack of control, and one of the things that we definitely had during Covid has been that lack of control.” The virus triggered some of our deepest underlying fears about mortality and contagion, but Anxiety New Zealand Trust National Manager Goldie Hamilton says that in some ways the pandemic has been positive for anxiety awareness. “If there is a good thing that Covid brought, it’s that we’re talking more about mental health, and I think that’s fantastic.”

In episode 5, we look at key life events that can trigger it. In this episode, we examine life transition ‘triggers’ and how to manage them. Going through puberty, losing a loved one, moving house, going through menopause, starting a new job, going to university or losing a job can all cause anxiety. “Life events can trigger anxiety, and we can’t predict who’s more at risk of that happening to,” says Clinical Psychologist Dr Epenesa Olo-Whaanga. “We know that when people are exposed to high stress events in a very short space of time, that can also make it more likely that they will experience anxiety.” Becoming a parent can be one such high stress event. As a young mum, social media personality Krystine Nation struggled with postnatal anxiety, but was told she probably just had the baby blues. “My anxieties got bigger and bigger,” Krystine says. Her mental health spiralled to the point that she had to see a hospital crisis team. Mental Health Nurse Jenna Goldsworthy says there’s a lot of pressure on mums. “Often families have to have the mums work, and they’re taking care of the house, taking care of their children, and on top of that there’s a lot of social media and a lot of influence about how you should be a mum. I think that pressure on people is actually quite a lot,” she says. Olo-Whaanga says the pressure on mums shouldn’t be seen as normal, and that parents should be supported. “We know enough in New Zealand when we look at our stats around perinatal mortality, that we need to do more to support women in this area,” she says. Becoming a parent isn’t the only life event that can trigger anxiety. Ivan Yeo, Deputy Director Asian Family Services, felt anxious when he first started university – and like many young people, he used alcohol in an attempt to calm his nerves. Drugs and alcohol are common coping mechanisms – and so is avoidance. Anxiety New Zealand Trust National Manager Goldie Hamilton says avoidance is when we stop doing the things that make us feel anxious. “In the long term, that’s actually a very problematic coping strategy,” she says. “You don’t get the opportunity to learn how to cope.” If you’re struggling with anxiety, the experts recommend speaking with a friend, GP or counsellor that you trust. Clinical Psychologist Dr Lisa Reynolds says there are also simple techniques you can try at home. “Meditation can be helpful around managing anxiety, doing things that you enjoy, sometimes a bit of distraction can be helpful – hanging out with friends, going out for a coffee,” she says. “It can be useful to remind yourself that anxiety is normal, and that generally speaking, it will resolve over time.” Hamilton adds that it’s normal to experience anxiety when going through life transitions. “Anything that’s a challenge in our lives, that we don’t feel like we’re really well-prepared to handle, is going to be causing anxiety,” she says. When going through a life transition, it might be helpful to develop a short daily routine that includes mindfulness and breathing exercises. Other daily habits that can help reduce anxiety include exercise, practicing gratitude, writing about your feelings, or getting outside into nature.

Episode 6 shows the strong links with other health conditions. This episode looks at some of the complexities people with ‘co-morbid’ conditions face. “The thing about health problems and mental health challenges is that they often hunt in packs,” says Dr Terry Fleming, Associate Professor at Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington. “Lots of people will have combinations – that’s just about more normal than just having one challenge at a time.” This grouping of conditions is called having co-occurring or comorbid conditions. “When someone has a comorbid illness, it means that they meet the criteria for more than one mental health diagnosis at a time,” says Clinical Psychologist Dr Eve Hermansson-Webb. Depression is a disorder that can go hand-in-hand with anxiety, says Anxiety New Zealand Trust National Manager Goldie Hamilton. “About one in four people are estimated in Aotearoa New Zealand to experience anxiety, and about one in six are estimated to experience depression, and quite often it’s the same people who might be experiencing both of those,” she says. Clinical Psychologist Dr Epenesa Olo-Whaanga says Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and autism are also associated with anxiety. Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects the way people see the world, whereas ADHD can cause attention difficulty, hyperactivity and impulsiveness. Social media personality Krystine Nation is one of many adults who believes she may have undiagnosed ADHD. “I swear I have ADHD,” she says. “My brain is never silent. I went to my doctor and said to him, ‘please don’t hate me, and please tell me if you’re like oh god not this, but I think I have ADHD’. And he was like, ‘Yep I think you do too’.” Along with having anxiety, TikTok star Leighton Clarke (AKA Uncle Tics) has Tourette’s Syndrome – a condition that causes ‘tics’ such as twitches, movements or sounds. One of Clarke’s Tourette’s symptoms is coprolalia – the involuntary outburst of inappropriate words, such as swearwords. Like anxiety, Tourette’s Syndrome is not always well understood by the general public. “There was one teacher at my school who never understood Tourette’s, and she banned me from going on my year seven camp,” Clarke says. “I still think about that to this day.” Eating disorders such as anorexia, bulimia and binge eating disorder can also be related to anxiety. “Studies have shown that between 50 to 80 per cent of people who struggle with eating disorders will also have an anxiety disorder,” says Hermansson-Webb. “And of people who present for treatment for an anxiety disorder, about 11 per cent of them will go on to be diagnosed with an eating disorder.” Split Enz musician Mike Chunn says that after correlating panic attacks with eating dinner, he stopped eating at night. “If you look at photos of me from 1975 I’m a skinny little rake,” he says. Other people turn to comfort eating to help them soothe their emotions – and still others turn to alcohol and drugs. Substance Use Disorder frequently co-occurs with anxiety – often because people are trying to self-medicate. Addiction is treatable, so if you or someone you know may be battling Substance Use Disorder, check out the Health Navigator website or speak with your GP to find help. Likewise, if you think you may have depression, ADHD, autism, Tourette’s Syndrome, or an eating disorder, contact your GP for support and advice.

Episode 7 covers anxiety at work. How to manage anxiety disorders at work. From putting on a ‘work persona’ to educating colleagues about mental health, different people have different ways of managing anxiety at work. “The workplace can be a very anxiety-inducing environment,” says Mental Health and Addiction Practitioner Romy Lee. “Often we have more people around at work, or it might be stressful trying to meet deadlines and expectations.” But Lee says there’s no reason why employees should be discriminated against for having mental health issues. “If you were at work and you were vomiting you would go home, it’s an absolute no-brainer. If you’re at work and your anxiety is severe to the point that you’re not able to function in your workday, same thing.” Clinical Psychologist Dr Eve Hermansson-Webb says in some cases it’s the workplaces themselves that may be contributing to anxiety. “We spend so many hours at work, it should ideally be a place where we feel safe, accepted and comfortable,” she says. “If a person notices that other people around them are also anxious and stressed a lot of the time, maybe that’s actually a signal to look at the workplace and whether it’s a supportive environment.” MP Matt Doocey, National Party spokesperson for mental health, says employers have a responsibility to foster the positive mental wellbeing of their staff. “It’s great to see the proliferation of EAP services – Employee Assistance Programmes – and quite often now when you work in an organisation, you can access timely mental health support through your workplace,” he says. Counsellor Shirleen Prasad advocates being upfront and open with your employer about your mental health. “Change happens, life is not constant, and sometimes we’re going through challenging times and we might need some extra support,” she says. “What I would say is talk to your employer about it. Workplaces should have processes and protocols in place to help make a plan for how to best support you.” Ivan Yeo, Deputy Director Asian Family Services, was upfront about his mental health with his employer from the beginning. He let his Chief Executive know about his depression and anxiety to ensure that he could access support. But Dr Apisalome Talemaitoga, Pasifika GP Network Chair, says there’s one thing that’s even more important than being honest with your employer – and that’s being honest with yourself. “I think you have to be upfront with yourself when you’re applying for a job,” he says. “Is this something that’s going to bring on the uncertainty that will set off the triggers that bring on that anxiety? Because you want to be safe.” Tips for managing anxiety at work include planning ahead, letting your manager know if you’re overloaded, celebrating successes, taking breaks such as going for a walk around the block, setting boundaries such as not checking your work email from home, and taking advantage of workplace wellbeing schemes. More people are being open about their mental health challenges in the workplace, and it’s becoming increasingly common for workplaces to offer benefits such as wellbeing or ‘duvet days’ off work. With around one in four New Zealanders experiencing anxiety disorders at some point in their lifetimes, many colleagues and managers will have first-hand experience with anxiety themselves.

Episode 8 shows you how to get help. Help is available, there are a number of tools people can use to manage anxiety. There’s help out there for everyone – even if it can take a while to find what works for you. But the experts agree that the first step is talking to someone. “It might be as simple as reaching out to a friend or a family member to have that conversation and let them know how you’re feeling,” says Mental Health and Addiction Practitioner Romy Lee. “The next step after that is reaching out to a professional – your GP or a counsellor or a mental health service.” The Government is rolling out a plan to increase mental health services that are accessible, more suitable for Māori and Pacific people, and housed in facilities that are appropriate and safe. But in the meantime it can be difficult to find help, and Clinical Psychologist Dr Lisa Reynolds says there are lots of reasons why. “People who are living in isolated settings are not going to have access in the same way that others do, and some of the systems aren’t always set up for people in a way that feels right for them,” she says. Despite the barriers, Dr Apisalome Talemaitoga, Pasifika GP Network Chair, says it’s important that people don’t give up on looking for support. “There is always help, and your GP or counsellor can refer you on to someone who can help you, or suggest medication that will help,” he says. For some people medication is life-changing, but some prefer to manage their anxiety in other ways, says Dr Terry Fleming, Associate Professor at Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington. “I’ve had people scared to talk to a doctor because they think they’ll be forced to take medication,” she says. “But no one can force you to take medication for anxiety.” And whether or not medication’s your thing, there are simple things you can do to help manage your anxiety. Clinical Psychologist Dr Eve Hermansson-Webb says that paying attention to your breathing and your thinking can help. “In terms of our physiology, one of the foundational techniques we often teach people is diaphragmatic breathing,” she says. “We also teach people to look closely at their thinking, because we often ruminate about the worst case scenario.” Progressive muscle relaxation is another technique that can help calm anxious minds – and so is connecting with friends and whānau. “I usually call my fiancé,” says TikTok star Leighton Clarke (AKA Uncle Tics). “That always helps with everything.” Though it’s not possible for everyone, having a healthy lifestyle can also help, says Anxiety New Zealand Trust National Manager Goldie Hamilton. “Anxiety can almost be like running a marathon,” she says. “If we’re at peak condition, then when a challenge arrives in our lives we’re much more able to deal with that challenge.” But Hamilton agrees that the most important step is talking to someone. “If you find yourself wondering – ‘should I reach out for help’? The answer is always yes. If in doubt, reach out.”

Episode 9 explains how family and friends can help. How to support a loved one who’s going through an anxiety disorder, while managing your own feelings and wellbeing. It can be hard to know how to react when someone tells you they have anxiety. Social media personality Krystine Nation and TikTok star Leighton Clark (AKA Uncle Tics) know what not to say. “New Zealand has such a culture of ‘harden up, get over it, your problems aren’t even that bad’,” Nation says. “That’s one thing I had a family member say to me – ‘what have you got to be anxious about? Your life is good!’ And I know my life is perfect. But that doesn’t change the way your brain is wired – it just does not work like that.” Clarke recounts some unhelpful advice that he’s received: “Just do it better bro, you’ll be alright, don’t be anxious.” Clinical Psychologist Dr Eve Hermansson-Webb says it takes a lot of courage for people to tell others they have anxiety, and it’s important to react in a way that makes them feel validated. “Sometimes the temptation might be to reassure them, and say ‘oh that doesn’t sound that bad’, but that sort of response actually isn’t helpful – it just tells the person that you’re not someone who can sit with them in their distress, and that you can’t handle their anxiety,” she says. “Better things to say if a person discloses to you that they struggle with anxiety would be ‘that sounds really tough, I’m sorry I didn’t know you were struggling with that, tell me more about it, what can I do to help’. It’s really important to ask questions.” Counsellor Shirleen Prasad says sometimes we feel as though we need to have all the answers, when often people just want to feel heard. “Just being present and listening without judgement is so powerful,” she says. Anxiety New Zealand Trust National Manager Goldie Hamilton says it’s a privilege when someone trusts you enough to open up about their anxiety. “That means we need to be able to give them the time and listen to what they’re saying, and be really compassionate and try and understand them and where they’re coming from,” she says. But if you are the main support person for someone with anxiety, you also need to look after your own wellbeing. “It’s really important if someone’s coming to you and asking for help, that you also consider your needs,” says Hamilton. “It’s fantastic that you want to help the other person, but you might also find that you need some support through that.” Support people say that at times they can feel helpless and overwhelmed. If you are supporting someone with a mental health disorder, you may find yourself carrying a heavy load. It may help to carve out some regular time for yourself to get out into nature or do an activity you enjoy. Support people are also advised to share the load by reaching out to whānau, friends, and mental health services such as those listed below. These services will be able to provide tips for supporting your loved one while also looking after yourself.

In the final episode, we look at hope for future treatments. The work being done to break down anxiety taboos. Although you may never completely get rid of your anxiety, living with it can become easier. “Sometimes I feel like I can have my anxiety sitting on my shoulder,” says Dr Terry Fleming, Associate Professor at Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington. “But it’s no longer right in front of my face any more.” Reaching out, getting professional help, having support people, using diaphragmatic breathing, trying progressive muscle relaxation techniques, and taking medication can all help. New advances in treatment are also being made all the time. We haven’t yet reached the peak of what we can do in terms of treatment and therapy, and Dr Apisalome Talemaitoga, Pasifika GP Network Chair, says innovations in using techniques such as medical micro-dosing may help. Clinical Psychologist Dr Lisa Reynolds says there is also potential for psychedelics to help people with anxiety. “The early research is promising,” she says. “A couple of studies were of particular interest to me. People with cancer were given a high dose of psilocybin, and that single experience seemed to have really compelling results. People who had been through the treatment reported significantly less anxiety, less fear of death and dying, less depression, and greater quality of life.” Treating anxiety with psilocybin – also known as “magic mushrooms” – might sound like the stuff of science fiction, but Reynolds says that in the USA, psilocybin and MDMA (commonly known as the drug “ecstasy”) have been classified by the Food and Drug Administration as breakthrough therapies. “They may be reclassified as a treatment in the next year or so,” she says. “And if that happens, New Zealand might follow.” While we wait for new advances in treatment, increasing openness and acceptance around mental health challenges is building. MP Matt Doocey, National Party spokesperson for mental health, says the increasing awareness of mental health is creating an environment where people feel more comfortable about asking for help. “We’ve got a young generation now who have a vocabulary to talk about mental health,” he says. “They’re more open to talking about their mental health needs, and they face less stigma coming forward.” Counsellor Shirleen Prasad reiterates the message that it’s okay not to be okay. “We all go through challenges in our lives, we all go through ups and downs,” she says. “Be kind to yourself, reach out, talk to someone about it – there is help out there. You’re not alone.” Unravelling Anxiety Producer Charlotte Wanhill says she hopes the series will help destigmatise anxiety and encourage people to speak more openly. “If we can open up the conversations around anxiety, and mental health in general, and give people a language and voice, perhaps we can then also change some of the inequities in the health system,” she says. Other people featured in the Unravelling Anxiety series also have positive messages of hope to share. “It’s good to talk about it”, “Take one day at a time”, and “Everything’s going to be okay”, are some of their words of wisdom. Mental Health Nurse Jenna Goldsworthy says, “Life can still be really, really good.”

We arrive at Robett’s hometown, Christchurch and visit his old neighbourhood and school.

After months of planning, we finally begin our Yes To Success Tour. Our first stop…Northland.

As we near the end of our North Island leg, we encounter a few hiccups on the road and present one of the more emotional talks we had at a school.

On one of our longest travel days, we visit a region where Robett’s whānau is from.

In the final leg of our tour, we experience a moment that truly solidified the importance of this mission. (FINAL)