Welcome Welcome to the Anxiety Disorders Association of Ontario
If you live with an anxiety condition you are not alone.
Anxiety conditions are prevalent and are experienced by people of all ages and all social, economic, cultural, and ethnic backgrounds. These people may be members of your family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, or people you pass on the street.
All research points to the fact that anxiety conditions can be managed and that people with anxiety conditions can live healthy, happy lives. It starts with you!
Your awareness and acceptance of anyone living with an anxiety condition will help remove the barriers that cause people to feel ashamed of their anxiety and not want to openly discuss their experiences or seek help.
The more we talk about anxiety conditions and open ourselves to new information the more likely people will be to seek appropriate treatment, talk about their anxiety with health professionals, and realize that it is okay to live with an anxiety condition.
Let people know that you are open to discussing these concerns. Speak out to make sure that the proper diagnosis and treatment of serious anxiety related issues are seen as important in your community. We're here to help.
ADAO News
Terminology
On our website you will see the term Disorder(s) replaced by the word Condition(s). At the ADAO we use the term condition because we are very aware of the stigmatizing effects that words such as disorder have had on individuals with mental health issues and in affecting
society's perception of mental health issues. The use of the term condition is meant to lessen the feelings of discrimination and stigmatization - external and internal - faced by people with anxiety while still acknowledging its serious and debilitating nature.
ADAO was incorporated as a non-profit organization in 1997, at a time when awareness about the stigmatizing effects of
labeling people with mental health challenges as “disordered” was growing. The term “disorder” was included in the name of the association, as it was the terminology still used by the majority of the general public and health professionals at that time. Despite the fact that ADAO uses the term “condition” to replace the word “disorder” in its literature and programming, the term “disorder” has remained a part of the association’s name, in large part due to public recognition of the association as the ADAO. ADAO continues to explore how the association’s name reflects its mission and as it grows, hopes to develop an identity that better reflects its values, the core of which are to reduce the stigmatization, internal and external, for individuals with anxiety.
