Since his first panic attack this past summer, the charismatic host of CITY-TV’s Breakfast Television has opened a public dialogue on mood disorders and mental health and, by identifying himself as a patient, is working to reduce the stigma that keeps many others from seeking help.

“I was amazed by the support available to me. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I spoke about having panic attacks but I have been overwhelmed by the response,” Mr. Frankish said. “Thousands, literally thousands, of emails have come in and a lot of these people also have anxiety. Some have other mood disorders, some are just offering their support. It was great to know I’m not alone — in fact, I’m among friends.”

Among friends was not at all how Mr. Frankish felt when the anxiety first seized him. Paranoid, is how he describes the first wave, followed by a sudden difficulty breathing and then an overwhelming urge to leave the building.

So he did.

Broadcasting live at the time, the television host’s easy banter broke for just a moment before he casually cued up a commercial break and walked off the set, leaving stunned co-hosts and production staff scrambling to continue with the show and at a loss to figure out what just happened.

“I didn’t know what was happening,” Mr. Frankish explains. “I thought it was something related to stress and, after my doctor ran tests to rule out other possibilities, I was diagnosed with panic.”

With more than 2.6 million Canadians suffering from mental illness, Mr. Frankish is definitely not alone, though, with less than a third of these seeking diagnosis and treatment, his openness about the matter puts him in a very slim minority.

By definition, mental illness affects a person’s ability to function effectively: Disturbances in mood, thinking or behaviour limit the individual’s capacity to cope with the people or circumstances around them and the frustration often perpetuates further decline. In the worst cases, decline can result in much more serious psychotic disorders and they are too often not diagnosed or offered treatment until the
behaviour brings them into conflict with the law.

The associations with homelessness, persistent unemployment, violence, patterns of failed relationships and families, drug and alcohol abuse make it hardly surprising the overwhelming majority of people suffering the symptoms of depression, anxiety, traumatic stress or bipolar disorders simply refuse to accept there is a problem. And at the onset of symptoms it usually isn’t a big problem.

Like any disease though, with mental illness there is always the potential for things to get worse and those who choose to tough it out in the hope it will fix itself are at the greatest risk of greater suffering.

Changes in behaviour, such as drug or alcohol use, risk-taking, over-spending or gambling, are common forms of self-medication for people experiencing symptoms of mental illness, who feel cheered up by the break in their routine. As fundamentally self-destructive acts however, these changes are not only cues to underlying problems but, unchecked, may work toward worsening the condition as compromised health, family or financial circumstances put additional stress on the individual and further undermine the ability to cope.

“People shy away from mental illness,” Mr. Frankish said. “There’s these ideas that you’re some crazy; that you’re dangerous or unstable. People need to recognize the legitimacy of these problems. They are very real diseases and we need to respect that.
“No one thinks twice about saying they have a cold or a broken leg, but when it comes to problems of the mind, we’re ashamed. We’re afraid of what other people will think; we’re afraid of being weak, or being a failure. People need to know it’s OK to ask for help and the people around them need to support their treatment.”

Anxiety is classified as a mood disorder and is divided into sub-categories for diagnosis. All are associated with the normal responses the body has to a fearful situation, such as sweating, racing heart, shortness of breath or light-headedness, except occurring in situations where there is no reasonable cause for distress. When this response is triggered by everyday situations or events it is referred to as a generalized anxiety disorder. Where persistent or excessive fear occurs in relation to a specific object or activity, such as with an animal or in otherwise safe high places, it is a phobia.

When anxiety is accompanied by flashbacks to a traumatic event in the past, this is post-traumatic stress disorder and is usually accompanied by increased agitation and avoidance of people or places reminiscent of the original event.

Panic can be associated with any of these but is differentiated by the intensity of the physical symptoms, with the patient often fearing death as a result. Similarly, the attack itself tends to become a source of anxiety as the patient worries about its implications or consequences.

Because of this, patients suffering panic are the most likely to be diagnosed in a timely manner, giving them the greatest opportunity to manage their symptoms.
According to Mr. Frankish, his early diagnosis has made it possible for him to deal with his illness on his own terms.

“I have attacks every day, but I dig in against them. I let it happen. It’s a chemical reaction so I can’t stop them, but the feeling will go away so I don’t surrender when it happens.

“I started with some medications, (when originally diagnosed) which worked as a good short-term fix while I got myself together, but it wasn’t something I wanted to keep doing. I think, for severe cases, meds are an important part of being able to control the reflexes. For me though, it wasn’t that bad and I’m not a take-a-pill guy.

“I’m fighting this with attitude: I see the good in everything.”

Seeing the good is a significant step for any mental health patient, especially so as depression: on its own, in conjunction with a bipolar disorder or in combination with anxiety, is an all too common feeling.

Sometimes, depression is a normal and expected response to a difficulty in our lives. Losing a job or a loved one, having conflict with family or work associates, or enduring financial setbacks: all of these can cause normal levels of depression. Seasonal affectedness, brought on by a lack of a sunlight, short-term trauma after a sudden event, such as a car accident or a near-miss, as well as postpartum depression after the birth of a child are other occasions where having a bout of the blues is not considered unusual.

Depression becomes clinical however, when it persists to the point where there is interference with day-to-day living or self-medication is undertaken to make day-to-day living manageable.

While not considered a mental illness in itself, suicide — the ultimate act of self-destruction — claims the life of almost 4,000 Canadians every year and, totalling 24 per cent of those lost in this age range, is the number one cause of death among people 16 to 24 years of age.

According to the Mood Disorders Society, the average mental health patient will suffer as long as eight years before proper diagnosis and visit three to four counsellors before an effective treatment strategy is established.

For people who struggle day-to-day, often denying and hiding their own symptoms, the wait is a minefield on a downhill slope.

“I can’t blame the doctors,” said Mr. Frankish. “I know they are overloaded but we’ve got to get past just treating symptoms. Most of the things that go wrong, whether it’s a mental illness or something like heart disease, so much ties into our stress. That’s what we need to be looking at. That’s what’s real. That’s what we need to be treating.
“People need to start stepping up, looking past the stigmas, looking past the diseases even, and get to the causes.

“My doctor isn’t a take-a-pill guy either and totally respects my choice to see a homeopathic doctor. I have massage and get acupuncture to help manage my stress better. Exercise is the best stress buster. Good food, plenty of sleep ... it all adds up to feeling better, thinking clearer and managing better.

“I also have a very supportive wife. Beth has been terrific. She was worried at first, of course, but has been right there and it’s made all the difference.

“If everyone had that kind of support, that lack of fear of judgement, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”