A Documentary About Anxiety Comes to East

East’s PTSA will be hosting a free screening of a short documentary called “Angst” in the auditorium on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

“Angst” is an IndieFlix Original film created with the goal of global conversation and to raise awareness about anxiety. The documentary is 56 minutes long and features candid interviews with kids and young adults who suffer from, or have previously suffered from anxiety and what they’ve learned about it.

“Angst” is being brought to East after a PTSA member saw a segment about it on the TODAY Show and thought it could make an impact on the community. A grant was provided by an East family to show the film to our school.

“I hope that ‘Angst’ will help everyone understand that there are students — people for that matter — they come in contact with everyday who are suffering from this,” PTSA President Sarah Stapp said. “It could be themselves, it might be friends, or it could just be classmates that they aren’t necessarily friends with.”

According to a poll with 130 responses, 47.3 percent of all students are diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, while anxiety affects 71.5 percent of all students at East. Someone who doesn’t know the signs wouldn’t be able to immediately recognize someone with anxiety, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. “Angst” was produced to help people learn more about anxiety and how it affects people.

“Fear and anxiety are a natural part of the human experience,” psychologist Dr. Amy Jacobsen said. “Anxiety motivates us to study for exams and to look both ways before crossing the street. It becomes a disorder when the alarm is overworking and alerting us in excessive ways.”

Mary Sinclair, a SMSD school board member wrote in a FaceBook post that “Angst” addresses “what is normal and what is not.”

“‘Angst’ discusses symptoms and how to deal with anxiety as an individual, as a friend, as a classmate, parent, sibling and teacher,” Sinclair said. “Its message is powerful and uplifting and most of all, hopeful.”

Senior Isa Fimbres was diagnosed during her sophomore year with anxiety. Her anxiety made doing everyday things like presenting in class and talking to people a challenge.

“It’s really important to talk about anxiety to make people feel like they’re not alone and to make it known that you’re not alone and there are people struggling just like you are,” Fimbres said. “Holding it inside and hiding it will only make it worse.”

The “Angst” website’s slogan is “Anxiety isn’t cool, but talking about it is,” which is why a panel is held to discuss the film after each screening nationwide. Jacobsen and Dr. Ashley Smith, specialists in child anxiety disorders, will be leading a question and answer session at East after the film. East’s social workers, Elizabeth Kennedy and Emily MacNaughton, will also be present and answering questions during the panel.

“This is a hugely important topic because anxiety disorders are the most common and pervasive psychiatric disorders in the United States,” Jacobsen said. “Only about one-third of those suffering from an anxiety disorder receive treatment, despite the disorders being highly treatable.”

Stapp and Principal McKinney both hope parents and students can get a better understanding of anxiety and what it is by watching the film.

“It really helps everyone to understand what it’s like and how to treat it. And that it is hopeful and there is treatment. People can get better,” Stapp said.

Two to three screenings of “Angst” are shown around the country on a daily basis. Currently the film is only available offline for community screenings in schools, clubs and corporations around the world.

“I honestly didn’t have as good of an understanding of what anxiety is as I thought I did,” McKinney said. “If someone asked me before I saw the film if I understood what anxiety was I would’ve said absolutely, but now after watching the film I think I have a better understanding of not just what it is, but what it does.”