EXCEEDS EXPECTATIONS, SO WHY THE RESERVATIONS? RECOGNIZING THE SIGNS OF HIGH-FUNCTIONING ANXIETY IN YOUR WORKPLACE, AND HOW TO HELP THOSE WHO NEED IT. Ian Dembling, FVMA Communications Specialist Introduction You may have someone working at your practice whom you admire for their work ethic, their punctuality, even their overenthusiasm about mundane job responsibilities. Secretly, however, this employee is struggling to accept his/herself, or the job s/he is doing as “good enough.” This person is overwhelmed by the continuous workload management puts on him/her every day, while, at the same time, is fearful of how “well-liked” s/he is by those same managers. This employee could be struggling with high-functioning anxiety, and, whether you realize it or not, it’s severely affecting his/her life, both at work, and once s/he clocks out for the day.
Our mission
As a nonprofit organization aimed at assisting those in the veterinary profession, we here at the FVMA make an effort to spotlight issues regarding mental health, wellness and well-being. Our goal is to educate and protect those in this business from burning out, and provide resources to help them be successful in their veterinary careers. It’s important to remember mental health issues are unseen battles. Your employees and coworkers may be making a vigorous effort to hide their emotions in order to not appear weak or incapable – an added burden in an already intense profession.
High-functioning anxiety
High-functioning anxiety is not a “real” medical diagnosis, but a self-appointed term. According to psychiatric professors and members of the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, this undiagnosed condition may exist because those with high-functioning anxiety are too anxious to receive an official diagnosis. A recent report from the ADAA estimates that 15 million Americans (about 6.8 percent of the U.S. population) have a social anxiety disorder (SAD). Another survey from the ADAA found that 36% of those with social anxiety refused to
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seek help, despite struggling with these symptoms for 10 or more years. Often, those with high-functioning anxiety "grin and bear it," while their mental health goes untreated. This propensity to hide the issue can lead to it going unrecognized even by family, friends, and, most especially, bosses. If someone in your office struggles with high-functioning anxiety, understand that whenever you show dissatisfaction on an assigned task, this employee is likely living with an unrelenting dread that you believe s/he is "incompetent" or "weak".
It’s affecting the veterinary profession each day
Veterinarians and staff members alike feel the effects of highfunctioning anxiety the most when plans go off course. This used to be a common problem for the FVMA's Professional Wellness and Well-being Committee Chair, Dr. Phillip Richmond. “I had explanations in my mind about how it might all end up – with me losing my job by the end of my brain’s mental gymnastics routine,” he says. “Sometimes, I just couldn’t get a case, or something someone said, out of my head. This would often lead to me not being able to be fully present, which in turn led to more opportunities for my irrational thinking to take hold.” As more and more professionals in the veterinary field began openly expressing these concerns, the FVMA and AVMA began offering resources for those struggling in the veterinary profession. The FVMA now has an entire section on our website (www. fvma.org) dedicated to providing resources for those struggling with a mental health condition. We also work to add a mental health article, such as this one, in each issue of The Advocate. If you would like to contribute, or share a personal experience you
