Viewers of the popular and somewhat controversial MTV series Jersey Shore know that one of its stars, Vinny Guadagnino, left the Jersey Shore house recently to concentrate on taking care of his emotional health. What many viewers may not know is that Vinny has suffered from clinical anxiety since he was a child and has had to work hard to manage these issues since he was a teenager.

Why did Vinny choose to leave the Jersey Shore house? In his own words, Vinny tells us as he opens up about dealing with anxiety and stress in a video broadcast on vinny.halfofus.com.

• Vinny started having anxiety and panic attacks at a young age, especially in high school. That’s when he really started having bad panic attacks. "They came out of nowhere. There’s nothing really to pinpoint it, when it happens. It can be all in your subconscious."
• How anxiety mounts up. "When my anxiety starts to interfere with my job, my school, things that I do in my everyday life, then it starts to become a problem. One of your resources is to actually remove yourself from the situation at hand.
• Why he left Jersey Shore. "I was on the Jersey Shore and it’s a terrible environment for me to be involved in when I’m anxious because there’s drinking involved, there’s fighting involved, lack of sleep, lack of privacy and it’s just not a good place for me. So, in order for me to get better, I had to go home and recharge my batteries."
• "We’re in a pretty crazy environment when we film. I feel bad for my roommates, for any inconvenience that I caused them. They really didn’t have that many resources to help me when I was filming the show.
• Advice for dealing with anxiety or stress. "The advice that I have for someone dealing with anxiety or stress is to definitely get help, just to say something to somebody, whether it’s your sister, your brother, a friend, your mother, a therapist. It doesn’t have to be that extreme. You have to just speak up so, in case the problem ever does become manifest and gets worse, you have already laid down the foundation and people already are aware. You’re on their radar that something’s not right.
• What about a friend who may be dealing with anxiety? "I would definitely recommend help for your friend. Maybe the person dealing with anxiety doesn’t want to go to a professional, or is embarrassed to see a therapist or to open up about it. I would be a support system for that friend that’s going through anxiety. Be there for them, but also help them. Maybe go through their insurance book with them and look up therapists or say, ‘You know what, I hear that there’s school counselors around that can help you.’ Because a lot of times, the anxious person or the depressed person has no drive or motivation themselves, so the best advice I can give for someone that’s a bystander is to do the work for the anxious person, just so the anxious person just has to walk through the door."
• Go to vinny.halfofus.com for phone numbers you can call, people that can give advice. "It doesn’t have to be so extreme. No one has to be on a ledge in order to seek help. Just ask a professional or someone around you. Just speaking up is the hardest part."

Anxiety Disorders are Common

You may feel like you’re alone in this situation, but the facts are otherwise. Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the United States. They frequently co-occur with depressive disorders, substance abuse, or eating disorders.

Approximately 5 to 10 percent of the U.S. population has one or more phobias. Research shows that people with phobias, particularly social phobias, may also exhibit problems with substance abuse. Many individuals with social phobias become so anxious that they also experience panic attacks as well.

Between 2 and 3 percent of Americans, approximately 6 to 9 million, have obsessive-compulsive disorder, also called OCD.

Panic disorder typically develops in the late teens or early adulthood. But not everyone who experiences panic attacks will later develop panic disorder. Many individuals have a single panic attack and never have another one.

Individuals who suffer post-traumatic-stress disorder (PTSD) may have flashbacks that are so strong they feel as if they are reliving the traumatic event.

What to Watch for with Anxiety Disorders

While everyone feels anxious at some time or another, when anxiety takes over your life and begins interfering with it, as it did with Vinny of Jersey Shore, you need to be aware of the warning signs so that you can get help to do something about your anxiety.

Watch out for:

• Excessive worry with an inability to control it
• Intense episodes of fear or panic
• Recurring nightmares
• Avoidance of social situations
• Difficulty concentrating
• Repeated, unwanted thoughts (obsessions)
• Sleep disturbances
• Upsetting and intrusive memories of a traumatic event
• Physical symptoms, such as nausea, rapid heart rate, stomach pain, muscle tension, sweating, shaking, dizziness, numbness, or difficulty breathing

Questions to Ask Yourself

One way to test yourself to see if you are dealing with high anxiety is to ask yourself the following questions:

• Have you found yourself in situations where you felt more anxious than usual?
• Have you been feeling sad, tired, blue or depressed lately?
• Have you had difficulty managing stress in your daily life?
• Have you ever felt as though you should cut down on your use of alcohol or drugs, whether prescription or illegal)?
• Over the past couple of weeks, have you ever felt bad about yourself, like you’ve let somebody down or that you are a failure?
• Over the past couple of weeks, have you ever felt as if you had a hard time concentrating, or that your thoughts came out slow or jumbled up?
• Have you noticed recent changes in your mood, interests, sleep patterns, or eating habits?

If you answered yes to several of these questions, you may have one or more problems that you could use help dealing with.

For more information and help, check out the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) by calling 1-800-950-NAMI or go to their www.nami.org/.

There’s also the www.adaa.org/.

Bottom line: Don’t suffer with anxiety, depression, or any other mental health disorder that’s taking over your life. Speak up and ask for help. You can learn how to effectively manage these conditions so that you can go on living your life and be happier and more self-fulfilled.

Start by talking with someone you know and who cares about you. Let them know how you are feeling and ask for their assistance in finding some help for you. Don’t think about it as a big thing. Just do it. The road to recovery and feeling better about yourself and your life begins with taking this first step. And it’s a step that’s well worth taking.

As Vinny’s experience shows us, sometimes you just have to leave a stressful situation and concentrate on taking care of your emotional health. But you don’t do this alone. Get the help you need, whether it’s from a therapist that your family doctor recommends or through a school counselor or other referring professional. Just do it, and do it today.

About The Half of Us Campaign

Launched in 2006 by The Jed Foundation and mtvU, MTV’s college network, The Half of Us campaign seeks to raise awareness and reduce stigma around emotional health issues and to encourage individuals to seek help if they need it. The campaign tells stories of high-profile artists and celebrities, like Mary J. Blige, who came back from alcohol, drugs, depression and the brink of suicide, Billy Corgan, of Smashing Pumpkins, who overcame anxiety, depression, cutting, childhood abuse and contemplating suicide, Ron Artest, NBA Laker who got treatment to deal with his depression, and Pete Wentz, musician, who learned how to deal with anxiety, depression, and thoughts of suicide, along with those of college students across the country.

To learn more about The Half of Us campaign, go to www.halfofus.com.