For what it tries to do, as an informative piece on the so-called disease of the century and the many different similar aspects of it all and how such thin line between anxiety, depression and other mental disorders are, this is a quite watchable piece. Yet it could never be the ultimate thing, and I'm not even sure if anything can be except if some company like Netflix or similar can tackle the issue with time and efficiency needed - miniseries format with all the key details required to deal with particularity of those situations (won't use the word 'problem' is there are unique qualities to comes with it that the average joe wouldn't face, wouldn't want to live with it yet the most anxious of see find some light at the end of the tunnel due to a different perspective).

Obvious that a 50-something-minute piece wouldn't be able to cover the problems faced by the few anonymouys sufferers they interview (neither I was sympathetic with some of their portrayals), the doctors and even the investigative journalist who noticed a key detail related to a drug company and its PR team wanting to inject stuff on the news in order to push their medicine down (apparently, as the doc says, it's not illegal to do that).

It's obvious that many issues will be glossed over about anxiety, depression and similar, as we're doomed to never have a full closure on the mysteries of the human brain. But they try some hard issues about the evolution of how anxiety was perceived and how it was later on dealt with the booming of medicine and loobying on symptoms that can be given to small disorders, momentary issues or things that you were born with it and qualify in as either just anxiety, depression over grief, or the pathology as the most extreme, and how everything is put on scales and charts which makes it difficult when doctors can prescribe different drugs on similar scenarios - based on what? Lobby (watch "Love & Other Drugs" for a small input).

But there's little talk about what (or could) work outside of the pharmaceutical lobby control and lack of regulations. A deeper input on those who seek help through religion and claim there's cure; those who seek medical treatment and maybe just some conversation helps, with little use of medicine; or the ones seeking through alternative medicine (or harming themselves with alcohol and drugs); or the ones you don't see on media who endure the pain, wheter physical or mindful, go through daily routines and daily relations, suffer, don't feel any alternatives helpful and (surprise) survive. Also a neglect from the piece, who the anxious or depressed folks has a helpful safety net: family, friends, therapists, online folks. I'm glad some other voyager finds that resilience and "be a man and chill up" attitude solves everything. It doesn't. A lone sufferer is only a helpful one if truly believing in that; anxiety and depression relates to the very opposite of that: "I'm alone and powerless as there are thousand of other people and issues to be considered and I'm never sure if I can deal with everyone and everything, with my mind and body accepting it or not". And let's face it: this was done before the pandemic, the most unpredictable event of recent times that shook things up, even to the ones who always had those strong and unshaken mindset that "anxiety/depression is for the weak". It can hit anyone with any reason.

Though a not complete take on any of the situations and stories presented, which includes a pretentious Woody Allenesque/"My Dinner with Andre" with some New Yorkers having a dinner table that revolved on anxiety (so cut it's hard to understand why everybody's so happy about such a dark issue), I still find a somewhat decent doc about the topic as it brings certain aspects to light - though not hopeful ones and it's a very distressing film.

But for those wanting a close physical and mindful experience I recommend William Styron's own story through his memoir "Darkness Visible" and how an apparent little anxiety took over him while planning a trip later evolved to a depression case and how he dealt with everything. It's an amazingly sad look back he does, but when empathy for his story grows, you know that you're feeling something and all those painful anxious/depressed ordeals is something you wouldn't wish to your worst enemy. 6/10.