Ultimately I fear that the author has completely missed the point of the Beyond Blue Anxiety video.

A. It was never meant to be viewed in isolation. Rather it is to be viewed as part of the larger campaign. There are a lot of fact sheets, testimonials and general and in-depth information given on the Beyond Blue website that the video is tied directly to.

B. It is easier to see something happening when it is not happening to you. The Anxiety video shows anxiety as something external, a threat from outside that can be dealt with instead of something internal that must be suffered through. By giving anxiety a face you give the sufferer something tangible to fight against.

C. It's a hook. The style of the video is designed to draw the audience in. You want to know who this mysterious man is, what he wants. Mendelsohn does a fantastic job of being threatening, cold and callous while just sitting there. I doubt that anyone who has experienced anxiety, if it were a real person, would say that ‘he’ is any different. It leads you on, leads you to the end where you are directed to Beyond Blue.

Ultimately, it is a great video doing a great job. The job it was designed to do, get you to the Beyond Blue website and its Anxiety campaign and information. Is it patronising? I don't believe so. Simplistic? Yes, but on purpose.

'we may unnecessarily sweat the small stuff' - may I suggest that my own sweating of the small stuff, the tiny stuff, is so I can ignore the big big stuff.
As you say 'It's counterproductive to seek to mask fear in denial, with the defence mechanisms of alcohol drugs gambling and overconsumption' - I have just eaten an entire packet of biscuits and had 4 slices of toast with jam (the ultimate comfort food) because it is Mothers Day which always depresses the hell out of me.
Whatever could Beyond Blue Jeff do to free me? tell me to exercise?
what a complete wank beyond blue is.