ANXIETY TREATMENT
It’s normal to feel anxious now and then, however, If an individual experiences ongoing anxiety, it may be due to one of a variety of different types of anxiety disorders.
In this article, we will explore the various types of anxiety disorders and anxiety treatment available.
Anxiety Treatment
When our lives are interrupted by unexpected events, such as the loss of a job, medical bills, or other problems we cannot prepare for, it is natural to feel anxious. Once the issue is resolved, the anxiety subsides.
For some, however, anxiety lingers, even when there is no specific reason. Millions of people worldwide are coping with unwanted anxiety that seems to have no source, but no matter what they do, it won’t go away on its own.
The anxiety may even be interfering with personal relationships and daily routines. Some may feel a constant nervous feeling; others may not attend school or work when they are overwhelmed with anxiety. From specific phobias to post-traumatic stress disorder, each person’s anxiety treatment will vary.
At our Mental Health Center, we individualize treatment based on your symptoms. First, we develop an accurate diagnosis. We do this because there are multiple forms of anxiety disorders. The most common are listed below.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
If you feel tense or on-edge much of the time, this could be a symptom of generalized anxiety disorder. Your life may be going great. You have a great job, no significant family issues and are in good health overall. However, you can’t seem to stop yourself from worrying about all of these.
You may even find yourself worrying about problems that have not even happened yet. The mere potential of a problem causes you stress. Friends and family claim you worry too much. You may agree with them but are not sure how to stop.
Your generalized anxiety can interfere with your sleep, energy levels, memory, concentration, and regulated moods without help.
Social-Related Anxiety
Multiple types of anxiety have a social element attached. Some fear leaving home altogether. Others fear interacting with people. Distinguishing between them is critical.
Panic
Some mental health professionals refer to them as panic attacks; some call it a panic disorder. The definition is the same; a sudden onset of extreme fear, causing you to feel overwhelmed and panicked because you are not sure how to eliminate the state of anxiety.
Panic attacks can last for minutes to much longer and can be triggered or happen for no apparent reason.
Symptoms include your heart racing, pacing, sweating, shaking, shortness of breath, lightheadedness or dizziness, and feeling out of control. Some people may even think they have a heart attack.
For most, the fear of having another panic attack becomes a more significant issue than the attack itself. Worrying about when and where the next episode will occur can be very stressful, leading to social-related anxiety disorders, like the ones below.
Social Anxiety
Being nervous when entering social situations or performing in a social setting can be expected. It is those initial butterflies or signs of nervousness we feel that are common. But those should fade away once you adapt to the social function. For example, you get nervous before giving a speech at a wedding. But once you start the speech, your worries subside.
With social anxiety, those butterflies do not subside. They may prevent you from attending the function altogether because they are overwhelming. For some, symptoms can lead to agoraphobia.
Agoraphobia
Everyone has comfort zones and discomfort zones. If you have agoraphobia, you fear the discomfort zones, which can include crowds at shopping centers, driving or riding in a car, elevators or confined spaces, or simply being away from your comfort zone.
Agoraphobia typically means you fear being unable to control your anxiety symptoms in places that are outside your comfort zone.
Separation Anxiety
Social anxiety does not always refer to a place; it can also be directly connected to a person with whom you are attached. You worry that something terrible may happen to you or the one you love if you are apart. The fear of being apart can lead to nightmares, physical discomfort like nausea, and the inability to be alone.
Phobias
If you worry excessively about the harm a specific object, person, or place can cause, you may have a phobia. To be considered a phobia, your anxiety is extreme and often unrealistic. For example, some people may have a phobia of snakes, even those in a cage and unable to cause harm. They fear snakes so bad that just the thought of viewing them at a zoo will cause extreme anxiety.
A few common phobias can include flying on airplanes, needles, blood, spiders, water, and thunderstorms.
How We Treat Anxiety
We take an individualized approach to treating anxiety. First, we determine the cause of your stress.
What Is The Cause of Your Anxiety?
Anxiety can derive from one or multiple sources. One cause can be genetics or if your family has a history of mental illnesses, specifically anxiety. Another cause is your lifestyle. Are you using drugs and alcohol, both of which can lead to stress-related issues? Are you living in a stressful environment? Are you struggling with finances, relationships, or in other areas of your life?
Further, we evaluate you to see if you have medical conditions that can cause anxiety. For example, Lyme disease is known to cause negative mental health symptoms. We also consider brain chemistry and chemicals that may be out of balance.
For all of these, we have treatments to help ease your symptoms of anxiety.
Develop a Treatment Plan
You will be given a diagnosis based on your symptoms. Then, your treatment plan will be created by our staff with your input. We have many treatment options that can be used alone or together, depending on your needs.
Anti-anxiety medications are available on a temporary or long-term basis. Medications are designed to relieve symptoms so that you can benefit from additional therapies like individual and group therapy. Symptom-specific treatments can help with stress reduction, mindfulness, regulation of emotions, and improving interpersonal skills.
One of the best features of our anxiety treatment is that you can start online by participating in virtual evaluation and therapy. And you can start today.