Treating Anxiety Disorders
Consult a psychiatrist if your anxiety is persistent and interferes with your daily routine. Psychologists focus on psychotherapy and might be capable of prescribing medication, while psychiatrists are medical doctors who specialize in treating mental health issues.
Counseling, medications and other treatments can help ease your symptoms and help you manage your anxiety. You can also find ways to cope, like learning stress management techniques or joining support groups (in person and online).
Medication
Anxiety disorders can be treated with psychotherapy (talk-therapy), medication, or a combination. Talk therapy helps people cope better with their anxieties and reduce symptoms. People can also improve their mood by regularly exercising, sleeping enough and applying stress management techniques. The medications can reduce the severity of anxiety and make the other treatments more effective.
Anxiety disorders are at risk of developing other mental health conditions, including depression. The symptoms of depression and anxiety often overlap, so it's crucial to treat simultaneously. A doctor who specializes in treating mental illness (a psychiatrist) can diagnose anxiety and prescribe medications to ease the symptoms.
A person's risk of having anxiety disorders is increased by certain life experiences and inherited traits. Traumas, such as war or a car accident can trigger an anxiety disorder in certain people. Anxiety disorders can be caused by chronic illnesses or care for others. An anxiety disorder can be caused by addiction to drugs including alcohol and illicit drugs.
The most effective treatment option for most anxiety disorders is an antidepressant. Numerous clinical studies have demonstrated that modern antidepressants, called SNRIs or SSRIs, such as duloxetine and escitalopram, (Cymbalta) and escitalopram as well as (Lexapro), are effective. Benzodiazepines like diazepam (Valium) are frequently used to reduce anxiety. They aren't typically prescribed for more than four weeks due to the possibility of becoming addictive and stop working well.
Beta-blockers, such as propranolol or atenolol can be used to treat anxiety. They lower blood pressure and heart rates. Anticonvulsants, such as levothyroxine (Levothyrix) can help control the tremors. The use of low doses of antipsychotics like buspirone (BuSpar), can be helpful for people who have physical symptoms of anxiety such as a rapid heartbeat or sweating.
Certain sedatives, such as clonazepam (Klonopin) are only able to be obtained by prescription. Some people with severe anxiety take monoamine oxidase inhibits, such as Anxair (moclobemide).
Psychotherapy
While it's normal for children to feel some anxiety or anxiety at times, their emotions shouldn't affect their everyday lives or cause them to avoid school, friends and family. Anxiety disorders can cause extreme depression or other mental health problems that affect the quality of life of a person. Patients suffering from these disorders typically need psychotherapy (counseling) as well as medication to treat their symptoms.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is the most commonly used psychotherapy for anxiety disorders. It assists you in changing the patterns of thinking that trigger anxiety. Your therapist will guide you learn relaxation techniques and find ways to cope when you feel negative emotions. Exposure therapy is also used to gradually expose you situations that trigger anxiety. This is accomplished by creating a list of your triggers and ranking them according to their intensity and gradually exposing you to them using a technique known as systematic desensitization.
Your therapist will teach you how to challenge irrational thoughts and expectations. They'll help you learn how to test your beliefs about yourself by performing experiments, weighing up the advantages and disadvantages of avoiding or worrying about, and determining the realistic likelihood that something bad could occur.
Psychiatrists may prescribe short-term and long-term medications to treat anxiety disorders. Antidepressants, like buspirone and SSRIs can aid in the treatment of various forms of anxiety by altering chemicals in the brain that regulate mood. Benzodiazepines, such as diazepam and lorazepam are helpful in promoting relaxation of muscles and calming the mind. SNRIs, including Venlafaxine, can ease anxiety by increasing serotonin and norepinephrine levels inside the brain.
Psychiatrists will be able to monitor your symptoms, answer any questions and make changes to your treatment plan if required. Depending on the severity of your condition it could take a while for you to recover. It is possible to test various therapists and a range of different treatments before you can find one that is effective for you. To see results, it's important to adhere to your treatment plan. The longer you delay seeking help, the more severe your symptoms could become.
Therapy for interpersonal relationships
Interpersonal therapy is a kind of short-term psychotherapy that focuses primarily on solving interpersonal issues. It typically requires 12-16 sessions to be completed. It has been proven empirically to reduce anxiety and depression symptoms. Additionally, it has been shown to be effective in the treatment of comorbid depression and PTSD. It can also be helpful in addressing social and work-related difficulties in people with PTSD.
The initial three sessions are devoted to collecting information and identifying issues. The therapist may assist you in creating an inventory of your most important relationships. The therapist will then assist you in determining the most problematic areas based on your requirements and the potential for improvement. In the middle sessions (4 - 14), you will work with your therapist to come up with solutions for each of these areas of concern. Then, you will apply the new strategies in your everyday life in between sessions.
IPT's most important feature is that it frames the patient's health issues as a medical condition, not as a flaw in character. This helps patients to release their self-doubt and guilt. It can also help patients realize that their symptoms are the result of the combination of their current circumstances and medical conditions.
Choose a therapist who is licensed and specialized in the condition you're dealing with. Research the therapist's training and experience. You can also ask other doctors for recommendations. Make sure you and your therapist are on same page about the goals of the sessions before starting therapy. For example, you might be looking to improve your interpersonal skills or overcome your fears of intimacy.
Self-help
Anxiety is a normal response to some stressful events, but it becomes a disorder when it is so intense that it is a problem with your daily routine. Many people suffering from anxiety disorders require psychotherapy and medication to heal. But a few self-help techniques can ease symptoms and make them easier to live with. Breathing exercises and relaxation, for example can slow your heart rate and calm you. Try to do these exercises at least once a week, paying attention to how your body feels when you breathe in and out. Identifying negative thoughts and replacing them with positive ones can help to reduce anxiety.
Changing your diet and getting regular exercise can help you feel better. You can reduce your intake of nicotine, caffeine, and alcohol, which can aggravate or trigger anxiety. Regular exercise relieves tension and stimulates the brain to produce serotonin. This chemical is believed to boost mood. Take 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise each week.
There are many ways to find self-help for anxiety, including self-help books, support groups and online resources. Some of these resources provide a range of tasks that can be completed at home, such as identifying the triggers of your anxiety and learning to challenge your anxious thoughts. Some also require face-to-face meetings with therapists and others who are experiencing the same issues.
Psychological interventions are the most effective treatment for anxiety disorders, and they include cognitive behavioural therapy which assists you in changing the patterns of thinking that cause anxiety; exposure therapy, which is where you gradually confront the situations such as people, objects, or objects that trigger your anxiety; and other complementary health methods such as breathing exercises, meditation, and a sense of relaxation. These techniques can be utilized in conjunction with medications.
Some people require a consultation with a physician in order to determine if they have medical conditions that could be the source of anxiety. Then, disorders anxiety can begin treatment. Anxiety disorders can be crippling and can be a problem with school, work and social activities. They can also lead to depression, which is linked with a high risk of suicide. People who do not seek treatment for their symptoms have a higher risk of them developing into a more severe mental health problem.