Anxiety encompasses a broad spectrum of conditions known as anxiety disorders which can make a persona overly worried or nervous. It is extremely common in the modern world and can include a range of symptoms that revolve around nervousness, panic attacks, unfounded or exaggerated fears and certain physical symptoms such as rapid heartbeat, sweating, diffuse chest pain and perceived difficulties with breathing.
Fortunately, while many people try to “tough it out” with their own anxiety problems and neglect professional treatment, this condition is highly treatable through a combination of a variety of therapies. Our anxiety specialist in Orange County helps individuals overcome their negative thoughts and worries to be able to carry on with their lives. As a CARF accredited residential mental health facility we can help you or a loved one overcome their anxiety.
Treatment for anxiety is often quite broad in that while many methods exist, each individual’s treatment plan might have to be customized to their specific needs. One fundamental thing to bear in mind is that while rare cases of anxiety can go away on their own or be dealt with without clinical intervention, you will absolutely have a much easier and more productive recovery if you seek specialist help. It can genuinely help clear up anxiety symptoms and make the recovery time far more manageable.
The treatment options for general anxiety and other variants usually include the following:
Medical treatments for anxiety won’t cure the different manifestations of this psychological condition and its variants, but they will usually help considerably with symptom and attack management while a more thorough behavioral/psychological treatment plan is being pursued. The kinds of medications often prescribed to help deal with specific symptoms include:
Anti-anxiety medications: The most common types of these medications are benzodiazepines, and they can help decrease the intensity of anxiety sensations, panic attacks and intense generalized worry. They ‘re not only rapidly effective but also well tolerated by most people. The adverse side of this tolerance is that it can increase to the point that these medications no longer work as well over time. For this reasons, healthcare providers try to taper dosages after only a short term of use for relief of intense symptoms.
Antidepressants: Antidepressants are often combined with anti-anxiety medications to slightly modify how well the brain uses certain chemicals that cause mood swings and stress reactions. Because anxiety often also causes depression or is augmented by it, antidepressants can be highly helpful. On the other hand, their effectiveness can take a certain while to build up, so you as a patient will need to be a bit patient.
Beta-blockers: This common medication for high blood pressure and certain physical tremor conditions also reduces the physical symptoms of anxiety by repressing arrhythmias, tremors, nervous twitches and the nervousness that comes with these sensations.
The most robust and long-lasting treatment plans for anxiety disorders of all kinds involve psychotherapy by a qualified and experienced professional. These treatments, done through counseling sessions over time will help you as a sufferer of anxiety in one form or another discover and deal with the specific triggers of your condition.
A mental health practitioner can use approaches such as cognitive behavioral therapy to help you find the patterns of behavior and life circumstances that cause anxious feelings. By doing this, coping mechanisms and modification strategies can be created to dissolve anxiety.
Another major psychiatric approach to handling anxiety is known as exposure therapy. This is particularly useful for social anxieties and phobias, and it involves slowly exposing a patient to increasing doses of the fear triggers that cause attacks. Exposure therapy in conjunction with relaxation exercises, medications for temporary relief and cognitive behavioral treatment can be highly effective against social anxieties, panic attacks, phobias and separation anxieties as well.
Anxiety is often nebulously described as if the condition was of only one type, but it’s not. Instead, several commonly recognized variants exist that can all have their own specific triggers and treatment options. These main types of anxiety include:
Each of these can be treated in certain general ways or with methods specific to its particular cause. Some of the above anxiety types can also evolve to produce effects that are in line with other types of anxiety.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is characterized by an exaggerated and excessive amount of worrying over day-to-day events in life for no particular reason. Individuals with symptoms will worry about things such as work, school, finances, health or family.
Panic Disorder involved unexpected and repeated episodes of intense fear or concern. These episodes include physical symptoms as well that can include chest pains, severe sweating, shortness of breath, dizziness, or abdominal pains.
Phobias are made up of irrational fears of something that poses no real danger or threat. There are a variety of specific phobias like acrophobia; fear of heights or claustrophobia; fear of enclosed spaces.
Sometimes referred to as social phobia, this type of anxiety disorder causes fear in social situations. Individuals with social anxiety disorder have trouble talking to others, meeting new people, or attending social gatherings.
Separation anxiety often occurs in children and their parents. It is a fear of being separated or abandoned from someone that the person is strongly attached to. This disorder is typically diagnosed when the feeling is inappropriate for one’s age. An individual with separation anxiety may frequently worry about certain loved ones, or refuse to not be near them.
The symptoms of anxiety disorders can vary considerably based on the variant that you’re suffering from, but some of their most common manifestations include:
Quite simply, anxiety can strike anyone at any time and for a number of different reasons. While many cases of anxiety are caused by specific contexts and can wane with changes in behavior or daily habits and environment, some people are at higher general risk due to several factors. These include:
It’s worth repeating that aside from the above range of risk factors, almost anyone can suffer anxiety at one time or another in their life for a whole range of reasons, even if they’ve never previously faced this condition. This applies especially for people placed under unforeseen stresses that break the normal rhythm of their lives.
Anxiety disorders often cause enormous harm to their sufferers specifically because they go undiagnosed and untreated, but not because their progression was unstoppable. If you find yourself suffering from levels of anxiety that interfere with daily activity, life plans and how good you feel about life, getting help for your condition can dramatically reduce how much harm it ends up doing.
The professional support and treatment options available at First Light Recovery can offer a range of solutions that address even highly complex anxiety-related needs in individuals. Consulting with a professional mental health provider is a powerful first step towards recovery.
Dr. Randall Turner received his medical degree from TUNCOM in Nevada and completed his Psychiatry Residency training at Loma Linda University. He’s board-certified in Psychiatry and also in Addiction Medicine by the American Board of Preventive Medicine.
He and his practice provide services to hospitals and institutions all over California. He has extensive experience with varied populations, including in geriatric psychiatry and addiction medicine. Every day, he strives to thoroughly understand human psychology and psychopathology with the hope of relieving suffering and fostering the growth of those he treats.
*The information provided on this website is for general informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical, psychiatric, or behavioral health advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical, psychiatric, or behavioral health condition.
*Never disregard professional medical or psychiatric advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. Reliance on any information provided on this website is solely at your own risk. This website does not recommend or endorse any specific treatment, medication, insurance, modality, test, physician, laboratory, product, procedure, opinion, or other information that may be mentioned on this website. The content of this website is subject to change without notice.
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