Everyone feels anxious from time to time – it’s normal to feel nervous about a job interview or medical test. But it’s important to seek treatment if your fear and anxiety are persistent and extreme and interfere with your daily life.
Treatments for anxiety disorders include psychological counseling and medication. Psychotherapy aims to change patterns of thinking and beliefs that fuel anxiety. Other treatments include cognitive behavioral therapy, exposure therapy and relaxation techniques.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Most people experience anxiety from time to time, such as when sitting for a test or interview or worrying about health, finances or family. However, Those with GAD suffer from chronic, uncontrollable anxiety and worries that seem disproportionate to their situations or activities.
They feel anxious about everyday life events like driving, work and social interactions, believing they will lose control or something terrible will happen. They may also have physical symptoms such as headaches, muscle tension or restlessness, stomach upset and difficulty sleeping.
This condition often begins in childhood or adolescence but can continue into adulthood. For some people, it is triggered by a period of stress or crisis in their lives, such as losing a job or the death of a loved one. But for others, the unexplained worry and fear persists even after the crisis has passed.
Treatment for a type of anxiety disorder can include psychotherapy or medication. Working with a qualified mental health practitioner, such as a psychologist or psychiatrist, is required for psychotherapy, sometimes called “talk therapy.” Various potent prescription medications available on the market today can relieve anxiety. They are commonly used with other treatments, such as cognitive behavioral therapy.
Social Anxiety Disorder
Social anxiety disorder is marked by fear or anxiety in one or more specific social situations (such as meeting unfamiliar people or speaking in public). Individuals with this condition have a persistent, extreme fear of being judged negatively by others. They strongly believe that their behavior or symptoms (such as blushing, trembling, sweating or stumbling over words) will be seen as unacceptable, embarrassing, or humiliating. They are also concerned that others will perceive their appearance as unattractive or inappropriate.
Symptoms of a social anxiety disorder include apprehension about speaking in public, giving presentations at work, eating in front of others, or being watched while performing a task. It may also have difficulty finding a job or maintaining a relationship due to the fear of social interaction. Other symptoms may be excessive blushing, stuttering or shaking hands, nausea and fatigue. Individuals with this condition fear that their worries will become a reality, so they avoid or limit their interactions with other people, leading to isolation and depression. In severe cases, they may depend on alcohol or drugs to control their fears and inhibitions.
Medications can be used to help manage the symptoms of this disorder. Benzodiazepines (ben-zoe-die-AZ-uh-peens) reduce anxiety by blocking the stimulating effect of epinephrine, a hormone in the body. They are generally prescribed for short-term use and are sometimes combined with psychotherapy or other medications. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) includes role playing, social skills training and other techniques, often in a group. Individuals learn to identify and challenge their automatic thoughts, or self-talk, that produce anxiety. They are taught to replace them with more realistic and adaptive thoughts.
Panic Disorder
Panic disorder is characterized by panic attacks, which are sudden episodes of intense fear and anxiety with physical symptoms like heart racing, sweating, and a feeling of losing control. These episodes occur without any specific reason and last about 20 minutes, although they may feel much longer. They usually happen more than once a year, but the exact number of times depends on the person.
Experts don’t know exactly what causes these attacks, but they think dysfunction in brain pathways that regulate emotions and a genetic predisposition to sensitivity to negative feelings play a role. They also believe that major stress or tending to respond strongly to negative feelings can trigger them, especially when a person is already depressed.
People with this condition often worry about having another attack, which can lead to avoiding situations that might cause them to have one. This can make it hard to work or go to school, socialize with friends, and participate in activities they enjoy. This type of avoidance is called agoraphobia and can be very frustrating for those who suffer from this condition.
Treatment options include psychotherapy (sometimes called talk therapy) and medication. Psychotherapy can help people learn to control their symptoms, and certain medicines, such as antidepressants or sedatives, can help with the physical symptoms. Finding the ideal mix of treatments and medications; therefore, consulting a healthcare professional is crucial.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Obsessions are unwanted thoughts, images or impulses that repeatedly appear in your mind and make you anxious. You may know they are irrational, but you can’t stop them from returning. Compulsions are rituals you repeat to reduce the anxiety an obsession brings. These include checking that a door is locked or repeating a phrase in your head. People with OCDS find that their obsessive thoughts and compulsions interfere with their daily life. They may miss work, school or social activities because their obsessions and compulsions occupy them.
Symptoms of OCD usually start in childhood or adolescence and vary in severity throughout your life. They can range from mild to severe and disabling. People with OCD often describe feeling ashamed or embarrassed about their symptoms.
Treatment for OCD can include cognitive behavior therapy, which teaches you to challenge negative thoughts and beliefs that contribute to your compulsions and anxieties. It also helps you learn to tolerate your anxiety safely through exposure therapy. This is done by gradually exposing you to the situations that trigger your anxiety, starting with the less feared ones. The goal is that you will get used to the anxiety over time, and it will fade.
Another treatment is called exposure with response prevention (ERT). This therapy involves deliberately facing your fears in a safe environment. It is similar to how, when you jump into a pool of cold water, your body gets used to the temperature and doesn’t feel so hard anymore.
