Treatments For Anxiety Disorders
Anxiety disorders can cause a lot of stress, but there are treatments that help you manage your symptoms. These treatments include psychotherapy and medication. They can be used alone or in combination to help you feel better and live a more normal life.
Some people are born with anxiety disorders, while others develop them during their childhood. Environmental factors such as a stressful or traumatic experience can also trigger an anxiety disorder in some people.
Symptoms of anxiety can include things like irritability, fatigue, excessive worrying, headaches, tense muscles, chest pains, lack of focus and difficulty sleeping. Anxiety can occur in any area of a person’s life, such as work, family, school, and social situations.
The first step is getting a diagnosis from a doctor or therapist. This diagnosis will be based on criteria in the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) handbook that health professionals use to diagnose mental illnesses.
In addition to a diagnosis, your doctor or therapist will discuss treatment options for you and your symptoms. These treatment options may include medications, therapy and lifestyle changes.
Antidepressants and SSRIs are the most common types of medication for anxiety. They work by affecting how the brain sends messages to nerve cells.
They are usually prescribed for a short time, but they can help reduce the symptoms of anxiety disorders. They are available in several forms, including escitalopram (Lexapro), fluoxetine (Prozac), paroxetine (Paxil), sertraline (Zoloft) and duloxetine (Cymbalta).
Some people need medications to control the physical symptoms of anxiety, but some can learn to manage their symptoms without using drugs. These people can make changes to their diet, get more exercise and have more sleep, among other ways.
Other therapies, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and biofeedback, can help you change the way your brain responds to certain feelings and situations. These techniques can be learned and practiced in sessions with a therapist.
Your therapist might also teach you to relax with meditation or mindfulness exercises, which can be helpful for managing anxiety symptoms. They might also suggest a journal for writing down your thoughts before you go to bed, which can make it easier to calm down and fall asleep.
If your therapist thinks you might need to take a medication to treat anxiety, they can explain how it works and what side effects are common. Regular follow-up with your therapist is also important.
The best treatment for anxiety is a combination of medicine and counseling. These are proven to be the most effective methods of treating the disease and helping you manage your symptoms and thrive.
Counseling is a type of psychotherapy that helps you understand how your emotions affect your behavior and learning new ways to deal with stressful situations. It can be done in person or over the phone, and it is a very effective way to reduce anxiety symptoms.
There are many types of psychotherapy, but the main goal is to reduce anxiety and help you cope with stressful situations more effectively. Various evidence-based treatments are available, such as CBT and psychodynamic therapy.
