Anxiety Therapy Services
What is anxiety?
Most people have felt anxiety at some point in their life. It is, after all, a normal part of the human experience to worry. Anxiety is a natural response to situations that feel stressful or dangerous, an automatic flag to your mind and body to be on high alert. Anxiety disorders are what happens when that alert system gets overwhelmed, leaving a person feeling anxious most or all of the time and having a profound impact on their lives.
What are the Different Types of Anxiety Disorders?
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD): Generalized Anxiety Disorder is characterized by excessive worry and stress that never quite goes away. Individuals with GAD tend to feel persistent dread and anxiety every single day, even with no specific reason. This anxiety tends to last months or years, impacting mood, health and overall quality of life.
- Panic Disorder: Someone with panic disorder suffers from recurring panic attacks, often occurring spontaneously and without an obvious reason.The panic attacks will come with a rush of fear and a sense of losing control, compounded by physical symptoms including heart palpitations, sweating, shortness of breath, chest pain, dizziness and more. Because these panic attacks can occur at any time with no clear trigger, the fear of a panic attack can become a self-fulfilling prophecy, continuing a cycle of fight-or-flight mode in the body.
- Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD): Social Anxiety Disorder is characterized by a constant fear of social situations. People who suffer from SAD continuously worry about interactions with others, letting a fear of judgement, embarrassment and rejection rule their lives. Those with social anxiety may obsess over events long before they happen, even going to great lengths to avoid participation. Social anxiety may look like fear of public speaking, meeting new people, playing a sport, or going on a job interview, to name some examples. Even typical behaviors such as eating in front of others, speaking to a cashier or calling to make an appointment can cause extreme anxiety for people with SAD, potentially impacting school, career, health and personal relationships.
- Specific Phobias: When someone has a phobia, that means they have an intense, ongoing fear of a specific thing or situation. Even the understanding that their fear is unwarranted is not enough to lessen it, with great lengths taken to avoid what they are afraid of. Common examples include public speaking, needles, snakes, spiders, flying, or heights.
- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD): Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, or OCD, is an anxiety-related disorder that involves having recurrent, obsessive thoughts or urges that lead to compulsive and repetitive behaviors. These behaviors are usually driven by a need to “prevent” consequences, even if the individual is fully aware their thoughts and patterns aren’t realistic. OCD can show up in many ways, but some common manifestations include obsessive handwashing, performing an activity a certain number of times or repeating words or phrases excessively. The fear-driven compulsions can take over a person’s life, interfering with school, jobs and personal relationships.
Source: American Psychiatric Association / National Institute of Mental Health
What are Symptoms of an Anxiety Disorder?
The signs and symptoms of anxiety disorders can vary depending on the specific type, but share many of the same common indicators:
Emotional/Behavioral Signs:
- Frequent and ongoing feelings of dread, nervousness, and worry
- Feeling tense
- Restlessness
- Irritability
- Feeling overwhelmed, even by small things
- Tendency to anticipate the worst case scenario
- Trouble concentrating
- Avoiding people, places or things out of fear
- Feeling out of control
Physical Signs:
- Racing heart or heart palpitations
- Shortness of breath
- Feeling dizzy or light-headed
- Sweating
- Shaking or trembling
- Muscle tension
- Headaches
- GI issues
- Sleep disturbances
- Avoidance of eye contact
- Panic attacks
Anxiety can present in different ways for different people, but many of the same characteristics apply across the spectrum of anxiety disorders. It’s important to be aware of outside risks, but once those worries take over your life, it may be time to consider professional help to navigate your concerns.
Source: National Institute of Mental Health / National Alliance on Mental Illness / Mayo Clinic
How Is An Anxiety Disorder Diagnosed?
Since Anxiety Disorders often come with a variety of potential physical symptoms, diagnosis may begin with a visit to a physician to rule out any underlying health conditions. With no other explanation to explain symptoms – or for those already aware they are suffering from an anxiety disorder – a mental health evaluation with a trained professional is the next step to take. This can look like:
- Psychological Evaluation: The first step to determining if you have an anxiety disorder is to schedule an appointment with a qualified therapist. The evaluation will include gathering information on your thoughts, patterns and behaviors to get the bigger picture of a potential diagnosis.
- DSM-5 Criteria: The data collected during the evaluation will be used to compare against the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders), the gold standard diagnostic tool used by mental health professionals.
The most important part of feeling better is taking the first step. At Sillon Wellness, we provide a free 15-minute phone consultation that will help determine if our services are right for you, matching you with the therapist best suited for your needs.
Treatment of Anxiety Disorders
Treatment for anxiety disorders can depend on a person’s history, overall health and of course the type and severity of the individual’s specific anxiety disorder. Every person is different when it comes to what works best for their circumstances, which is why personalized treatment with an expert is ideal. Treatment for anxiety disorders may include medication (SSRIs), lifestyle changes (incorporation of relaxation techniques and mindfulness), and a large piece of the puzzle – therapy. Therapists like those at Peak are trained in evidence-based techniques that can be tailored to the patient’s unique needs, ensuring the right methods are used for the circumstances while digging to the root of the issues at hand. The following therapy modalities are traditionally used to successfully treat anxiety disorders:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): CBT focuses on identifying automatic negative thoughts and challenging those thoughts with more realistic ones .
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): Emphasizes acceptance as a way to cope with negative feelings, thoughts, symptoms or circumstances while encouraging commitment to healthier, constructive activities. The goal of ACT is to reduce the struggle to control or avoid situations that are found to be upsetting, working towards acceptance versus avoidance.
- Interoceptive Exposure Therapy (IE): Interoceptive Exposure Therapy is designed to help patients face their unique fears to find their way out of a pattern of avoidance. During IE, those uncomfortable anxiety symptoms are induced in a safe environment with professional guidance to help interpret the basis of the fear and subsequent response. By desensitizing the symptoms, they can be reduced over time as new, more realistic beliefs are attached to the fears.
- Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP): ERP is a treatment that works by gradually exposing someone to stimuli to induce their anxious responses in a highly structured manner while preventing them from participating in their typical negative responsive behaviors. Frequent exposure to anxiety-triggering conversations in a safe, controlled environment shows that many worries are unnecessary or overblown, decreasing the anxious response over time. At the same time, healthier coping skills are provided and practiced to help create more positive thought-processing.
Anxiety Treatment in Texas
If you suffer from anxiety, try to remember that you’re not alone. A healthy dose of anxiety from time to time can be a helpful tool, our brain and body’s way of alerting us to danger. But when that anxiety spills into your daily life, becoming the driving factor in your decisions, it’s time to reach out for help. With the right professional by your side, you can forge a new path toward a happier, less stressful life full of opportunity and peace. If you’re interested in how Sillon Wellness can help you with your anxiety, please schedule an appointment today with one of our on-staff therapists.
Anxiety Related Blogs
