Is Anxiety Treatable?
By Advekit
Posted on June 11, 2019
Chronic anxiety is the most common mental health condition in the country and, according to recent estimates, more than 40,000,000 Americans suffer from an anxiety-related disorder. For some people, persistent fear and excessive worry carries over into other aspects of their lives and cripples their ability to thrive at work, home, or in public. Unfortunately, not everyone who is affected by anxiety seeks help or receives treatment. Instead, they may suffer in silence. Luckily, that doesn’t have to be the case.
Over the past two decades, our understanding of anxiety disorders has increased dramatically. Progress has been made in the therapies and treatments available. There is comfort in knowing that your anxiety is treatable. Below is an expanded discussion of how therapists are addressing the causes and effects of anxiety.
Is Anxiety Treatable?
One of the most common misconceptions about anxiety is that it isn’t treatable in the long-term. There are four primary types of anxiety disorders with their own unique sets of symptoms, issues, and treatment methods:
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) – chronic exaggerated worry and fear about daily life.
- Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) – intense fear regarding social interactions, often characterized by an irrational apprehension about being made fun of or humiliated.
- Panic Disorder – chronic anxiety and panic attacks that are sudden and cause overpowering feelings of fear.
- Phobias – intense fears of certain places, events, people, etc.
Considering these diagnoses all create different responses and symptoms, each one requires its own tailor-made treatment plan. It’s important to seek assistance from a mental health professional who can walk them through the steps of how to treat anxiety. Generally speaking, here are the most common treatments used.
Typically, anxiety treatments rely upon a combination of three methods:
- Psychotherapy.
- Pharmacological therapy.
- Self-help therapies.
Psychotherapy
Speaking with a therapist is arguably the most effective form of treatment for any anxiety disorder. Both pharmacological and practical self-help therapies are supplemental to your therapy sessions. Yet, by themselves, they’re often an inadequate means for anxiety treatment since they may fail to address the underlying issues that are causing your anxiety.
Currently, the most commonly used form of psychotherapy for Anxiety treatment is Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT). This methodology is focused on spotlighting negative behavioral or cognitive patterns, seeking to understand them, and then changing those harmful thoughts or actions. During CBT, a therapist’s goal is to equip their clients with coping skills and encouraging them to seize control of their thoughts and actions.
Other forms of psychotherapy include:
- Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT).
- Exposure Therapy.
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).
- Interpersonal Therapy.
- Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR).
Pharmacological Therapy
Doctors will regularly provide medication to a patient to help ease the anxiety symptoms they are experiencing. Common anxiety medication that is often prescribed includes:
- Benzodiazepines – suppress nerve activity to decrease feelings of anxiety.
- SSRIs – anti-depressants increase serotonin levels in the brain.
- Beta-blockers – lowers blood pressure and other physical symptoms of an anxiety or panic attack.
Self-Help Therapies
If you’re experiencing an anxiety or panic attacks, there are several practical steps your therapist will advise you to take in order to decrease your anxiety. Stress and relaxation techniques can help manage your day-to-day anxieties When these techniques become habits, they can even be used as a preventative measure.
- Exercise Daily – this is one of the best ways you can release pent up energy and combat stress. People who make a habit of regular exercise experience lower levels of anxiety and depression. It helps to lower stress hormones, releases endorphins, improves sleep quality, and helps build up confidence.
- Decrease your caffeine intake – caffeine is a stimulant that has been shown to increase your heart rate and symptoms of anxiety. Consider cutting back on your daily caffeine intake.
- Laugh – there’s a reason why they say, “laughter is the best medicine.” Laughter and joy are good for your health and relieve stress. Laughter relaxes tension in muscles and alleviates your natural stress response.
- Do Yoga – yoga has become the most commonly used method for stress relief regardless of age. While there are dozens of styles, all focus on centering your mind and body and emphasize breathing techniques.
- Learn to say no – many people who suffer from anxiety disorders have trouble saying “no” to requests. As a result, they get caught up in stressful situations they aren’t mentally capable of handling. While you shouldn’t say no to everything and isolate yourself, you should be able to pick and choose. Don’t overcommit since it might cause you more stress.
- Try to stop procrastinating – many young people develop bad study and work habits as they grow up, which carry over into their adult lives. Procrastination is one of the more common bad habits that people develop early on. When you’re scrambling to catch up, cram, or hit a deadline, your anxiety levels can shoot way up. Effective time management can help prevent unnecessary anxiety and ensure that you do an even better job.
Seek Help
If you suffer from anxiety, you can take comfort in knowing that it’s treatable. You just need to seek out help. That’s where Advekit comes in. Our service will help you find the right match for a therapist who understands your specific needs. Your therapist will create a unique treatment plan, so you can take back control of your life.
If you don’t know how to find a therapist, we’re happy to help.
Sources
National Institute of Mental Health. Any Anxiety Disorder. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/any-anxiety-disorder.shtml
Moore, D. Science Direct. Regular Exercise, Anxiety, Depression and Personality. (2006).
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0091743505002331
Harvard Medical School. Generalized Anxiety Disorder. (2019). https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/generalized-anxiety-disorder
Reviewed By
Alison LaSov, LMFT
Alison LaSov is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist with experience treating clients struggling with anxiety and depression. She predominantly focuses on mental health intervention for children and adolescents, particularly those who are in crisis. She has worked within the Los Angeles education system treating students with Individualized Education Plans (IEPs), as well as supervised a non-profit Teen Crisis Hotline out of Cedars-Sinai Hospital. Alison earned her B.A. from UCLA and M.A. from Pepperdine University. She is a native to Los Angeles and co-founder at Advekit.