Anxiety Treatment Information

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Cognitive Therapy
This therapy was developed by psychiatrist Aaron T. Beck in the 1960's. Beck rationalized that the way we perceive and interpret events can be more important than the event itself in eliciting psychological problems such as anxiety. Beck’s original work focused on depression and he devised a list of “errors” in the thinking process that once corrected could alleviate the depression. It has also shown to be an effective anxiety treatment. Modern Cognitive Therapy aims to change unrealistic and skewed thought patterns which may be contributing to the anxiety.

Behavioral Therapy
The goal of behavioral therapy is to modify and gain control of unwanted behaviors by changing how you react to situations. The therapy is based primary on classical and operant conditioning. Typical someone with anxiety will be exposed to situations which would normal make them anxious while at the same time learning tools to manipulate their behavior while in the situation. The goal here is to take control over the anxious situation.

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Many therapists choose to use a combination of changing the way we perceive events (Cognitive Therapy), and developing tools to deal with and modify our behavior towards the event (Behavioral Therapy). This combination seems to yield the best results for anxiety treatment.

Pharmaceuticals
Medication is often prescribed in combination with the above therapies. These medications can include selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI's) as well as anxiolytics drugs and can greatly improve the effectiveness of other treatments for certain people. It's important to note that everyone's brain chemistry is slightly different and what works for one may not work for another.

Anxiety Disorders

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD): GAD is the most common of the anxiety disorders. It is characterized by chronic intense feelings of anxiety in the absence of any definable stressor.

Panic disorder: Panic disorder sufferers experience episodes of acute anxiety lasting anywhere from a few seconds to a few hours. Panic disorder is characterized by reoccurring attacks of extreme fear and the urge to flee the situation. People with Panic Disorder often experience anticipatory anxiety, fearing that an attack may come at any time, even in public. For this reason, Panic sufferers are also at high risk for developing agoraphobia.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD): PTSD is a condition which can manifest after experiencing a severely traumatic event. Symptoms of PTSD usually begin immediately following the event but occasionally manifest many months or years after thereafter; these symptoms include intense psychological distress, flashbacks, and reoccurring dreams of the event. A person with PTSD may seem irritable, socially detached, and become startled by sudden noise or movements; this may cause them to avoid crowds and social events. Stimuli associated with the traumatic event may trigger psychological distress and often flashbacks.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD): OCD is characterized by reoccurring thoughts (Obsessions) and actions (compulsions) which the individual feels they cannot control.

Social anxiety disorder (SAD): Social anxiety disorder is characterized by intense feelings of anxiety in social situations. Sufferers of social anxiety disorder can feel uncomfortable enough in social situations that they eventually begin avoiding social events all together. Sufferers are overcome with thoughts of how they are being viewed by others and often have a negative self image of themselves which causes them to act in ways which further strengthen their view that they are inferior to others in the group.

Phobias: Phobias are typically unrealistic fears of events (such as flying on an airplane) or of things (such as snakes). If the phobia is elicited by something common there may be a strong need for treatment since the fear is probably encountered on a daily basis.

The Nature of Anxiety

This Weeks Anxiety Treatment Video: "Anxiety Treatment: Drugs"

All of us have experienced anxiety at some point in our lives. Whether we’re late for an appointment, going on a blind date, or preparing for battle, the feeling is the same; a feeling in your body of intense anticipation. Your heart rate and blood pressure increase, you begin breathing more rapidly and you begin to sweat. This is a normal response to threatening situations, designed to heighten our senses and prepare us to either run or fight. Unfortunately for us, our brains do not make a very large distinguish between life threatening events and the rigors of daily life, both elicit the same defensive mechanism which culminates into a feeling of anxiety. These feelings are normal to experience occasionally and may come and go based on the circumstances you find yourself dealing with.

Anxiety becomes problematic when your level of anxiety is elevated beyond what would be considered normal for the particular events you are dealing with. Everyone has a baseline level of anxiety. This is the level of anxiety they experience in the absence of any definable stressor. For some this level is very low, so low that it is not even perceivable. For others the baseline level of anxiety is slightly elevated and tuned for action. When anxiety becomes too intense or is elicited by events which do not warrant the level of anxiety being produced it may cause someone to seek treatment. Whether or not your level of anxiety warrants treatment is a question of how much it is affecting your life, your interactions with others, and your happiness. If any of these three things are adversely affected then anxiety treatment is a great option.

It is important to check with your healthcare provider regarding mental health coverage as each carrier has different policies when it comes to mental health. In september of 2007 the United States senate unanimously passed the Mental Health Parity Act of 2007, which would insure that insurance companies provide equal coverage for both mental and physical illnesses; however, this bill has yet to be enacted. In the meantime it is important to check with your mental health practioner as well as insurance carrier regarding insurance policies.