Anxiety Disorder Help
If you have persistent anxiety symptoms, you can seek help. Treatment for anxiety disorders usually involves therapy and medication.
Your doctor could prescribe medications to treat anxiety, including benzodiazepines or modern antidepressants. SSRIs, such as Lexapro and Prozac, and SNRIs, such as duloxetine or Venlafaxine are a few examples. Your therapist could teach you methods to reduce anxiety symptoms, like confronting negative thoughts or exposure therapy.
Medications
Medication is one method to combat anxiety disorders and reduce the need for psychotherapy. However, they're not suitable for everyone and there are other options available, too. For instance, getting plenty of exercise and focus on healthy eating, and using relaxation techniques are methods to manage stress that don't require medications. If you're taking medication to control anxiety, ensure that you adhere to the prescribed dosages and attend your therapy appointments.
Doctors often prescribe antidepressants for people with anxiety disorders. The drugs can take as long as six weeks to get started. They correct an imbalance in brain chemicals. SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) are the most commonly used antidepressants that treat anxiety. The medications like Zoloft (sertraline), Prozac (fluoxetine) and Lexapro (escitalopram) operate by altering neurotransmitters in mood. Other medications, like SNRIs such as Effexor(venlafaxine) or Cymbalta(duloxetine) can be prescribed for anxiety and depression.
If SSRIs aren't enough doctors might prescribe benzodiazepines in order to reduce anxiety symptoms quickly. These are tranquilizers that are able to target gamma-aminobutyric acid, or GABA, a chemical in the brain that has the ability to calm. Benzodiazepines are commonly found in Klonopin, Xanax, and Valium. They can cause serious adverse effects, including addiction, and are therefore only prescribed for short-term usage.
Other medications, such as propranolol (approved for social anxiety disorder) works by reducing the actions of a chemical known as monoamine oxidase. They do not affect the brain in the same way as benzodiazepines, but they are more effective and do not suffer from the same adverse effects. Benzodiazepines, SNRIs and SSRIs are usually reserved for patients who suffer from severe anxiety. SSRIs however can be used to treat a wide range of anxiety disorders.
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy or talk therapy could be included in an treatment plan to treat anxiety disorders. A qualified mental health professional can help you choose the right type of psychotherapy. Psychotherapy focuses on talking with an therapist about your concerns and working together to build skills and techniques for managing your anxiety.
Cognitive behavioral therapy is a type of psychotherapy which can help you to learn how to overcome anxiety-related thoughts and behaviors. CBT teaches you to identify and stop harmful patterns of thinking, feeling and behavior. It also helps you identify the specific events, objects or people that trigger your anxiety and how to deal with them. CBT is recommended for many kinds of anxiety disorders.
EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing) is another form of psychotherapy that can be used in the treatment of anxiety disorders. In this therapy, you will lie down on a couch or a reclined chair while your therapist guides you through different phases of the therapy, which may include following an object by using your eyes or listening to music or reminiscing about a negative incident from your past (for example, being frightened of storms because someone broke up with you during a bad storm). EMDR can help you overcome these negative associations, and help reduce anxiety symptoms.
Interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) is a kind of psychotherapy that is focused on improving your relationships and social functioning. While it is not a treatment specifically for anxiety, IPT can help you to address issues that may contribute to your anxiety, such as an underlying depression or a substance abuse.
Exercise
Exercise is a great way to reduce stress and anxiety. Exercise is essential for your physical health, and it can improve your sleep. Both of these can be affected by anxiety disorders. It is a low-cost treatment that you can perform yourself.
The types of exercises that work best differ but the majority of studies point to the effectiveness of everything from tai-chi to high intensity interval training. The most important thing is to find something you like, as that increases your chances of taking part and build resilience. Exercise can also be an effective way to get away from the daily grind and reduce anxiety-related thoughts. This is especially beneficial for those suffering from Distraction Theory, a psychological theory that states that anxious patients tend to avoid social interaction and engage in excessive self-talk and worry.
Exercise can't eliminate anxiety, but it can be used alongside other treatments to reduce the severity of symptoms. Exposure therapy and exercise can help a patient overcome their fear of driving or flying. Another effective technique is the use of attention training that helps people learn to control their brain's activity. During a series of sessions with a certified therapist, the patient watches their own brain waves on an electroencephalograph monitor and teaches themselves to achieve a more relaxed state at will.
Exercise is not a cure-all for anxiety however it is an effective treatment. It is likely to be a part of the future of anxiety disorder treatment particularly since a lot of GPs offer "exercise on prescription" programs which offer patients the opportunity to participate in a training program at a reduced cost at an exercise facility in the area.
Relaxation techniques
Relaxation techniques help reduce stress and anxiety through the body's relaxation response that is described as the reduction in heart rate and blood pressure. Meditation, guided imagery, deep breathing and biofeedback assisted relaxation are the most common examples of these techniques. Many people find that these methods are most efficient when they practice them regularly.
You can learn these techniques from your mental health professional or a health care professional. They can also give you the tools to practice them independently. Your health care provider may encourage you to take part in self-help and group therapy groups, which are beneficial to meet other people with similar problems. Stress can be reduced by staying in touch with your family and friends by exercising regularly and avoiding alcohol or drugs.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and exposure therapy are two types of psychotherapy for anxiety disorders. CBT helps you identify and overcome irrational fears as well as negative thoughts that cause anxiety. You then learn to replace these thoughts with more rational, calm ones. Exposure therapy is a process of gradually facing situations that trigger anxiety until you are able to manage them without fear. Usually, you begin with the most threatening situations before moving on to more challenging ones.
Other treatments for anxiety that are psychological include hypnosis, mindfulness and support groups. These are particularly beneficial in the event of co-occurring issues that contribute to your anxiety, like addiction or depression. A good night's sleep and eating well are other beneficial habits that can help ease the symptoms. Regular exercise is important as it helps in the burning of stress chemicals that are produced during stressful times. It is also important to develop strong relationships with others as loneliness and isolation can cause anxiety symptoms to worsen.
Healthy eating
Anxiety can trigger a range of physical symptoms, like abdominal pain muscles tension, feelings panic. It is normal to feel anxious or anxious at times, but excessive anxiety can cause a feeling of helplessness and a fear that could affect your daily life. If you're susceptible to anxiety, acquiring techniques to cope and following the guidance of your physician can help you manage your symptoms.
In addition to medication and therapy, a healthy diet can aid in the reduction of anxiety symptoms. A diet rich in fruits, vegetables, complex carbohydrates, lean proteins, and healthy fats can help reduce stress levels and supply the nutrients your body needs to function properly.
Avoid panic anxiety disorder that are high in fat or sugar as they can aggravate anxiety symptoms. To keep hydrated, drink lots of water and non-caffeinated drinks. Avocados, bananas and dark chocolate are only a few of the food items that can ease anxiety. Foods that are naturally high in magnesium, such as leafy green vegetables (spinach and swiss chard) as well as pumpkin seeds, legumes, nuts, and whole grains are also excellent choices. Omega-3 fatty acids, found in various fish species like trout, salmon, sardines, and walnuts can also help to alleviate anxiety symptoms.
It is essential to seek treatment for both anxiety disorders and eating disorder. A combination of psychiatric drugs and psychotherapy is usually the most effective method of treatment for both conditions. Talk therapy can help you learn how to deal effectively with negative emotions and replace them with positive ones. Psychotherapeutic medications can alleviate anxiety symptoms and stop their excessive growth.