Anxiety Disorder Help
If you are experiencing persistent anxiety symptoms, you can seek assistance. Treatment for anxiety disorders typically includes medication and therapy.
Your doctor might prescribe medication to ease anxiety, including benzodiazepines and modern antidepressants. SSRIs (like Lexapro and Prozac) and SNRIs (like duloxetine and venlafaxine) are typical examples. Your therapist will also instruct you on strategies to ease anxiety-related symptoms, including combating negative thoughts and exposure therapy.
Medications
Medication is one method to treat anxiety disorders and reduce the need for psychotherapy. They're not for everyone, and there are many other alternatives. Healthy eating, exercise, and relaxation techniques can help you manage stress without the necessity of medication. If you're taking medication to control anxiety, be sure to follow the prescribed dosages and make sure you attend your therapy appointments.
Doctors often prescribe antidepressants for people with anxiety disorders. The drugs can take anywhere from six to eight weeks to begin working. They correct an imbalance in brain chemical production. SSRIs are also known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are the antidepressants used most often to treat anxiety. Medications like Zoloft (sertraline), Prozac (fluoxetine) and Lexapro (escitalopram) work by impacting neurotransmitters involved in mood. Other medications, for instance SNRIs like Effexor(venlafaxine) or Cymbalta(duloxetine) can be prescribed for depression and anxiety.
If SSRIs aren't working doctors might prescribe benzodiazepines in order to reduce anxiety symptoms quickly. These tranquilizers target GABA (gamma-aminobutyric Acid), a chemical that calms the brain. Common benzodiazepines include Klonopin (clonazepam), Xanax (alprazolam) and Valium (diazepam). They can have dangerous adverse effects, including addiction, and are therefore only recommended for short-term usage.
Other medicines, like propranolol (approved for the treatment of social anxiety disorder ), work by inhibiting the actions of a chemical referred to as monoamine oxidase. They don't affect the brain in the same way as benzodiazepines, but they are more effective and don't have the same negative side effects. generalized anxiety disorder as well as SNRIs and SSRIs are typically reserved for patients suffering from severe anxiety. SSRIs however can be used to treat a wide range of anxiety disorders.
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy or talk therapy could be part of the treatment plan for anxiety disorders. A qualified mental health professional will assist you select the appropriate type of psychotherapy. Psychotherapy involves talking to an therapist and learning skills and techniques together to manage anxiety.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a form of psychotherapy that helps you learn to challenge anxious thoughts and behaviors. CBT helps you recognize and break destructive patterns of thinking, feeling and behavior. It helps you recognize specific situations or objects that cause anxiety and learn how to cope. CBT is recommended for many types anxiety disorders.
EMDR is a form of psychotherapy which can be used to treat anxiety disorders. During this therapy, you'll sit on a couch, reclined chair, while the therapist guides you through different phases of therapy. This could include looking at an object with your eyes or listening to music and recalling a negative memory from your past. panic anxiety disorder can help you overcome these negative associations and reduce anxiety symptoms.
Interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) is a type of psychotherapy that focuses on improving your relationships and social functioning. Although it's not a treatment specifically for anxiety, IPT can help you deal with issues that could be causing your anxiety, such as an underlying depression or a substance abuse.
Exercise
Exercise can be a natural stress-buster and has been shown to ease anxiety. It is also important for physical health and can improve sleep and sleep patterns, both of which can be impacted by anxiety disorders. It's also a low-cost treatment that is performed on your own.
A majority of studies have demonstrated that anything from high intensity interval training to tai-chi can be effective. Finding something you love is essential because it increases your chances of participating and building up your endurance. Exercise can also provide an escape from the day to day and help reduce anxiety. This is particularly helpful for patients who struggle with Distraction Theory, a psychological theory that claims that anxious patients tend to avoid social interaction and engage in a lot of self-talk and worry.
Exercise can't eliminate anxiety, but it can be used with other treatments to lessen the severity of symptoms. For instance, a patient can pair exposure therapy with exercise to lessen their fear of flying or driving. Another method that works is the use of attention training that helps people learn to control their brain wave 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, but it is an effective treatment. It is likely to be an integral part of the future of treatment for anxiety disorders particularly since a lot of GPs offer "exercise on prescription" programs which offer patients an exercise program that is subsidised at a local gym.
Relaxation techniques
Relaxation techniques help reduce anxiety and stress by triggering the body's relaxation process that is described as a decrease in heart rate and blood pressure. Meditation, guided imagery, deep breathing, and biofeedback-assisted relaxation are all examples of these practices. Many people find that these techniques 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 needed to apply them at your own pace. Your health care provider may recommend joining self-help groups or group therapy. These are great places to meet others with similar struggles. Stress can be lessened by staying in contact with family and friends and exercising regularly, while abstaining from alcohol or other substances.
Psychotherapy for anxiety disorders consists of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and exposure therapy. CBT helps you to identify and confront irrational fears and negative thoughts that can cause anxiety. Then, you learn to replace them with more rational and calm thoughts. Exposure therapy involves slowly facing situations that trigger anxiety until you can handle the situation without fear. Usually, you start with the most threatening situations and then move on to more difficult ones.
Other psychological treatments include mindfulness, support groups and hypnosis. These treatments can be especially helpful if you suffer from co-occurring disorders, like depression and substance abuse. Other beneficial habits include getting enough rest and eating well. Regular exercise is important because it helps burn up stress chemicals that are produced during stressful periods. And it is important to build strong bonds with other people, because loneliness and isolation can increase anxiety symptoms.
Healthy eating habits
Anxiety can trigger a variety of physical symptoms and behaviors that include abdominal pain, muscle tension and panic-like feelings. While it is normal to worry and feel anxious at times, excessive anxiety can lead to an overwhelming feeling of despair and fear that affects your daily routine. If you suffer from anxiety, you can control your symptoms by developing techniques for managing anxiety and following the advice of your physician.
A nutritious diet, in addition to therapy and medication, can help improve your anxiety symptoms. A diet that is high in vegetables, fruits complex carbohydrates, lean proteins, and healthy fats can help reduce stress levels and supply the nutrients your body needs to perform at its best.
It is important to avoid foods that are high in sugar and fats, since they can aggravate anxiety symptoms. To remain hydrated, consume plenty of water and non-caffeinated beverages. A few of the foods that have been found to help ease anxiety include avocados, bananas chocolate as well as oysters, berries and fish. Foods that are naturally high in magnesium, like leafy green vegetables (spinach and Swiss chard) as well as pumpkin seeds, legumes, nuts, and whole grains are good options. Omega-3 fatty acid, found in fish like sardines, trout, and salmon and walnuts, can also help alleviate anxiety symptoms.
It is essential to seek treatment for both anxiety disorders and eating disorders. Treatment for both conditions is typically best accomplished by combining psychiatric medication and psychotherapy. Talk therapy can teach you how to deal with your negative emotions and replace them with positive ones, while psychiatric medications can help to alleviate your anxiety symptoms and prevent them from getting out of control.