The uneasy feeling that accompanies a strange dog's growl is the
first line of the body's defense against danger. The normal discomfort
and worry most people experience in common, unpleasant situations is
temporary, but for 40 million Americans each year, that same
apprehension crosses a line, becoming a dread that won't go away.
Uneasiness intensifies into a sustained, uncontrollable fear becoming a
disorder that requires treatment.
Diagnosis and Scope of Anxiety Disorders
It's
easy for the distressing symptoms of anxiety disorders to be masked by
medical conditions, making diagnoses difficult for physicians.
Depression is often a companion issue for anxiety disorder sufferers and
symptoms may overlap. A thorough patient examination helps to eliminate
any medical problems. Once a disorder is isolated and identified,
treatment may include medication, psychiatric therapy or even a
combination of standard and alternative therapies.
Excessive
anxiety and underlying distress that interfere with everyday living are
common factors among the six major psychiatric conditions known as
anxiety disorders. These are generalized anxiety disorder and panic
disorder, phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorder, social anxiety
disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. Each condition manifests
itself differently from patient to patient requiring customized
treatment, according to an individual's specific disorder and needs.
Successful treatment is commonly accomplished within a relatively short
period of time.
Anxiety Treatment with Medications
While
medications are often integrated with therapy and sometimes
complementary or alternative forms of treatment, medicines can also be
used alone depending on the patient's condition and preference of
treatment. Medications used for treatment are not cures for an anxiety
disorder; however, they can be used by the patient situationally or as a
way to keep it under control during coexisting behavioral treatment.
When
medications are suggested for treatment, doctors must first rule out
any possible contributing causes for the anxiety that might interfere
with the medication's performance. Since patients with anxiety disorders
are often simultaneously affected by depression or substance abuse, a
doctor may suggest separate treatment for these particular problems in
advance of any anxiety treatment.
Drugs Available for Anxiety Treatment
Depending
on the symptoms and intensity of the anxiety disorder, a doctor may
prescribe medications from one of three categories: antidepressants,
beta-blockers or anti-anxiety drugs. Antidepressants are especially
effective in treatment for those patients whose anxiety diagnosis also
encompasses depression. Among the antidepressants prescribed are
selective serotonin uptake reinhibitors or SSRIs, which facilitate
neurotransmitter communication in the brain. Other antidepressants are
tricyclics and, the dependable older antidepressants, monoamine oxidase
inhibitors or MAOIs.
Treatment prescriptions, especially for those
who have a joint diagnosis of drug or alcohol abuse, may include
anti-anxiety drugs called benzodiazepines. Since the benzodiazepines
Clonazapam and Buspirone can be habit-forming, they are meant only for
short-term treatment. Beta-blockers like propranolol, also used in
treating heart ailments, are most often prescribed for anxiety in
limited doses to prevent the physical rather than emotional symptoms
associated with anxiety.
When Anxiety Treatment Medications are Used
Depending
on the anxiety disorder diagnosed, a patient may require anxiety
medication only during certain anxiety-producing situations. An example
would be an anxiety sufferer who is afraid to fly. In that case, a
patient would only need a prescription medicine before a flight would
take place. Alternately, a patient may be asked to continue taking
medication to help control ongoing anxiety symptoms during the course of
a companion psychiatric treatment. Generalized anxiety disorder and
obsessive-compulsive disorder normally require longer prescriptions.
Because some anxiety treatment medications may be addictive and cause
negative side effects, most are prescribed for anxiety treatment only
for short-term use.
Anxiety Treatment with Psychiatry
Medications
are frequently paired with psychotherapy to increase the effectiveness
of anxiety treatment. Psychotherapy, conducted with a mental health
professional and sometimes called talk therapy, is used to encourage a
patient to reflect on the past to learn the root cause of an anxiety
disorder. This type of therapy can work well for anxiety suffers who
have trouble associating the anxiety disorder with life experiences that
may have triggered it.
Another type of psychiatric anxiety
treatment is CBT or Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy. CBT goes beyond
sourcing the anxiety disorder and moves in a direction that helps a
patient change patterns or behaviors related to his fears. By altering
what a patient thinks about fear and how he responds to it, the
intensity of the anxiety symptoms can eventually diminish and even
disappear.
As part of the progression of anxiety treatment in
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, a patient may be asked to confront his
fear directly in a safe and supervised environment. As the exposure to
the object or situation he most fears increases during CBT anxiety
treatment, the patient learns to take feel more comfortable and begins
to take more control of his responses.
Anxiety Treatment Alternatives
Therapy
and medication are widely believed to be the optimum anxiety treatment,
but recently doctors and psychiatrists have considered complementary
and alternative anxiety treatments to further ensure treatment success.
The alternatives offer new options for anxiety treatment, some of which
are under the direct control of the patient.
In conjunction with
the anxiety treatments already prescribed, a patient may be directed to
take up a vigorous exercise program. Consistent exercise helps to
naturally release endorphins, hormones that positively affect emotions
and help produce a sense of wellbeing. An anxiety disorder patient could
also be instructed in alternate breathing techniques, learned through
yoga classes, that would help to balance the patient's responses to
anxiety. Hypnosis and biofeedback are also considered complementary
anxiety treatments.
Anxiety Treatment as a Solution
Not
all anxiety disorders reveal themselves in the same manner, but all
anxiety symptoms are responses to the same feelings of dread and
apprehension that anxiety sufferers share. The anxiety treatment program
that works best is one in which the anxiety disorder is correctly and
quickly diagnosed followed by the proper anxiety treatment of
medication, therapy, alternatives or a successful mix of all three.
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