It’s normal for people to feel anxious when they face a work problem, school test or life-changing decision. When this feeling goes on longer than temporary and interferes with daily life, however, they should seek anxiety treatment. An anxiety disorder doesn’t dissipate on its own and usually worsens over time. Before people find an anxiety treatment program, though, they should learn more about this category of disorders.

An Overview of Anxiety Disorders

Anxious looking man on sofa needs the anxiety treatment program at BeachesAnxiety is actually a category of mental health disorders that involves a significant amount of fear or worry. One of the most common types is generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). People with this condition have excessive anxiety about a variety of life situations on most days. Fatigue, muscle tension, irritability, trouble sleeping, and restlessness are common GAD symptoms.

Panic disorder involves recurrent and sudden panic attacks, which are periods of intense fear. The attacks can cause a pounding or accelerated heartbeat, sweating, shaking, shortness of breath and feelings of no control. Because of the nature of the attacks, people with panic disorder worry about the next attack. They avoid behaviors, places, and situations that may trigger it, which causes various problems in their lives.

There are also a few phobia-related disorders in the anxiety category. These involve an intense dislike or fear of situations or objects. This feeling is out of proportion to the posed danger, which is why an anxiety treatment program is necessary.

Specific phobias cause intense fear of or anxiety about particular things such as flying, blood, animals, and heights. Agoraphobia is an intense fear of two or more situations such as:

  • Being in enclosed or open spaces
  • Being outdoors alone
  • Standing in a crowd
  • Using public transportation

Social anxiety disorder is another common issue for which people need to seek anxiety treatment. They’re intensely afraid of or anxious in social situations. Separation anxiety disorder is another phobia. It involves worrying that harm will come to whoever they’re attached to when they’re not together.

What Happens in an Anxiety Treatment Program?

Doctors use an array of methods to address anxiety disorders, including medication and counseling. The methods that they use depend on the specific disorder and people’s individual needs.

Medication-Assisted Treatment

Medications don’t cure the source of anxiety disorders. Their purpose in an anxiety treatment program is to relieve the symptoms. Two of the most common symptoms are depression and anxiety, so doctors may prescribe antidepressants and anti-anxiety drugs.

There are two main categories of antidepressants, which are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors. They improve how the brain uses hormones that control stress and moods. There’s one main category for anti-anxiety drugs, which is benzodiazepines. They reduce symptoms of extreme fear and panic attacks.

Beta-blockers are another option even though their primary use is to treat high blood pressure. The reason is that they can reduce symptoms such as shaking and rapid heartbeat.

Anxiety Counseling

Therapy is the core of anxiety treatment because it addresses the source of the problem. Since therapists tailor the treatment according to people’s needs, they use a range of techniques.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is one of the most popular because of its effectiveness. Compared to other counseling methods, it generally requires fewer sessions. The goal is to identify and change distorted patterns of thinking. CBT works on the basis that those thoughts trigger negative emotions and behaviors, so replacing them has positive effects.

Exposure therapy is another option for an anxiety treatment program. It involves gradually exposing people to whatever causes their anxiety but in a controlled environment. This approach might include visualizing the fear in the mind or using computer simulations. In the end, the goal is to eliminate the irrational fear.

Overcome Anxiety at Beaches Recovery

Do you have an issue with anxiety? Has it led you to self-medicate with alcohol or drugs? Beaches Recovery can provide a full spectrum of treatment to help you overcome anxiety and drug abuse. We have gender-specific programs and varied levels of residential and outpatient treatment plans.

The dual diagnosis program at Beaches Recovery is customizable according to your needs. Along with CBT, our qualified therapists will use different techniques based on your situation, including:

Don’t hesitate to get anxiety treatment for another day. Find out how our anxiety treatment program can help you. Call 866.605.0532 to talk to a Beaches Recovery counselor now.