Anxiety Treatment Center

Anxiety Disorders Treatment

Anxiety is a normal and healthy emotion meant to provide your brain and body with the ability to fight or flee a difficult situation. Today, anxiety has become far more intense and debilitating. Anxiety disorders can limit your ability to work, remain productive, and feel good about yourself and your life.

Anxiety disorder treatment is available. It can alleviate symptoms, provide a better understanding of feelings, and help you overcome challenges, including the use of substances. At Mental Health Hope, we offer each person support in finding the appropriate level of care for their unique needs. Contact us if you need help.

What Is Anxiety and Anxiety Disorders?

Anxiety is a healthy feeling of fear or worry about future events. An anxiety disorder develops when those thoughts and feelings become persistent, debilitating, excessive, and limiting to your quality of life. Anxiety causes an increased heart rate, sweating, and difficulty focusing. When it reaches this level, it is essential to seek treatment.

Anxiety disorders are the most common type of mental health disorder in the United States, with the National Institute of Mental Health sharing that 40 million adults in the U.S. suffer from anxiety disorders. That accounts for 19.1% of the adult population. About 7% of children between the ages of 3 and 17 also suffer diagnosable anxiety disorders.

What Are Symptoms of an Anxiety Disorder?

Knowing when healthy anxiety becomes a complex and debilitating disorder isn’t always easy. Each person may have different symptoms or expressions of their intense anxious feelings. Every form of anxiety disorder involves a persistent and excessive fear or worry about situations that are not threatening.

Some of the most common emotional and physical symptoms felt by those with an anxiety disorder include:

Feelings of apprehension, often unfounded or not felt by others in the same situation
Restlessness and irritability
Feeling tense, both physically and emotionally
Anticipating the worst
Constantly watching for signs of danger or perceived risk
A fast, racing heart
Shortness of breath
Headaches
Insomnia and constant fatigue
Upset stomach or digestive problems

When these symptoms become constant, and your mental health continues to worsen, do not just wait for improvement. Take action by reaching out to Mental Health Hope today. We will provide you with the hands-on support you need.

Types of Anxiety Disorder

Within the anxiety disorder spectrum, there are six different types of anxiety that affect adults. The types of anxiety disorder include:

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

GAD is the most common of all the anxiety disorders. It features:

Irrational feelings of worry, fear, and dread
Muscle tension
Irritability
Insomnia
Fatigue
Sweating
Nausea
Diarrhea
Difficulty relaxing

Panic Disorder

Panic disorder involves recurrent panic attacks, which mimic a heart attack. Symptoms include:

Racing heart
Chest pains
Trembling
Shortness of breath
Heart palpitations
Chills
Nausea
Headache

Social Anxiety

Social anxiety features an intense fear of being judged or ridiculed publicly. This leads to avoidance of situations that are perceived as high risk. Symptoms include:

Excessive fear of being criticized or humiliated
Trembling
Nausea
Feeling faint
Dizziness
Blushing easily
Difficulty speaking
Sweating
Shortness of breath
Rapid heart rate

Specific Phobias

A phobia is an intense and irrational fear of a specific object, place, person, or situation. Symptoms include:

Shaking
Sweating
Dizziness
Nausea or vomiting
Fainting
Lightheadedness
Shortness of breath
Racing heart

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

PTSD pertains to unresolved trauma that persists for more than one month following exposure to an intensely disturbing event. Symptoms include:

Flashbacks
Nightmares
Hyper-arousal
Avoidance behaviors
Irritability
Anger, hostility
Depression
Insomnia
Detachment

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

OCD is characterized by a cause and effect pattern. When something triggers intense feelings of fear, the person attempts to manage the fear by engaging in compulsive behaviors. Examples of OCD patterns include:

An obsessive fear of germs leads to compulsive hand washing
An obsessive fear of burning the house down triggers compulsive checking rituals
Intense fear or anxiety is relieved by ritualistic counting or by repeating a phrase over and over.
Distress caused by items being out of place is relieved by compulsive orderliness.

Anxiety Disorder Treatment

Each person’s anxiety disorder treatment is a bit different from the next. Your therapist will assess your specific needs and then work to build a strong, clear treatment plan to address them using psychotherapy, medication, and other forms of treatment.

Symptom management is one core element of anxiety disorder treatment. It is also likely that your treatment will involve better understanding the source of your anxiety and creating a treatment plan to reduce unrealistic worries and stress.

Some of the care strategies commonly used in anxiety disorder treatment include the following:

Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy, also called talk therapy, is an opportunity to discuss your mental health symptoms, life challenges, and goals with a licensed professional. These trained therapists create a safe environment with ample privacy where you can explore the underlying cause of your anxiety. Your therapist then guides you in reframing or resolving those underlying issues to alleviate anxiety’s grip over your health and well-being.

Some of the most common types of psychotherapy used for anxiety treatment include:

Cognitive behavioral therapy: A focus on understanding negative thought processes that lead to unwanted behaviors and feelings.
Dialectical behavior therapy: This type of treatment typically applies to those facing trauma-related anxiety, in situations where the objective is to validate feelings and work to change the underlying cause.
EMDR: EMDR therapy, often used to treat trauma, aims to reduce the impact previous traumatic effects have on your daily actions and thoughts by applying a protocol called dual stimulation. It breaks the control past pain has on your future.

Treatment through an individualized plan is necessary to provide you with the relief you need and deserve in these moments.

Medication Management

Many people benefit from anti-anxiety medications. These medications aim to provide better chemical balance in the brain and treat the symptoms of anxiety disorders impacting your day. Anti-depressants may also be helpful in some situations.

Complementary Health Strategies

In addition to these factors, anxiety disorder treatment may include experiential and holistic therapy to support overall well-being. Examples may include:

Stress management strategies
Equine therapy
Art therapy
Fitness or exercise therapy
Mindfulness
Yoga

Co-occurring Disorder Treatment

Many people with anxiety disorders also struggle with substance use disorders. Substances, like alcohol or drugs, may provide limited relief from anxiety symptoms. However, this can lead to misuse and co-occurring disorders. Both require treatment at the same time.

Finding Help Through Mental Health Hope

For those struggling with anxiety disorders, know that treatment can help restore well-being and balance. You can learn to overcome challenges and achieve your goals without a constant sense of worry.

Reach out to Mental Health Hope today to learn how this type of treatment can help you. Let us connect you with providers ready to help.

Once a customized treatment plan has been devised, you will immerse yourself in a medley of therapies and holistic activities. Here is what to expect while being engaged in treatment:

Medication
Pharmacology is a commonly included in the treatment plan for managing anxiety disorder.
Psychotherapy
Because anxiety disorders generally feature irrational fear, the therapies used to treat it are designed to change the thought patterns that perpetuate the fear. Some of these therapies include:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. CBT helps shift any negative thoughts towards healthier, self-affirming thoughts. As you practice the thought switching, your behaviors or actions also become healthier.
- Exposure therapy. Exposure therapy assists those who struggle with PTSD or specific phobia by reducing the impact of the stress-inducing trigger.
- Acceptance and commitment therapy. ACT is especially useful for treating social anxiety. It helps you accept your feelings while also guiding you toward healthier social functioning.
Holistic therapies
Key to managing the effects of anxiety is to learn new ways of inducing relaxation when encountering fear triggers. These might include meditation, yoga, and mindfulness.

Residential Mental Health Retreats & Treatment Programs

Confidential & Private Mental Health Retreats

In the residential level of care, clients reside in a private setting that offers the comforts of home. As part of an anxiety treatment center, treatment residences are often located in private and secluded homes that provide increased confidentiality and a peaceful atmosphere for healing. Programs may offer private or semi-private rooms in a tranquil, therapeutic environment designed to support recovery and emotional wellness.

How Mental Health Hope Helps

When you call, you will be connected with a Treatment Specialist will provide guidance and assistance with regards to: Work related matters such as FMLA, Travel Assistance & Health Insurance guidance to help you overcome barriers to treatment.