According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA), about 40 million adults are affected from anxiety disorders, which is about 18% of Americans. These disorders as such, are among the leading mental health illnesses by prevalence. If you are a patient suffering from any of the many anxiety disorders, there are many people like you. This narrative describes the various kinds of disorders, looks at how each of them may affect your mental health and, offers an insight on the various anxiety disorder treatment available.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

More than 3% of the American population suffer from generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). The common symptoms are excessive and chronic worrying. People suffering from GAD harbor fear for considerably longer durations, sometimes even years. This feeling is extremely exhausting and so GAD patients often feel drained and fatigued. They also have a hard time concentrating and may suffer muscle tension and insomnia. It however is possible to treat GAD using antidepressants and anti-anxiety medication. Another anxiety disorder treatment applicable here is cognitive behavioral therapy.

Panic Disorder

Patients suffering panic disorder often experience sudden attacks of panic or fear that leave them weak. These attacks may interfere with the patient’s daily life. Other signs that accompany the panic attacks include increased pulse, hyperventilation, light-headedness or dizziness, chest pain, tingling limbs and abdominal pain. These physical symptoms will scare almost anyone especially considering that they draw a parallel with heart attack or stroke symptoms and, this may accentuate the attack. Panic disorder is however treatable with both psychotherapy and anti-anxiety medication.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Though science offer ways of debunking the myths associated with OCD, it remains poorly understood. People suffering from OCD are often stereotyped as being overly orderly or clean. The two descriptive characteristics of OCD are obsessions and compulsions. Obsessions refer to images or thought processes that push patients to feel less and less in control. This feeling is disturbing especially because it comes accompanied by worrying. Obsessions may involve fears associated with unwanted sexual thoughts, contamination, consternation of erring in the ways of religion and morality and even fears of hurting people close to the patient.

Compulsions are more of afterthoughts and acts that the obsessive thoughts push the patient to follow through. Following through with these acts make the patient feel in control. Because of its complicated nature, treating OCD isn’t easy. However, certain cognitive behavioral therapies such as Exposure and Response Prevention therapy (ERP) can help patients face the fears and overcome the resulting obsessions and compulsions.

Phobia

Phobias are some of the leading anxiety disorders and affect almost 9% of the American population. Women are the most affected. The common symptoms here include excessive fear for an organism, object or objectively harmless situations. Certain kinds of phobias such as the fear of snakes or closed or open space can seriously interrupt a person’s daily life. Phobias can be managed using beta blockers, sedatives, anti-depressants as well as certain anxiety disorder treatment regimens such as exposure, cognitive behavioral or desensitization therapies.

Social Anxiety Disorder

This refers to the fear of undergoing scrutiny or the judging eyes of the public. Social anxiety disorder makes patients uncomfortable and almost unable to go to work, socialize freely, or even leave their homes. Exposure therapy may help patients overcome this disorder. Exposure therapy is effective because it helps patients overcome the nervousness associated with being in the eye of the public. Anti-anxiety medications are also helpful.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Certain studies list PTSD as an independent mental illness though most faculties of psychology group it together with the other anxiety disorders. However, there is no question that it is one of the gravest of these anxiety disorders. PTSD is characterized by depression, severe flashbacks and anxiety often precipitated by past traumatic incidents or brain injuries. Such incidences or injuries are often serious enough to damage the patient’s mental health. There are many possible anxiety disorder treatments capable of managing PTSD. However, almost all are individualized because the causes vary from one patient to the other.

If you need the help of a professional psychotherapist experienced in the treatment of anxiety disorders, contact Patricia Hecht, MFT through her website or at 415-813-0404.