Anxiety
Do you frequently feel anxious for no reason at all? Does your anxiety escalate until you feel short of breath and your heart rate goes up? If so, you could have an anxiety disorder. The good news is it’s a treatable condition.
What you need to know about anxiety
There are several types of anxiety disorders, including:
- Fear of confined spaces, or agoraphobia
- Anxiety resulting from a medical condition
- Generalized anxiety about activities or events
- Panic disorder, or sudden, intense fear or terror
- Separation anxiety, or fear of being away from parents
- Social anxiety or hearing of social gatherings
- Substance-induced anxiety disorder
Signs and symptoms of an anxiety disorder
If you or someone you know exhibits these signs and symptoms, an anxiety disorder might be indicated:
- Frequent feelings of restlessness or nervousness
- Feeling impending danger or doom
- Frequent hyperventilation and increased heart rate
- Frequent sweating, trembling, or tiredness
- Difficulty thinking about anything but worry
- Difficulty getting to sleep and staying asleep
- Frequent gastrointestinal problems
- Wanting to avoid anxiety-triggering events
- Not being able to control worry
How anxiety is diagnosed?
A mental health provider will perform a complete psychological evaluation of your thoughts, feelings, and behavior. Your symptoms are then compared to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) to achieve a diagnosis.
Professional treatment for anxiety
Treatment for anxiety is a combination of two treatment types, including:
Psychotherapy, which is working with a mental health provider to reduce your anxiety symptoms. Treatment is in the form of counseling, cognitive behavioral therapy, and exposure therapy to help you develop coping skills to deal with events that cause anxiety symptoms.
Medication, the goal of which is to reduce and relieve anxiety symptoms. Antidepressants, anti-anxiety medications, and in some cases, sedatives are all types of medications used to treat anxiety.
To learn more about the signs, symptoms, and treatment of anxiety, or to schedule an appointment, call the mental health providers at Ear to Ear Behavioral Health Solutions in Chicago, IL. Call us now.