Traditional Treatments for Anxiety - Mental Health Disorders

Traditional Treatments for Anxiety

Few primary care doctors treat serious anxiety problems. Most refer patients to psychiatrists, psychologists, clinical social workers, or other mental health therapists.

Psychotherapy. Psychotherapy focuses on examining the underlying issues that trigger the anxiety. It explores possible unconscious meanings behind panic attacks. It's especially helpful for anxieties caused by losses or posttraumatic stress. In the latter, a key element involves retelling the traumatic events and coming to terms with the stress they cause. Some psychotherapists offer specialized group sessions for people suffering from particular anxiety problems. Group therapy is generally less expensive than individual therapy, and group participants can provide support and feedback and share coping strategies.

Cognitive Therapy. Cognitive therapy helps eliminate feelings of vulnerability and apprehension by correcting faulty thoughts and reasoning. People often view the problems in their lives inaccurately or distort the facts. For example, some people “overgeneralize”–that is, if one thing goes wrong, they decide everything in their life is wrong. Others engage in “all or nothing thinking.” For instance, the idea that if they're not the best, they must be the worst. Or they “jump to conclusions,” which can be negative and destructive.

Self-Help Therapies for Anxiety

Cut out caffeine. It is a major, often overlooked, contributor to anxiety. In fact, in high doses, caffeine produces caffeinism, with symptoms identical to those of serious anxiety problems.
Get adequate rest and exercise. Any exercise helps, although aerobic exercise works best. Aerobic exercise releases endorphins, the body's natural pain and anxiety-relieving chemicals. If you already exercise regularly, increase the frequency and duration of your workouts. If not, and you're not physically limited by a chronic illness or disability, start by taking a brisk 20-minute walk, swim, or bike ride three times a week. After a few weeks, most people notice new feelings of clear-headedness and energy, with decreased tension and anxiety.
Breathing. One of the most common symptoms of anxiety attacks is hyperventilation, or very rapid breathing. Hyperventilation affects the flow of oxygen and blood to the brain and can cause dizziness and confusion. Controlled breathing and relaxation training, involving the tensing and relaxing of various muscle groups, and biofeedback are all very helpful.
Meditation, visualization, music therapy, and progressive relaxation can help you release tension and relieve anxiety.
Talk to a friend or family member. Talking things out with someone you know well can defuse anxiety and reorder fragmented emotions.
Journal writing. Some people find solace writing down their anxious thoughts and feelings. Instead of simply focusing on how bad you feel, think about possible causes and what you might reasonably do about them.
Modeling. In an anxiety-provoking situation, act as someone you admire would act.

Participating in therapy or group support sessions can help people identify how their chronic anxiety prevents them from taking effective actions in their lives. Both peer- and professionally-led groups can help people with specific anxiety problems.

Behavioral Therapy. Behavioral therapy focuses on strategies that alter the undesired behavior. It's a particularly effective treatment for phobias. The specific approach is desensitization, whereby the person is gradually exposed to the dreaded object or situation and trained to react without anxiety. For example, a person who is afraid of flying may first receive instruction about the principles of flying, sit in an airport waiting area, then on a parked airplane, then on a plane that taxis without taking off, and finally, on a plane that goes up for a short flight.

Costs of Depression

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, nearly one in 20 Americans (more than 11 million people) suffers from depression in a given year, and for nearly two-thirds it goes undiagnosed and untreated. The annual cost of depression in America is an estimated $43.7 billion, including suicide, days lost from work, and productivity impairment on the job from poor concentration and memory, indecisiveness, apathy, and a lack of self-confidence. Dr. Frederick Goodwin, the director of the National Institute of Mental Health, stated in the December 3, 1993 edition of The New York Times that among major diseases, clinical depression ranks second only to advanced coronary heart disease in the total number of days patients spend in the hospital or disabled at home.

Medication. Psychiatrists may prescribe such mood-altering drugs as imipramine, phenelzine, buspirone, and alprazolam, particularly for agoraphobia and severe anxiety attacks. If you and your doctor opt for drug therapy, you should discuss the potential side effects, including the possibility of addiction, among others.

Traditional Treatments for Anxiety - Mental Health Disorders