Posts Tagged ‘medication’

Effective Methods Used in Treating Anxiety Disorders

None of us are strangers to stress and anxiety. You can sometimes feel overwhelmed with worry and fear and experience an anxiety attack when things such as an important deadline or a failing grade in school happen. When they do, your body reacts physically by increasing your heart rate, dilating your pupils, hyper-activating your glands to sweat more and putting your brain on overdrive. These physical symptoms go away after you have resolved the problem or your source of stress has gone away.

Sometimes, though, even if the problem has passed or there is no reason to worry or stress, you still might get a severe panic attack. When this happens and stress and anxiety start to rule your life and affecting the people around you, your anxiety and stress might be developing into a serious disorder.

There are many people all over the world who have suffered from anxiety disorders but have been helped by effective methods used in treating anxiety disorders. Most doctors and specialists look at the causes of the anxiety disorder first before takings steps in treating the patient. When the cause has been identified, several treatments may be given to help you cope with your anxiety attacks in a healthier way.

1. Medication. There are times when your anxiety attack or emotional distress over simple things is caused by chemical imbalances in the brain. Your brain has thousands of neurotransmitters, which are responsible for sending signals from your brain to the rest of your body. Some of these neurotransmitters, like serotonin, are in charge of emotions such as pain, joy, anger and pleasure. When the levels of these neurotransmitters are not balanced, you may experience severe panic attacks or you may develop anxiety disorders. Medicine such as Tricyclic Antidepressants, Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors and Benzodiazepines regulate the neurotransmitters in your brain to decrease the severity and lessen the frequency of your anxiety attacks.

2. Therapy. Most of the time, therapy is given in combination with medication as an effective dual method in treating anxiety disorders. The type of therapy most often used is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, where doctors teach you how to look at life and its many challenges with a more positive outlook. This type of therapy aims to change your way of thinking and how you cope with stress and anxiety. Some doctors even teach you meditation and breathing techniques to help you relax more easily.

3. Diet. Although medication and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy are great tools in treating anxiety disorders, eating healthily can also help you cope with your anxiety attacks and lessen your stress. There are certain foods that are stimulants, such as coffee, soda and chocolate and these should be avoided if possible. Stimulants, like caffeine, can make anxiety symptoms increase. Sugar should also be avoided since this can stress the body (that is why we refer to the giddy feeling after eating sugar as a “sugar high”) and then make it crash back down. It’s advised to avoid carbohydrates and complex sugars and trade these for whole grain food and unrefined sugar.

4. Exercise. Jogging, yoga and even brisk walking can increase your body’s flow of oxygen and cause your brain to release endorphins–hormones that can make you feel satisfied and pleased. When you exercise, you can also be distracted from whatever is causing your worries or anxiety.

If you regularly experience anxiety attacks and let worry and fear affect your life, take a step back and consider if your excess stress is developing into a serious anxiety disorder. Don’t let this get in the way of your life-there are many different methods used in treating anxiety disorders. With medication, therapy, proper diet and exercise, you can stop worrying about worrying too much!

Rebecca Hughes has suffered from Panic Attacks and Anxiety Disorders most of her adult life. Rebecca has become an expert in the field and has discovered how to successfully overcome the condition without the need for any drugs or medication. Rebecca is fully aware of the impact Anxiety Disorders can have on your life and is committed to helping her fellow sufferers. You can learn more about Treating Anxiety Disorders and Rebecca’s success story in her 9 part mini-series available at http://www.panicattackcentre.com along with a wealth of additional information on the subject.
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At one time or another we have all experienced anxiety; a natural reaction to particular stressors in our lives. Juggling career demands, personal relationships, and family schedules can provoke anyone to have moments when the anxiety becomes palpable and manifests itself in a number of physical symptoms. It is only when anxiety is persistent and pervasive – interfering with everyday activities – which sufferers turn to anxiety treatment to help manage their symptoms and bring balance and order back into their life.

Anxiety treatment – like the anxiety that we experience – is varied; depending on the severity and frequency of the episodes and the personal needs of the sufferer. Those battling ongoing anxiety often experience persistent heightened levels of panic and fear – either in general or in response to particular situations. The treatment that will bring relief must be decided between patient and doctor and only comes after a comprehensive examination and proper diagnosis.

Most often, those who turn to treatment options are experiencing what has been defined as anxiety disorder – an umbrella diagnosis that refers to many different forms of anxiety including panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, social anxiety, and general anxiety disorder. Not every treatment works for every sufferer so it is vitally important that each person who seeks treatment does so in accordance with their medical practitioner. Your doctor will be able to run a series of tests to first ensure that the symptoms experienced as a result of anxiety are not instead manifestations of a physical ailment or disease.

Once anxiety has been diagnosed, a treatment plan is put into place. One such anxiety treatment is what as known as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). CBT is conducted by a licensed therapist – a reputable practioner that your primary doctor can recommend – and focuses on changing the thinking and behavior of the anxiety sufferer. Individual catalysts of anxiety are identified with each patient – particular situations that most often provoke anxiety. Once these provocations are identified, the therapist can then work with the patient to put tools in place to help the patient work through the anxiety during particular situations. Often – after much work has been done – the therapist will expose the patient to situations that provoke stress; in some cases, frequent exposure can actually desensitize the patient to the situation and anxiety levels are lowered considerably. CBT can take months to fully reveal its benefits. But often it is well worth the work as patients can learn to manage their anxiety without the use of medications.

Holistic anxiety treatment is another method used to manage anxiety. Such treatments include the taking of herbal remedies that have been shown to have effectiveness in anxiety management. However, it is important to work with a doctor in determining what herbal treatments may work for you; some are not recommended in conjunction with other medication so it is important to proceed with care. Other patients report success with such therapies as acupuncture, biofeedback – a form of self-hypnosis – and other relaxation techniques such as meditation, and therapeutic massage.

When anxiety continues even after the implementation of therapy and holistic remedies, a doctor may prescribe medication to help control anxiety symptoms. Luckily, medical advancements have made medication safe and effective when used under the care of a doctor; and many people report substantial success with the help of medications. Your doctor can prescribe the medication that is most likely to work with your particular situation.

Finally, it is important to take extra care of yourself if you suffer from anxiety. Anxiety treatment also relies on the patient knowing to what best their body responds. A healthy diet, regular exercise, and plentiful sleep can go a long way toward helping lower anxiety levels.

For more information on anxiety try visiting http://www.BestAnxietyRelief.com a website that specializes in providing anxiety related tips, advice and resources to include information on anxiety treatment.
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 There are many different ways that a person can recover from anxiety, and some of those are promoted heavily at this website:  exercise, medication, counseling, support groups,  and cognitive-behavioral therapy, to name a few. 

 But, which is most effective? Exercise, medication, or a combination of both?  The most likely answer is a multidisciplinary treatment approach.  Exercise, alone, can help one’s condition greatly improve.  Medication, alone, can help in the short term, but its effects tend to diminish over the long term, and in some cases, completely disappear altogether.  Counseling or support groups can be helpful, but sometimes the progress can be slow and difficult to notice. 

 Speaking from personal experience, the best way to approach anxiety seems to be to treat it from multiple angles at once.  Performing exercise can be very useful, but where does a person go when he or she begins to feel burned out?  Exercise is not the cure-all solution.  When a person begins to burn out and feel as though he or she is unable to go on, the best thing to have around is another person or persons who can help that person get back on track, emotionally speaking. 

 For myself, the first thing that went into place was exercise.  Exercise, as noted in another article, increases self-confidence, self-esteem, and it burns off much of that anxiety.  But, also as noted before, it only works to a certain extent, and sometimes support from another human being provides much greater benefits than exercise could in the same circumstances.  Then, sometimes both of these are not enough and more personal attention is needed; specifically, attention from a trained professional counselor.  These individuals have the experience and expertise to deal with situations that may baffle others.  The duration for which one decides to meet with a counselor is completely up to that person; in most cases, the client and the counselor mutually agree that the client has gained enough skill at managing anxiety that he or she is now able to go on his or her own. 

 Then comes the oh-so-controversial topic of medication, a subject covered in multiple other articles at this site.  What I found that medication did for me was that it was like putting a jet engine on a car.  It helped to relax me to the point where my social anxiety was minimized enough such that I could tolerate new and more difficult social experiences.  I feel that I could have gained the same skill and relaxation on my own through exercise and consistent exposure to anxiety-provoking situations, but the medication really helped me to calm down, be in new situations, and gain skill at managing anxiety much more quickly than if I had not used it.  It is important to note that by no means was the medication a cure for the condition; rather, it simply reduced the symptoms to make certain situations more tolerable.

 A multifaceted approach to treating anxiety is certainly the most effective, however, it is not required.  It is ultimately up to the individual to decided how he or she would like to treat his or her anxiety.  The rule to keep in mind is that the more supports that are kept in place, the more progress the person will be able to make.  Progress will also be made in a quicker fashion, which may be desirable because many people have suffered anxiety for many years and are longing for relief.

 A person that has just identified him or her self as suffering from an anxiety disorder should engage in regular exercise, counseling, a support group, and probably have a small dose of medication as well.  In the beginning is when a person is most vulnerable; therefore it is wisest to have the most supports in place at this time.  As one grows in confidence and skill, many of the supports can be dropped.  Counseling and support groups have become unnecessary for myself.  However, some may choose to stay in support groups to struggle with occasional issues that do arise, and oftentimes, these persons will have expertise which they would like to share with others.  Long-term, I plan to go off my medication because I place strong distrust in drugs and drug companies, which put money, not people and their well-being, at the top of their list.  Exercise is one thing, it seems, that always helps, so it seems unwise of a person to stop it at any time.

 It is important to remember that the level of involvement in each of these supports is up to the individual; different things work for different people.  As long as one feels as though he or she is making steady progress, he or she should continue to do what he or she is doing. 

 Overall, a multidisciplinary approach is far more effective than any one method is alone, and it is up to each person to figure out what works for him or her.  Any good professional can confirm this information.  Good luck out there as you work to manage your anxiety!

I am a senior social work student and am planning on attending graduate school in the Fall. I have made a strong recovery from anxiety and have an excellent way with words, so I am attempting to put that skill to use by writing articles. I currently write the articles primarily for my anxiety recovery site, http://www.anxietysupportnetwork.com, but I also use many other mediums to distribute the information.
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