When Does Anxiety Require Professional Help?

 Anxiety disorders affect around 26.4% of men and 40.4% of women in the United States, according to the American Medical Association (AMA). They appear to be more prevalent in children and younger adults, fading over time.

If your anxiety hasn’t diminished over the years, and/or you use unhealthy ways to cope with those feelings, such as alcohol or drugs, you may be better served through therapy.

Board-certified psychiatric nurse practitioner Anne-Marie Odo, DNP, gets to the root of your anxiety to help you manage those seemingly unmanageable feelings at Semper Healthcare Services in Addison, Texas. Here’s what she wants you to know about anxiety, when it’s time for professional help, and how it is treated.

What are anxiety disorders?

Your mind races, your body tenses, you feel dizzy. Anxiety affects everyone differently. If it continuously interrupts your everyday life, you may suffer from an anxiety disorder.

Anxiety disorders cause both psychological and physical symptoms, including:

• Panic
• Irritability
• Difficulty concentrating
• Obsessive thoughts
• Restlessness
• Insomnia
• Dry mouth
• Heart palpitations
• Shortness of breath 

You may also experience full-blown anxiety attacks, causing intense fear accompanied by shortness of breath and/or a racing heart. Fortunately, with help, there is hope. 

Types of anxiety disorders

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), anxiety disorders remain the most common mental health problem in our country. These include: 

Panic disorders 

Sudden, overwhelming feelings, known as a panic attack, often cause both physical and emotional symptoms, such as shortness of breath, intense fear, and chest pain.   

Phobias

While most of us outgrow childhood fears of the dark or being left alone, many develop phobias involving certain situations or objects. When these triggers become hard to avoid, it can become overwhelming, causing you to limit your life in many ways. 

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)

Constant worry can consume your day, leading to physical symptoms such as headaches and/or nausea. 

Social anxiety disorder

This goes beyond shyness, resulting in intense dread about common social interactions. It often keeps you from participating in conversations and other situations for fear of being humiliated.

Dr. Odo addresses your concerns to help you overcome your anxiety and phobias. 

Signs that it’s time to get help

When anxiety interferes with your everyday life, a therapist may be able to help.

Some indications that your anxiety has gotten out of hand include:

Continual concern about your safety

Feeling hypervigilant about danger may be due to past trauma or an anxiety disorder.

Constant worry

Feeling on edge, worrying about every detail of your life, and/or believing the worst may happen is often due to anxiety.

Trouble attending social activities, school, or work

Severe anxiety might make you extremely nervous when interacting with others, interfering with your daily life.

Avoiding family and friends

Your anxiety may affect your relationships with family and friends, leading to loneliness and social isolation.

Dr. Odo identifies the causes of your anxiety to tackle them through therapy.

Ways to manage anxiety

When anxiety becomes too much to handle on your own, Dr. Odo offers cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and other measures, such as medication, to help you cope. These may include:

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)

One of the most popular therapies for anxiety, CBT, a form of talk therapy, helps you better handle negative:

• Thoughts
• Actions
• Emotions

Dr. Odo builds your awareness of any negative thinking or behavioral patterns that may be connected to your anxiety, to help you respond in a more productive manner.

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)

TMS targets specific areas of your brain using powerful magnets to alter its basic wiring and improve unwanted symptoms.

Medication management

Anti-anxiety drugs help calm your mind and reduce fight-or-flight hormones.

Dr. Odo also recommends certain lifestyle changes to ease your anxiety in healthy ways, such as:

• Eat fatty fish, leafy greens, and whole grains with calming omega-3 and magnesium. 
• Avoid alcohol and recreational drugs that worsen your anxiety.
• Exercise more to relieve stress and remain active.
• Quit smoking to remove anxiety-inducing nicotine from your life.
• Limit caffeine.
• Reach out to family and friends to reduce isolation.
• Paint, play music, or write in a journal to express your feelings creatively.
• Practice mindfulness, meditation, and/or yoga to slow racing thoughts.

Therapy, along with certain lifestyle changes, enables you to process your feelings and identify better ways to cope.

Help is on the way

If you’re ready to find new ways to relieve your anxiety or other mental health issues, Dr. Odo and our team can help you manage your symptoms via cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and other techniques, from meditation to medication. Just call our office at 469-746-3114 at Semper Healthcare Services or book an appointment online today.