More than 20% of American adults struggle with anxiety symptoms in their lifetime, making anxiety related disorders the most common mental health conditions in the country. Like other mental health disorders, anxiety disorders are chronic and incurable. Symptoms can become disabling, interfering with your ability to work or go to school. Overwhelming symptoms can make dealing with anxiety difficult without help.
Symptoms may cause you to isolate from others, which can increase your feelings of loneliness and depression. With proper treatment, medications, therapy, and lifestyle changes, dealing with anxiety can become manageable and allow you to regain control of your life.
What are Anxiety Disorders?
Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health symptoms in the country. Some of the most common anxiety-related disorders include:
- Generalized anxiety disorder
- Panic disorder
- Obsessive compulsive disorder
- Social Phobia
Anxiety disorders can cause extreme worrying, which can hurt your daily life. You can experience anxiety and panic attacks or deal with irrational fears. Recognizing that fear or concern is irrational can worsen your anxiety. Anxiety disorders can cause you to fixate or obsess over things like social interactions and your appearance.
Anxiety disorders can lead to difficulty interacting and socializing with others, especially if you deal with panic attacks. Sometimes, social anxiety limits your ability to get along with others or maintain normal relationships. The constant fear of an anxiety attack or re-emergence of symptoms can make it hard to fulfill your obligations or commitments. You can also suffer from other mental health disorders or substance abuse problems when you have an anxiety disorder.
Constant anxiety can increase your chances of self-medicating with psychoactive substances, like alcohol. Unfortunately, using drugs and alcohol can aggravate and worsen your anxiety symptoms. Controlling anxiety takes time, which is why early treatment is so important. For example, anxiety and ADHD programs can help you develop coping skills.
Dealing With Anxiety
Dealing with anxiety is difficult without treatment. Symptoms can continue to worsen significantly until you get help. Although there is no cure for anxiety related disorders, dealing with anxiety is possible with medications and therapy. Medications can help limit things like anxiety attacks and improve your mood.
Therapies such as cognitive and dialectic behavioral therapy help you learn how to identify and change negative thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Inpatient and outpatient anxiety disorder treatment programs can also incorporate holistic therapies. Holistic treatments focus on treating your body, mind, and spirit and can help improve cognition, concentration and relaxation.
Learning healthy coping strategies to reduce your anxiety, such as practicing meditation, is another important part of treatment. Negative emotions can trigger your anxiety, causing your symptoms to become overwhelming. Finding ways to relax, such as deep breathing, can help you learn how to start controlling anxiety.
Anxiety Disorder Treatment
Dealing with anxiety is difficult, especially without help. Even if symptoms make you feel alone or isolated, reaching out for help is the first step in recovery. Call us today at 855.786.1978 to learn more about our programs.
Licensed Physician and Surgeon
Dr. Beth Dunlap, a board-certified addiction medicine and family medicine physician, and is the medical director at Northern Illinois Recovery Center. She is responsible for overseeing all the integrated medical services at both campuses. Beth completed medical school, residency, and fellowship at Northwestern University, where she continues to serve on the faculty as a member of the Department of Family and Community Medicine. She has extensive experience in addiction medicine at all levels of care, and her clinical interests include integrated primary care and addiction medicine, harm reduction, and medication-assisted treatment.
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