You’re worried about a work or school project or you’re apprehensive about an upcoming dental appointment. These are instances in which worry and anxiety are perfectly normal.
You can’t leave the house without going back, over and over, to check that the stove is off or you’re susceptible to frequent panic attacks during which you can’t breathe. These are examples of when anxiety becomes problematic and begins to hijack your life and mental wellness.
At the Institute for Advanced Psychiatry, Dr. Diana Ghelber and our team understand all too well how anxiety can take control of a person’s life, holding them prisoner to excessive worry and fear.
Here, we explore the different ways in which anxiety goes far beyond normal worry and presents itself as a clinical mental health issue. And, we take a look at how we can help you regain control of your life and happiness again.
Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health issue in the United States and affect 40 million adults, to say nothing of the scores of children who have anxiety. Another statistic that underscores just how prevalent anxiety is the fact that nearly 30% of adults will experience anxiety at some point in their lives.
The term, “anxiety,” isn’t a single condition, but a catchall for a number of different anxiety disorders, including:
Each of these disorders has its own unique characteristics, but underlying them all is a state of heightened stress that can have a significant mental and physical impact on a person.
We recognize that no two people suffer anxiety in the same exact way so we’re not going to go over symptoms here, but, rather, quality of life issues.
The first clue that your anxiety can benefit from professional help is when it impacts and limits your life. For example, you’re underperforming at school or work or you’re afraid to be around other people. When your anxiety forces you into an increasingly smaller and uncomfortable world, it’s time to break free with professional help.
Another sign that you should seek help for your anxiety is if you’re experiencing physical problems, such as fatigue, heart palpitations, muscle aches, headaches, or stomach upset. These are common physical manifestations of anxiety and they can take their toll on your health over time.
Lastly, if you find that relationships have suffered, this is also a sign that you should seek help for your anxiety. Connection with family and friends is important and, when your anxiety forces you into isolation, you lose these important lifelines.
As experts in mental health, we offer a number of different approaches for your anxiety disorder. The approach that will work best for you depends upon the type of anxiety. For example, we might turn to trauma resolution work for PTSD or cognitive behavioral therapy for OCD.
Medications can also play a critical role in helping with anxiety, as well as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) treatments. To give you an idea about how effective TMS can be, one study of 99 OCD patients found that TMS significantly improves OCD symptoms.
The first step is to come and see us so that we can evaluate your anxiety and find the best path forward for your goals and mental health.
To get started, please contact us at the Institute for Advanced Psychiatry in Granbury or Fort Worth, Texas, to set up an appointment.
