Is Treat Anxiety As Important As Everyone Says?
Medications and Complementary Therapies to Treat Anxiety
People with anxiety are unable to control their reactions. Everyone is anxious and nervous at times. Psychotherapy can help, as do medications such as beta blockers (used to lower blood pressure) and benzodiazepines.
Self-help strategies can help ease symptoms. Exercise, for instance can help reduce stress and relax your body.
Medication
If changes in your lifestyle or psychotherapy don't help with anxiety, medication might be a viable option. Anxiety medication suppresses fears and triggers the fight or flight response in the body. Antidepressants are the most commonly used medication used to treat anxiety, are antidepressants. They increase levels of certain neurotransmitters that affect mood. SSRIs such as citalopram (citalopram), escitalopram (escitalopram), sertraline (prozac) and citalopram (escitalopram) are typically the first drugs prescribed. SNRIs such as duloxetine, dulafaxine and tricyclic antidepressants such as Tofranil (imipramine), Elavil, or Pamelor are also effective in treating anxiety.
Sometimes, benzodiazepines can be used to treat anxiety. They're quick-acting and can be very helpful in the short-term however, they can be addictive and should only be employed when other treatments fail to work. Benzodiazepines are commonly used to treat insomnia and anxiety.
Only licensed health professionals are able to prescribe medications to treat anxiety. These doctors include psychologists, psychiatrists, primary care physicians and some OB-GYNs. They must also receive special training to prescribe medication.
Certain people make use of alternative therapies, like exercise, to ease anxiety. They can also discover ways to relax and reduce stress like mindfulness meditation and deep breathing. Biofeedback can be another beneficial technique, in which a therapist monitors your brain-wave patterns on an electroencephalograph and teaches you how to control them at will.
Additionally, natural supplements such as 5-HTP or melatonin may help ease anxiety. Talk to how anxiety is treated to taking supplements for anxiety, or any other condition. Supplements in conjunction with a comprehensive treatment plan that includes psychotherapy and lifestyle changes can maximize the effectiveness of your treatment.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is one of the most extensively studied and empirically supported psychotherapeutic approaches for treating anxiety disorders. It targets the maladaptive thoughts and behaviors that perpetuate anxiety over time. Despite the fact that different CBT protocols were designed for different anxiety disorders they all share common goals and strategies for treatment.
CBT begins by identifying dysfunctional thought patterns which contribute to anxiety. Through sessions, patients learn to recognize these negative beliefs and confront them. The therapist may also assist patients recognize and modify their behavior patterns that cause them to avoid. The therapist will request patients to keep diaries or "thought records" outside of sessions and to apply the strategies they've learned in their daily life.
The ultimate goal is to help patients become their own therapists, by helping them understand their current patterns in thinking and behavior. This will enable them overcome unfounded fears and anxieties, decrease their anxiety levels and other negative emotions, and become more resilient.
CBT methods focus on the identification and correction of distortions in the patient's thinking that lead to overgeneralization and catastrophizing. In addition, therapists will help the patient to develop strategies for dealing with stressful situations. These techniques can be applied to all types of anxiety disorders. Often, they are incorporated into a comprehensive approach to mental health called "cognitive-behavioral therapy".
Exposure therapy is an additional component of CBT. It involves exposure therapy, which involves exposing the patient to the situation or object that creates anxiety. This can be done by making up a scenario or imagining the object or scenario in real life. For instance, a patient suffering from PTSD who fears a specific location might be encouraged to visit the place in which they were assaulted. A person with social anxiety disorder who fears public speaking might be encouraged to deliver a speech front of a group.
Certain studies have demonstrated that combination strategies of pharmacotherapy and CBT can improve outcomes. However, the results aren't conclusive, and further research is required. In general, combining medications and CBT is more effective than any one by itself. Combinations of benzodiazepines and CBT have been shown to be particularly effective for patients suffering from panic disorder as well as generalized anxiety disorder.
Therapy for exposure
One of the most effective treatments for anxiety is exposure therapy, which helps you confront the things that make you anxious in a safe environment with an experienced therapist. The process may sound difficult, but it can help you learn that your fears are unfounded and that you can tolerate the discomfort caused by your triggers. It will also increase your confidence in dealing with life's challenges.
There are a variety of forms of exposure therapy, such as virtual reality, imaginal, and systematic desensitization. If you're scared to speak in public, your therapist could encourage you to practice with a buddy or imagine yourself delivering the speech. Then, you'll be able to gradually confront the situation in real life with the help of your therapist's support. In each session your therapist will be able to determine if you're experiencing anxiety or panic and adjust the intensity as needed.
During the session, your therapist will teach you how to relax and manage your emotions, and then introduces triggers that make you feel scared. This can include techniques like meditation, breathing with rhythm, and guided imagery. They also teach strategies to avoid engaging the behavior that causes anxiety, for example, avoiding elevators. Exposure therapy is usually carried out in a series of weekly sessions. However, some individuals require more than one or two sessions to overcome their fears.
The first step is to pinpoint the thing or event that causes anxiety, such as being on a plane or in a crowd of strangers. Your therapist will help you choose the best exposure therapy method that suits your preferences and personality. This could involve using an orderly system to determine the sequence in which exposures are performed or practicing relaxation techniques prior to starting.
In vivo exposure therapy is confronting the thing or event that you're scared of. This could be as simple as crossing an overpass or having someone else reach out to you. This technique can be used to treat specific anxiety disorders and posttraumatic stress disorder.
In vivo exposure therapy can be difficult to incorporate into your schedule between appointments, which is why it is essential to find a therapist that is skilled in this kind of cognitive therapy. You can find an experienced specialist by searching your local psychology association or the mental health network. It's also a good idea to read reviews and ask family members or friends for suggestions.
Complementary therapies
Complementary therapies are a wide variety of treatments for health that are not considered to be part of Western medicine. They can help reduce anxiety by teaching you relaxation techniques and encouraging healthy lifestyles. These treatments include acupuncture and herbal medicines, meditation, Yoga, music therapy, massage, and yoga. They can also help alleviate symptoms of depression by lowering levels of stress hormones within your body.
A recent study has found that mindfulness-based meditation programs were associated with moderate improvement in anxiety-related symptoms. This approach uses different types of meditation to help promote mindfulness, which is the ability to concentrate on the present moment and let go of negative thoughts and feelings. This type of meditation can be done by almost everyone, and does not require any special equipment or training. However, people with physical limitations may not be able to take part in meditation practices that require moving.
Other therapies that can relieve anxiety include breathing exercise and progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) biofeedback, self-hypnosis, and hypnosis. These techniques help you control your anxiety through focusing on relaxing muscle breathing, calming breathing, and visual imagery. These techniques can be employed at home or within an environment for treatment. They are usually employed in conjunction with other forms of therapy, like exposure therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy.
Another way to ease anxiety is to exercise regularly and eat a balanced, healthy diet. Regular exercise can decrease the heart rate, blood pressure and cortisol levels which are hormones that contribute to anxiety. A healthy diet can make you feel more energized which can reduce anxiety symptoms.
Cognitive behavior therapy is an effective treatment for anxiety. It teaches you how to identify and challenge negative thoughts that cause anxiety. Your therapist will demonstrate how to evaluate the potential for anxiety and assess their likelihood of occurrence. You can use strategies like looking at your fears in relation to previous experiences, taking into consideration the advantages and disadvantages of an event and determining whether or not it is reasonable to worry about something that might occur.
Acupuncture, a traditional Chinese technique, can be used to alleviate stress. It is based on the evaluation of excesses or deficiencies in your energy (called Qi) located in specific meridians. A deficiency of the spleen or kidney meridian can cause anxiety. Some studies suggest acupuncture may help alleviate anxiety symptoms when combined with psychotherapy or other CAM methods.