Feeling worried and anxious is normal and can happen at some point in our lives. However, if this keeps happening or persists for a long time, it may be an indication that you are struggling with an anxiety disorder. Anxiety disorder can weigh a person down to the point of not keeping up with the normal daily activities because he/she cannot stay calm for a long period. This not only affects the person suffering from it but also the people around them. Fortunately, you do not have to struggle on your own as anxiety treatment can help you deal with the condition by addressing the causes and tackling the symptoms, aiding you to live a full life again.
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What is anxiety?
Anxiety is a normal feeling that occurs in reaction to stress that alerts us to pay attention to a particular situation. However, anxiety becomes a stress disorder when it differs from normal feelings of anxiousness or nervousness and involves excessive anxiety and fear.
Anxiety disorder can hinder a person from functioning normally due to their recurring intrusive thoughts and compulsive behaviors. Anxiety attacks can sometimes be difficult to control and can last a long time even if the person is out of proportion to the actual danger.
Avoiding situations or places that might trigger a panic attack helps with the disorder but professional treatment from an anxiety specialist is required for the general well-being of the person.
Types of Anxiety
Anxiety disorder is normally diagnosed by a psychiatrist, and before undergoing any treatment, the anxiety specialist has to determine the specific type of the condition. There are several types of anxiety including:
- Generalized anxiety disorder. This is characterized by tension, exaggerated worry, and chronic anxiety, even when there is nothing or little to worry about.
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). OCD is characterized by recurrent obsessions (unwanted thoughts) and/or compulsions (repetitive behaviors). People with obsessive thoughts try to prevent them or make them go away by engaging in repetitive behaviors such as checking, counting, cleaning, or handwashing. However, this only provides temporary relief, and not performing them constantly increases anxiety.
- Panic disorder. This is characterized by unexpected and repeated sessions of intense fear combined with physical symptoms such as dizziness, shortness of breath, heart palpitations, abdominal stress, or chest pain.
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder PTSD. This is an anxiety disorder that is likely to develop after exposure to an ordeal or terrifying event that was threatened or caused grave physical harm. These events include accidents, military combat, natural or human-caused disasters, or violent personal assaults.
- Social anxiety disorder (Social Phobia). This anxiety disorder is characterized by excessive self-consciousness or overwhelming anxiety in everyday social situations. Social anxiety disorder is often limited to only one type of situation such as eating and drinking in front of others, fear of speaking in informal or formal situations or experiencing symptoms almost every time the person is around other people.
Common Signs and Symptoms
The common signs and symptoms of anxiety include:
- Sweating
- Trembling
- Feeling tense, nervous, and restlessness
- Increased heart rate
- Sense of impending doom, danger, or panic
- Feeling tired or weak
- Trouble sleeping or concentrating
- Difficulty controlling worry
- Avoiding things that can trigger anxiety
- Gastrointestinal problems
Causes Of Anxiety
Anxiety may be caused by various factors such as a physical condition, mental condition, stressful life events, effects of drugs, or a combination of these.
Anxiety can be caused by certain disorders such as:
- Panic disorder
- Phobic disorder
- Generalized anxiety disorder
- Stress disorder
Other common causes of an anxiety disorder include:
- Stress from work, school, finances, personal relationships, global occurrences, pandemics, emotional trauma, or medical illness.
- Side effects of medication
- Abuse of drugs
- Symptoms of certain medical conditions such as heat stroke, heart attack, or hypoglycemia
- Lack of enough oxygen in the body
Anxiety Treatment Options
There are two main types of treatment for anxiety, and these are:
- Medications for anxiety
- Therapies for anxiety
Sometimes these two types of treatment are combined for a better outcome. It may also take some time for you and your psychiatrist to discover which types of treatments work best for you.
Medications For Anxiety
Medications are useful for treating symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder. They can be used alone but they are often prescribed along with other therapies. There are some types of anxiety medications that can be addictive, thus they are usually prescribed on a short-term basis.
There are different types of medications for the different anxiety disorders with some being preventive while others are designed to treat the problem.
Medications for anxiety include Antidepressants and Antihistamines.
Therapies For Anxiety
Therapies for anxiety include psychotherapy, which is also known as psychological counseling or talk therapy. This form of treatment involves working with a therapist to minimize the symptoms of anxiety.
One of the most effective types of therapies used is cognitive behavior therapy (CBT). This is a short-term treatment that focuses on teaching specific skills that will reduce the symptoms thus enabling the patients to return to their normal activities which they avoided for fear of anxiety.
Anxiety Treatment FAQs
What is the best way to treat anxiety?
Anxiety is treated with either medication, psychotherapy, or a combination of both.
How long does anxiety take to treat?
There is no definite amount of time specified for anxiety treatment. Both psychotherapy and medication can be short-term or long-term depending on the severity of the anxiety disorder.
What do you do in a therapy session?
Therapy for anxiety mostly involves cognitive behavioral therapy in which the patient is taught to understand how his/her thoughts contribute to their anxiety. The patient then learns how to reduce those thought patterns to reduce the likelihood of anxiety symptoms.
How many sessions are needed?
There has been significant improvement after about 8-10 sessions of anxiety therapy according to the American Psychological Association.
Consult An Expert
Anxiety disorder is the most common type of mental disorder and about 30% of adults suffer from a form of anxiety at some point. If you feel that you are suffering from anxiety and you need professional help, anxiety treatment in Dubai can help you regain your normal life back. Get in touch with us at Euromed Clinic Center by calling us or filling out our online form. Our expert psychologists are ready to walk with you through this journey.
Check Out Our Specialists Profiles
Dr. Bahjat Balbous
Physician Specialist PsychiatryDr. Bahjat Balbous is a DHA-licensed psychiatrist having more than 25 years of experience. He uses the latest Neurofeedback therapy in treating ADHD, anxiety, depression, substance abuse, and other related disorders.
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