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Anxiety Disorders

Anxiety disorders affect about 40 million American adults 18 years and older (about 18%) in a given year (Kessler, Chiu, Demler, & Walters, 2005). Anxiety causes fearfulness which at times can be paralyzing. Typical brief anxiety, which comes from a stressful event, passes quickly and is in proportion to the experienced event. Anxiety disorders are longer lasting and often out of proportion to the event. The oldest part of the brain gives three responses: flight, fight, or freeze. Females are known in fear more than males to seek affiliation, but both genders have the three f's as their first response.

The symptoms of anxiety can take physical form - like trembling, stomach aches, migraines, heart palpitations; mental form – racing thoughts, inability to concentrate, thoughts of impending doom; emotional form - like fear, nervousness, worry, and even panic. Anxiety and depression often co-occur, and anxiety is likely to occur with many other disorders of the mind and body.

Treatment for anxiety, unlike some of the other treatments, generally can be completed in 8 -12 sessions, if there are specific signs and symptoms, and you are willing to follow through on practicing the new coping skills daily upon leaving each session. At times, there are underlying issues that demand a longer course of treatment, or multiple disorders to treat simultaneously.

The types of anxiety disorders can appear in mild to severe form. At times, anxiety responds best to treatment that includes the use of medication. These are: Social phobia (social anxiety disorder) - fear of public criticism; obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) - fear of germs/dirt/sexual or violent thoughts, harming someone, or violating a moral code; generalized anxiety disorder - overall fairly constant worry about life's ups and downs; post-traumatic stress disorder - fear of a traumatic event reoccurring (either experienced or witnessed); specific phobia- fear of an object or event, like spiders or elevators; and panic disorder - sudden spells of extreme fear, which can be accompanied by agoraphobia (an inability to leave the house).

Join me in lowering your anxiety through practicing being led by love instead of driven by fear. You may be surprised how much more time you have to be free once your anxiety is lessened or completely abated. Learn to say to yourself, "I haven't been able to do that yet." This will add some hope to your step and encourage you to move forward.

I find it a privilege to journey with the clientele I have served over the past 13 years as a psychotherapist. And, I bring 25 years of experience as an educator, details) and co-journeyer to support your unique healing process. Come join me, as together we seek Freedom Through Psychotherapy: Transforming Lives, Healing Hearts.

Seek more information at: https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/anxiety-disorders/index.shtml

Kessler, R, Chiu, W, Demler, O, Walters, E. Prevalence, severity, and comorbidity of twelve-month DSM-IV disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R). Archives of General Psychiatry, 2005 Jun;62(6): 617-27.