Medications and Complementary Therapies to Treat Anxiety
Everyone is worried and anxious at times, but those who suffer from anxiety have a difficult to control their reactions. Psychotherapy and medication like beta blockers that are used to control blood pressure, and benzodiazepines can help.
Self-help strategies can help ease symptoms. For instance, exercise can reduce stress and relaxes the body.
Medication
If a change in lifestyle or psychotherapy don't help with your anxiety, medication could be a viable option. Anxiety medications can help reduce fear signals and the body's fight or flight response. Antidepressants are the most common drugs used to treat anxiety. They increase levels of certain neurotransmitters that influence mood. SSRIs like citalopram (citalopram), escitalopram (escitalopram), sertraline (prozac) and citalopram (escitalopram) are usually the first drugs prescribed. SNRIs such as duloxetine, venlafaxine and tricyclic antidepressants like Tofranil (imipramine), Elavil, or Pamelor are also effective in treating anxiety.
The benzodiazepines can also be used to combat anxiety. They are quick-acting, and can be helpful in the short-term. However, they can be addictive. Benzodiazepines are used to treat insomnia and anxiety.
Only licensed health professionals are able to prescribe medications to treat anxiety. These providers include psychologists and psychiatrists as well as primary care physicians, some doctors of OB/GYNs and some psychiatrist nurses. Nurse practitioners, family practice physicians and psychiatric nurses can also prescribe certain medications, but they must receive special training to do this.
Some people use alternative therapies, like exercise, to reduce anxiety. You can also find relaxation techniques to reduce stress, including deep breathing and mindfulness meditation. 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.
Lastly, natural supplements such as melatonin and 5-HTP can also help ease anxiety. Consult your physician before taking supplements to treat anxiety or any other condition. Utilizing supplements in conjunction with a complete treatment plan that includes lifestyle and psychotherapy can enhance the effectiveness of your treatment.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).
CBT is among the many psychotherapeutic treatments for anxiety disorders that has been thoroughly researched and supported by empirical evidence. It focuses on the maladaptive thoughts or behaviors that lead to anxiety. While a variety of individual CBT protocols have been developed for various anxiety disorders, they all share certain common treatment goals and techniques.
The first step in CBT is to identify the thoughts that are not working and cause anxiety. During sessions, patients learn to recognize negative beliefs and confront them. The therapist can also help patients identify and change avoidance behaviours. The therapist will ask patients to keep diaries or "thought records" outside of sessions and to practice the strategies they've learned in everyday life.
The ultimate goal is to teach patients how to be their own therapists, helping them to understand their current patterns of thinking and behavior. This will help them overcome unfounded fears and anxiety, as well as other negative emotions and be more resilient.
CBT techniques involve identifying and changing mental distortions that affect the patient that lead to overgeneralization, catastrophizing, and minimizing positive events. The therapist can also help the patient develop strategies for coping for stressful situations. These techniques can be applied to all kinds of anxiety disorders. Often, they are incorporated into a comprehensive approach to mental health called "cognitive-behavioral therapy".
Exposure therapy is another element of CBT. This involves exposing the patient to the object or situation that creates anxiety. This can be done by creating a mental picture or confronting the situation or object in real life. A person suffering from PTSD who is scared of a specific location, could be urged by their doctor to visit the place in which they were attacked. A person suffering from social anxiety disorder, who is scared of public speaking, might be encouraged to make a speech before an audience.
Some studies have shown that combining strategies of CBT and pharmacotherapy improve outcomes. However, these results aren't conclusive, and further research is required. In general, combining medications and CBT is more effective than each alone. Combinations of benzodiazepines as well as CBT have been proven to be particularly effective in patients suffering from panic disorder as well as generalized anxiety disorder.
Therapy for exposure
Exposure therapy is among the most effective ways to manage anxiety. It can help you confront the things you are scared of in a comfortable environment with a therapist. The process might sound daunting but it can help you realize that your fears are unfounded and that you can tolerate the discomfort that triggers you. It can also help increase your confidence in navigating the challenges of life.
There are anxiety attack treatment of exposure therapies, including imaginal therapy, virtual reality and systematic desensitization. For example, if you're scared of speaking in public Your therapist may encourage you to imagine yourself speaking or to practice with a friend. You can then gradually confront the issue with your therapist's assistance. In each session, your therapist will check to see whether you're feeling anxious or scared and adjust the intensity depending on the needs.
In a session your therapist will show you to calm and manage your emotions before explaining the triggers that cause you anxiety. This can include techniques like mindfulness, rhythmic breathing and guided imagery. They also teach strategies to avoid engaging the behavior that triggers anxiety, such avoidance of elevators. Exposure therapy is typically conducted over a number of weekly sessions. However, some people require more than one or two sessions to overcome their fear.
The first step is to pinpoint what triggers your anxiety. For example, flying on a plane or being around strangers. Your therapist will assist you to decide on the method of exposure therapy that fits your needs and personality. This could include using an order to determine the order in which exposures are given or a relaxation practice prior to beginning.
In vivo exposure therapy involves directly facing the thing or event that you're scared of. It could be as easy as crossing an overpass or having someone else contact your arm. This method can be used to treat specific anxiety disorders and posttraumatic stress disorder.
It can be challenging to fit in sessions for vivo exposure therapy. Therefore it is essential to find a therapist that is skilled in this type of cognitive therapy for behavioral disorders. You can locate an experienced specialist by searching your local psychology association or mental health network. You can also read reviews and ask family and friends for recommendations.
Complementary therapies
Complementary therapies encompass a broad variety of treatments for health that are not considered to be part of Western medicine. They can aid in reducing anxiety by teaching relaxation techniques and encouraging healthy lifestyles. These treatments include acupuncture, herbal medicine, meditation, Yoga massage, music therapy, and yoga. They can also reduce depression symptoms by lowering the levels of stress hormones within your body.
Recent research has shown that mindfulness-based programs resulted in moderate improvement in anxiety symptoms. This method employs various techniques of meditation to improve mindfulness, or the ability of being present in the moment and let go of negative thoughts and feelings. This type of meditation can be done by anyone, and it doesn't require special equipment or training. However, those with physical limitations may not be able in meditation that requires moving.
Other therapies that can relieve anxiety include breathing exercise, progressive muscle relaxation (PMR), biofeedback, self-hypnosis, and the use of hypnosis. These techniques assist you in controlling anxiety by focusing on relaxing muscle breathing, calming breath and visual imagery. These techniques can be employed at home or in a treatment environment. These techniques are often paired with other forms therapy, like cognitive behavioral therapy or exposure therapy.
Another method to reduce 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 in turn can reduce anxiety symptoms.
Cognitive behavior therapy is a highly effective treatment for anxiety. It teaches you to recognize and confront negative thoughts that cause anxiety. Your therapist will teach you how to evaluate fears and determine their likelihood of occurrence. You can apply strategies like looking at your fears in relation to previous experiences by weighing the pros and cons of the situation, and determining whether it's realistic to be worried about something that might occur.
Acupuncture, an ancient Chinese technique, can be used to relieve stress. It is based on the evaluation of excesses or deficiencies in your energy (called Qi) found in specific meridians. A deficiency in the spleen meridian or kidney can trigger anxiety. Some studies suggest that acupuncture can help alleviate anxiety symptoms when paired with psychotherapy and other CAM methods.