Experiencing anxiety is normal when you face a new situation or are under stress. But if your anxiety is so pervasive and debilitating that it affects your everyday life and relationships, you might be suffering from an anxiety disorder. This mental health issue affects about 40 million American adults in any given year, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. These disorders can endure for at least six months and worsen if untreated. They frequently occur in tandem with other physical and mental illnesses.
Step 1
Understand what you're facing. Anxiety disorders cause a variety of symptoms, including feeling apprehensive and powerless. Your heart might race or you hyperventilate. These disorders also fall into about a dozen diagnosable mental health conditions. They include panic attacks, which start suddenly and cause apprehension, and agoraphobia, which results in avoiding situations or places that fill you with panic. Phobias, which cause anxiety when you're exposed to a specific situation or object, are considered anxiety disorders. Also included is obsessive-compulsive disorder, characterized by recurring thoughts and impulses, and post-traumatic stress disorder, when you feel you're again experiencing an extremely traumatic event.
Step 2
Evaluate the severity of your anxiety. It can be difficult to discern when your anxiety has moved from an appropriate response to a mental health problem. Red flags include anxiety so severe it interferes with your work or your relationships, or you have substance abuse issues or depression along with your anxiety, or you think physical problems are contributing to your anxious feelings. If anxiety is fueling suicidal thoughts or behaviors, you should seek emergency treatment immediately.
Step 3
Request a diagnostic evaluation. Even if you think you need treatment for an anxiety disorder, your doctor should conduct a thorough evaluation first to rule out physical problems. If a physical problem isn't causing the symptoms, the doctor then must identify the type of disorder along with coexisting conditions, such as substance abuse or depression. Sometimes those conditions must be dealt with first before treating the anxiety disorder.
Step 4
Know your treatment options. Typically, anxiety disorders are treated with medication, which can only be prescribed by a medical doctor, and psychotherapy, which is done with a qualified mental health professional. Your treatment may involve a combination of both. The options depend on your specific anxiety disorder and your preference, in consultation with your doctor and mental health professional.
Tips and Warnings
- Check with your insurance plan to see if it covers treatment for anxiety disorders. If you don't have insurance, your county government may offer mental health services at a public clinic that charges based on ability to pay. People on public assistance should check for help through your state's Medicaid plan.
