Online Anxiety Treatment
Anxiety can interrupt every part of your life. Anxiety disorders are a group of mental health conditions characterized by excessive, persistent worry and fear about everyday situations. Symptoms can include restlessness, difficulty concentrating, irritability, muscle tension, insomnia, and fatigue.
Wondering how to deal with anxiety?
​
Most people experience anxiety at some point in life due to times of increased stress. Some level of anxiety is expected in life. When anxiety begins to interfere with your daily life or relationships, you may have an anxiety disorder. There are several types of anxiety disorders, and each one has a defining set of symptoms.
For example, generalized anxiety disorder causes excessive worry over many aspects of your daily life, while social anxiety occurs when you meet new people or you're being watched by others.
As a group, anxiety disorders cause symptoms such as:
-
Fear, Dread, Worry and an inability to control it
-
Irritability or short tempered
-
Feeling restless or on edge
-
Nervousness
-
Difficulty concentrating, overthinking.
-
Physical symptoms: Sweating, trembling, racing heart, nausea, irritable bowels, headaches, stomachaches.
-
Trouble sleeping, waking with dread
-
Panic attacks
​
When should I seek treatment for anxiety?
Consider seeking treatment if you feel like anxiety is consuming your life and interfering with work or your relationships. You may also notice you have increased your use of alcohol or other substances (tobacco, cannabis) to help with your anxiety. This is a good indicator you may need medical help to manage your anxiety.
How is anxiety treated?
Our team will work with you to find the best anxiety medication for your unique situation, and we’ll monitor your dose to make sure it’s delivering the relief you need. Plus, we’ll offer lifestyle suggestions to jumpstart your anxiety treatment and healing process. Together, we can beat this.
How quickly to anxiety meds work?
Anxiety medicines don’t work overnight. You may need to take an anxiety medicine for 4-8 weeks before you get a sense of how it’s working for you. You’ll probably see the full benefits of the medicines after 3 months. We will see you monthly until you feel better and are ready to spread out your appointments.
How long will I need to take anxiety medication?
Most people stay on anxiety medicines for 12 months the first time they take them. If your anxiety returns, then one option is to stay on anxiety medicines lifelong.
​
PTSD
What is PTSD?
PTSD is a mental health condition that begins after you experience an event that threatens your safety or causes physical harm. You may also develop PTSD if you witness a traumatic event or a friend or family member had the experience.
​
PTSD is best known for affecting veterans. However, anyone can have PTSD after traumas such as:
-
Sexual assault
-
Physical assault
-
Emotional or physical abuse – living in a home with emotional volatility or substance abuse
-
Neglect – a prolonged period of not having your emotional or physical needs met.
-
Car crash
-
Airplane or train accidents
-
Earthquakes, floods, or tornadoes
-
Gun violence
-
Robberies
-
Fires
These traumatic events naturally cause distress, anxiety, and fear, but the symptoms improve before long. If your feelings don't improve or get worse, you may have PTSD.
What symptoms occur due to PTSD?
Intrusion symptoms
Intrusion means you keep reexperiencing the trauma through flashbacks, nightmares, and memories that uncontrollably invade your thoughts. Reliving the event causes emotional and physical distress.
Negative thoughts and feelings
After the event, you may become depressed or anxious. Many people with PTSD feel shame, guilt, or fear that stops them from interacting with other people. You may also feel sad or isolate yourself from others.
Avoidance
PTSD makes you go out of your way to avoid the places, people, or objects that remind you of the traumatic event.
Arousal and reactivity
Arousal and reactivity refer to feeling hypervigilant or like you're constantly on high alert as you watch for anything that may trigger a flashback. You may feel on edge or find that you easily lose your temper or get angry. Some people have difficulty concentrating or sleeping.
How is PTSD treated?
PTSD treatment is based on talk therapy. Your therapist focuses on easing your anxiety and teaching new coping mechanisms for dealing with your symptoms. Many people with PTSD need help identifying the things that trigger their flashbacks or anger outbursts and coming up with a plan to avoid their triggers.
Your therapist may also help you better manage the many aspects of your life affected by PTSD. For example, you may need help restoring your social life or overcoming feelings of shame, guilt, or fear.
Medications may help if you suffer from nightmares, anxiety, depression due to PTSD. Treatment also consists of talk therapy and learning to identify how your trauma is affecting you. You may need help identifying the triggers and physical manifestations (somatic experience) of your PTSD.
Referrals
We strive to collaborate with healthcare providers! Please fax demographics, ROI, and a copy of your last note with reason for referral to 682-224-8832. We will contact your patient to schedule an appointment. We will fax you a copy of our note (if ROI on file) and are available for phone consult at your convenience.