Anxiety

Everyone feels anxious or tense at times, but if your life seems to be filled with fear and doom, or if you never seem to be able to relax, you might have an anxiety disorder. Millions of Americans have anxiety disorders, and most are able to live full, enjoyable lives with the right treatment and care.

Beacon Health System offers a wide range of outpatient treatment options, as well as an inpatient care  in a unit designed for depressed or anxious patients who are in crisis.

What is Anxiety?

Some common anxiety disorders include:

General Anxiety Disorder

If you always seem to feel anxious, worried or on edge and have felt this way for at least six months, you may have general anxiety disorder (GAD). If so, you’re not alone – GAD affects millions of people, about three percent of adults.

People with mild GAD can usually function normally – go to work or school, take care of family and a household, drive and do the things they need to do. Still, their anxiety can lessen their joy and affect decisions and relationships. When GAD is severe, even getting out of bed and facing the day can cause anxiety, and everyday activities can become difficult or impossible without extreme stress.

Panic Disorder

Panic disorder causes sudden, intense bouts of panic and anxiety called panic attacks. Panic attacks seem to strike out of nowhere, often when no danger or threat is present. Symptoms of a panic attack can include a racing heart, trembling, shortness of breath, nausea and chest pain. Panic disorder can severely disrupt a person’s life and well-being.

Social Anxiety Disorder

For people with social anxiety disorder, also called social phobia, everyday interactions with other people are a source of great fear and anxiety. They may dread going to any kind of social event, feel self-conscious in front of others and worry constantly that people are judging them. They may have a hard time making friends and may blush, sweat, tremble or feel nauseated around other people.

Phobias

A phobia is an intense, unreasonable fear of an object or situation. People with phobias will go to great lengths to avoid the object of their fear. If they can’t, they may feel panicked and may have a racing heart, trembling and other signs of distress. Some common phobias include highway driving, heights, specific animals, germs and water.

Treating Anxiety

Anxiety orders can lead to other physical and mental health problems, but most people can successfully manage their anxiety disorders with treatment support.

Treatment often includes:

• Therapy – Cognitive behavioral therapy is a type of psychotherapy that helps you recognize and change unhealthy thinking patterns.
• Medication – Our doctors may prescribe modern antidepressants for long-term control and anti-anxiety drugs called benzodiazepines for short-term, immediate relief when anxiety is severe.
• A combination – Most patients respond best to a mixture of psychotherapy, medication and other support.

Our team has helped many people overcome anxiety and live fuller, more balanced lives. We’ll work with you to find the treatment and maintenance plan that works best for you.