Anxiety Disorders Treatment

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• QWhat is the best way to treat anxiety disorders in older adults?

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  A Sigma Nursing answered

  Recognizing and treating anxiety disorders in older adults can be challenging. Older adults are more likely to have other medical issues that complicate diagnosis and treatment. For example, symptoms such as chest pain or heart palpitations can be confused for heart disease instead of a panic attack. Additionally, older adults may be disinclined to seek medical help because of old stereotypes surrounding mental illness.

  Talking to a primary care physician that an older adult trusts is a good first step. When treating any anxiety disorder, the most effective treatment method combines medication and cognitive-behavior therapy. Since older adults may be on other medications, it is important to discuss these with a health care provider. Older adults are often recommended lower dosages because changes in the body affect absorption. Relaxation techniques are also often effective.

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• QWhat are treatments for anxiety?

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  A JFK Medical Center North Campus - HCA East Florida answered

  There are many treatments for anxiety including meeting with an individual psychotherapist once a week to target your specific anxieties. Self-help or support groups may also provide effective treatment for anxiety, as you may benefit from interacting with others who may be sharing your same struggles. Medication management may also be an alternative to assist with treating your symptoms.

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• QHow can family members help a veteran with anxiety disorder?

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  A Challenge America answered

  Family members are very important in helping a veteran deal with anxiety disorder. The best course of action  is for the family to support their veteran without contributing to the veteran’s anxiety symptoms. Keep in mind that your veteran might feel embarrassment or stigma about having anxiety disorder.
  
  Take the condition seriously, and encourage them in getting treatment. Be supportive of the time the veteran needs to adjust to civilian life; some of their anxiety may be related to readjustment challenges. Find out as much as you can about your loved one’s specific disorder to help you understand what they are going through. Don’t try to give advice based on your own experiences or on what you’ve heard from others. Suggest that they get the facts from a doctor or mental health specialist. In the meantime, take care of yourself as well; get emotional support from others, and make sure you are physically active, getting enough sleep, and eating a healthy diet. You can help your loved one most by keeping yourself strong.
• QHow can I relieve symptoms of anxiety?

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  A World Federation For Mental Health (WFMH) answered

  You may be able to relieve your anxiety symptoms through relaxation techniques. Many self-help techniques like meditation and stress reduction help you cope with stress more efficiently. There are many online resources available to teach you how to reduce your stress.
  
  However, if anxiety still persists, it is typically treated with medication or talk therapy, or a combination of both. Consult your healthcare provider for the best treatment plan. Sometimes, a medical condition can also cause anxiety symptoms; check with your healthcare provider to be sure you do not have any other underlying medical conditions. In addition, other conditions, such as alcoholism or depression, can complicate treatment; be sure to talk to your healthcare provider about these other conditions so that they can be treated as well.

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• QWhat is the treatment for anxiety disorders?

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  A Portsmouth Regional Hospital answered

  In general, anxiety disorders are treated with medication, specific types of psychotherapy, or both. Treatment choices depend on the problem and the person's preference. Before treatment begins, a doctor must conduct a careful diagnostic evaluation to determine whether a person's symptoms are caused by an anxiety disorder or a physical problem. If an anxiety disorder is diagnosed, the type of disorder or the combination of disorders that are present must be identified, as well as any coexisting conditions, such as depression or substance abuse. Sometimes alcoholism, depression, or other coexisting conditions have such a strong effect on the individual that treating the anxiety disorder must wait until the coexisting conditions are brought under control.
  
  People with anxiety disorders who have already received treatment should tell their current doctor about that treatment in detail. If they received medication, they should tell their doctor what medication was used, what the dosage was at the beginning of treatment, whether the dosage was increased or decreased while they were under treatment, what side effects occurred, and whether the treatment helped them become less anxious. If they received psychotherapy, they should describe the type of therapy, how often they attended sessions, and whether the therapy was useful.
  Often people believe that they have "failed"at treatment or that the treatment didn't work for them when, in fact, it was not given for an adequate length of time or was administered incorrectly. Sometimes people must try several different treatments or combinations of treatment before they find the one that works for them.
   
  This answer is based on source information from the National Institute of Mental Health.

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• QWhat is exposure therapy?

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  A Portsmouth Regional Hospital answered

  Exposure therapy is a technique sometimes used to treat phobias. It is often used under the care of a medical professional. Other times, it is done informally by the person suffering with the phobia. It involves exposing a subject to the object of their fear and then increasing that exposure gradually overtime until the fear response dissipates.

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• QHow does cognitive behavioral therapy treat generalized anxiety disorder?

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  A World Federation For Mental Health (WFMH) answered

  One type of talk therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), is especially effective in treating generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). This type of therapy is a combination of cognitive therapy, which helps patients develop healthier thought patterns, and behavior therapy, which helps patients respond in new ways to anxiety-producing situations. During CBT, a mental health professional helps identify the distorted thinking patterns that trigger anxiety, and then adapt his/her reaction to the anxiety-producing situation. CBT is a short-term treatment lasting approximately 12 weeks.
• QWhat are some risks of anti-anxiety medications?

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  A Dr. Pina LoGiudice, LAc, ND , Naturopathic Medicine, answered

  Anti-anxiety drugs are among the most commonly prescribed drugs, with over 280 million prescriptions written annually. It has been shown that many of these are overprescribed. In fact, research published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry showed about 25% of people who are given these dangerous medications do not have a proper diagnosis.
  
  Other studies show that people who use anti-anxiety medication have a 36% increased mortality risk. That means persons using these drugs are almost 40% more likely to die than people who do not use them. While anti-anxiety medications can be lifesaving in urgent situations, in most cases, there are natural alternatives that can help while a person starts to work on the underlying causes of anxiety reactions in the body.

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• QHow is virtual reality technology used to treat anxiety disorders?

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  A Sigma Nursing answered

  Virtual reality (VR) exposure can be used to treat a number of anxiety and stress-related disorders, including fear of flying, fear of storms, fear of heights, fear of bridges, fear of public speaking and posttraumatic stress disorder. Virtual reality exposure therapy has been found to be an effective, cost-efficient treatment method for these types of disorders.
  During VR therapy, people wear a virtual reality helmet that positions two goggle-sized miniature computer monitor screens close to the patient's eyes. The scenery in VR changes as the users move their head orientation (e.g. virtual objects in front of the user get closer as the user leans forward in the real world). The combination of these techniques gives patients a uniquely compelling experience of "being there" in the virtual world and contributes greatly to therapeutic success.
  This therapy has several advantages:
  For those who are reluctant to engage in recollection of feared memories, VR provides a sensory-rich and evocative therapeutic environment, allowing them to experience a "sense of presence" in the virtual setting. VR technology allows for gradual exposure to increasingly feared situations that can be carefully monitored and tailored to the individual patient's needs. VR environments can be manipulated above and beyond the constraints of the everyday world, creating new possibilities for therapeutic action.
  As a result, VR therapy can increase a person's feelings of self-efficacy and of being active agents of their own experience. Patients have often been found to be more willing to consider VR treatment than other forms of exposure therapy. The VR world does not include the same risks as returning to the actual feared environment, and patients can feel supported in knowing that the therapist viewing the virtual environment is sharing in their experience.