During any given year, more than 19 percent of Americans suffer from an anxiety disorder, making it the most common mental problem in the US. Anxiety serves as a broad term for a larger group of disorders with similar causes and symptoms. But the different types of anxiety disorders have their own defining characteristics, and any individual case may vary from person to person.
The symptoms of anxiety disorder range from mildly irritating to completely debilitating. Left unchecked, they can thoroughly disrupt an otherwise normal life. Thankfully, most types of anxiety disorders respond well to the anxiety counseling program in Palm Beach Gardens, FL.
So what are the types of anxiety disorders? And how does one treat them? Let’s take a look.
Common Types of Anxiety Disorders
In this day and age, we all get a case of nerves now and again. But an anxiety disorder isn’t a one-off event: It’s a persistent problem and can even become a constant state of nervousness and tension. Here are some of the more common types of anxiety disorders:
- Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD): A heightened sense of malaise, GAD is characterized by chronic fear and worry with no distinct cause. More a marathon than a sprint, GAD tends to last for long periods, leaving the sufferer mentally and physically exhausted.
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): Often thought of as a soldier’s malady, PTSD can affect anyone who has endured a traumatic event or series of events in their lifetime. Combat veterans, victims of rape, and abused children often continue to suffer from PTSD long after the cause of the disorder is long over.
- Panic disorder: Panic disorder can be identified by the recurrence of panic attacks—short but intense periods of fear that often seem to come out of nowhere. Panic attacks are often associated with specific fears—bridges, spiders, heights, and so forth—known as phobias.
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD): OCD is a two-part cycle of anxiety and relief. It starts with an obsessive thought, which promotes a sense of tension in the sufferer. To relieve the mental discomfort, the individual will perform some ritual or stylized behavior. The cycle then repeats. If the symptoms are intense enough, it can completely upend everyday living.
- Social anxiety disorder: As the name suggests, social anxiety disorder is a crippling fear of social situations. The symptoms of this type of anxiety disorder can be so intense that the sufferer will go to almost any lengths to avoid such situations. It’s not uncommon for someone to develop a drug or alcohol problem to cope with social anxiety.
Reach out to Remedy Therapy Behavioral Health about mental health counseling services in FL for common anxiety disorders.
Help for Types of Anxiety Disorders
Now that we know some of the types of anxiety disorders, we can discuss how they’re treated. The first thing to know is that there’s no single, successful method. Just as every individual is different, so is the way they experience anxiety. Thankfully, most treatment methods can be custom-fit to the person receiving them.
Typically, health care professionals address anxiety with a combination of anxiety therapy sessions and medication therapy management in Florida. A doctor can prescribed medication to combat nervousness, panic, sleeping problems, and other immediate, physical effects of the disorder. Other anti-depressant medications have also proven effective as a way to relieve the symptoms of anxiety over the long term.
The types of therapy available to an anxiety patient are legion. However, the most popular method is cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). CBT focuses on identifying faulty logic in the patient’s thought patterns that lead to unwanted behavior. By eliminating the thought, you eliminate the behavior. It sounds almost too simple, but there’s plenty of research to back it up.
Remedy Therapy Behavioral Health
Are you or is someone you love wrestling with one of the types of anxiety disorders? Although it may feel isolating, you’re not alone, contact Remedy Therapy Behavioral Health professionals who are here to help. We provide comprehensive mental health care in the Palm Beach, FL, area. Whether this is something you’ve suffered from for a long time or you’ve never dealt with before, we know how to get you back on your feet again. For more information, please call us at (888) 894-4814.
