Medications and Complementary Therapies to Treat Anxiety

Everyone is worried and anxious at times, but people who suffer from anxiety have a difficult time controlling their reactions. Psychotherapy can help, as does medications like beta blockers (used to lower blood pressure) and benzodiazepines.

Self-help strategies can aid in easing symptoms. Exercise, for example helps reduce stress and relax your body.

Medication

If lifestyle changes or psychotherapy aren’t working then medication could be a viable option. Anxiety medications reduce anxiety signals and the fight or flight response in the body. Antidepressants, the most popular medication used to treat anxiety, are antidepressants. They function by enhancing levels of certain neurotransmitters which affect mood. SSRIs such as citalopram (citalopram), escitalopram (escitalopram) sertraline (prozac) and citalopram (escitalopram) are usually the first prescription medications prescribed. SNRIs like venlafaxine and duloxetine, and tricyclic antidepressants such as Tofranil (imipramine), Elavil or Pamelor are also effective in treating anxiety.

Benzodiazepines can also be used to treat anxiety. They are fast-acting and can be helpful in the short-term. However, they are addictive. Typical benzodiazepines include Valium (diazepam), Xanax (alprazolam), Klonopin (clonazepam) and Ativan (lorazepam).

Only licensed health specialists can prescribe medication to treat anxiety. These doctors include psychologists, psychiatrists, primary care physicians and some OB-GYNs. They also need to undergo special training in order to prescribe medications.

Some people use complementary therapies, such as exercise, to help alleviate anxiety. They can also find relaxation methods to reduce stress like mindfulness meditation and deep breathing. Biofeedback can be another beneficial technique, in which a therapist monitors your brain-wave patterns on an electroencephalograph and teaches you how to control them at will.

Additionally natural ways to treat anxiety disorder (linked web page) supplements like 5-HTP and melatonin can help to ease anxiety. However, you should always consult your physician prior to taking any supplements for anxiety or other reason. Supplements in conjunction with a comprehensive treatment plan that incorporates psychotherapy and lifestyle modifications can maximize the effectiveness of your treatment.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is one of the most studied and empirically validated psychotherapeutic strategies for anxiety disorders. It targets abnormal thoughts and behaviors that perpetuate anxiety over time. While a variety of individual CBT protocols have been developed for different anxiety disorders, they all share some common goals for treatment and techniques.

The first step in CBT is to discover the thoughts that are not working and contribute to anxiety attack symptoms female treatment. During sessions, the patients are taught to recognize these negative beliefs and challenge. The therapist also helps patients recognize and modify avoidance behaviours. The therapist may ask patients to keep “thought journals” or diaries outside of sessions, and to implement the strategies for behavioural change they’ve learned in daily life.

The goal is to eventually teach patients how to be their own therapists, helping them understand their current patterns in thinking and behavior. This will enable patients overcome fears that are unfounded, reduce their anxiety and other negative emotions and become more resilient.

CBT techniques involve identifying and reversing distortions in the patient’s thinking, such as overgeneralizing catastrophizing, overgeneralizing, or minimizing positive events. The therapist also assists the patient develop strategies to cope to deal with anxiety-inducing situations. These techniques can be used to treat all kinds of anxiety disorders. Often, they are incorporated into a comprehensive approach to mental health called “cognitive-behavioral therapy”.

Exposure therapy is an additional component of CBT. This involves exposure to the situation or object that creates anxiety. This could be done by imagining the object or situation, or by directly confronting it in real life. For instance, a patient suffering from PTSD who fears a specific area could be urged to visit the place where they were abused. A person with social anxiety disorder, who is scared of speaking in public, could be encouraged to give a speech before a group.

Some studies have shown that combining strategies of pharmacotherapy and CBT can improve outcomes. However, these results are not conclusive and more research is needed. In general, mixing medications with CBT is more effective than each alone. Combinations of benzodiazepines with CBT have been shown to be particularly efficacious in patients suffering from panic disorder as well as generalized anxiety treatment anxiety disorder.

Therapy for exposure

One of the most effective ways to treat anxiety is exposure therapy, which helps you confront things that make you anxious in a secure setting with an experienced professional. The process might sound daunting but it will help you learn that your fears are not based on reality and that you are able to accept the discomfort of your triggers. It can also help increase your confidence in dealing with the challenges of life.

There are many different kinds of exposure therapy, such as imaginal, virtual reality and systematic desensitization. For instance, if you’re scared of speaking in public, your therapist might encourage you to imagine yourself speaking or to practice with an acquaintance. Then, you can slowly face the situation in real life with the help of your therapist’s support. During each session your therapist will be able to determine if you’re experiencing anxiety or panic and adjust the intensity according to the need.

During the session, your therapist teaches you how to relax and cope with your emotions and then introduces triggers that cause you to feel anxious. This can include techniques like mindfulness, rhythmic breathing and guided imagery. They will also teach you strategies to avoid engaging in the behavior that leads to anxiety, such as avoiding elevators. Exposure therapy is usually conducted in a series weekly sessions. Some people need more than two sessions to overcome their anxiety.

The first step is to identify the thing or event that triggers anxiety, for example, flying on a plane, or being in a crowd of strangers. Your therapist will help you select the best exposure therapy method that suits your personality and needs. This could include using a hierarchical system to decide the sequence in which exposures are made or a series of relaxation techniques prior to starting.

In vivo exposure therapy is directly facing the thing or situation that you’re afraid of. It could be as simple as crossing the bridge or having someone else reach out to you. This technique can be employed to treat posttraumatic stress disorder as well as specific phobias.

It isn’t easy to schedule sessions for vivo exposure therapy. Therefore it is crucial to find a therapist that is specialized in this kind of cognitive behavioral therapy. You can locate a certified specialist through your local psychological association or mental network. You can also read reviews or ask your family and friends for recommendations.

Complementary therapies

Complementary therapies include a range of treatments for health that are not typically considered part of Western medicine. They can help reduce anxiety by teaching relaxation techniques and promoting healthy lifestyles. These treatments include acupuncture and herbal medicines, meditation, Yoga, music therapy, massage and yoga. They can also help relieve depression-related symptoms by reducing levels of stress hormones within your body.

Recent research has shown that mindfulness-based programs lead to moderate improvements in anxiety symptoms. This method employs different kinds of meditation to increase mindfulness, or the ability to concentrate on the present moment and let go of negative thoughts and feelings. This type of meditation can be done by anyone, and does not require any special equipment or any special training. However, people with physical limitations might not be able in meditation that requires movements.

Other therapies that can help reduce anxiety include breathing exercises, progressive muscle relaxation, biofeedback, hypnosis, and self-hypnosis. These techniques assist you in controlling your anxiety through focus on relaxing muscles breathing, calming breath, and visual imagery. They can be used at home, or in a treatment setting. These techniques are often combined with other forms of therapy like cognitive behavioral therapy or exposure therapy.

Regular exercise and eating balanced meals are two other ways to decrease anxiety. Regular exercise can lower your heart rate, blood pressure, and cortisol levels, which are hormones that contribute to anxiety. A healthy diet can help you feel more energetic, which in turn can reduce anxiety symptoms.

Cognitive behavior therapy is a very effective treatment for anxiety. It helps you recognize and overcome negative thoughts which lead to anxiety. Your therapist will teach you how to evaluate your fears and determine the likelihood that they will actually occur. You can use strategies like comparing your fears with past experiences, weighing the advantages and disadvantages of an event, and determining whether it’s realistic to be concerned about something that could happen.

Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese technique that can be employed to help with mild anxiety treatment. It is based on an assessment of deficiencies or excesses in your energy (called qi) located in specific meridians. For instance, a lack of qi in the spleen or kidney meridians can cause anxiety. Some studies suggest that acupuncture can help alleviate anxiety symptoms when it is combined with psychotherapy and other CAM techniques.