Anxiety /Stress

Anxiety Q&A

What is anxiety?

Anxiety is a disorder where you experience persistent feelings of worry or fear without any substantial reason.

While it’s healthy to feel occasional anxiety as part of your natural fight-or-flight response to situations in your environment, prolonged worry and intrusive thoughts can indicate you have an anxiety disorder. You may experience anxieties when you’re in specific situations or environments, such as social anxiety, performance anxiety, or separation anxiety.

There are several types of anxiety disorders that can interfere with your mental and physical health:

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Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)

GAD is a condition that describes excessive worry about aspects of your life, such as work, health, and the safety of your loved ones. The symptoms of GAD last for six months or longer and occur for no specific reason.

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Panic disorder

A panic disorder is a condition where you develop sudden and intense feelings of fear and panic, even when you’re safe. During a panic attack, you may feel out of control, short of breath, and unable to shake feelings of impending doom. Panic episodes can last for several minutes or hours.

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Phobias

A phobia is an intense fear of situations or objects. Common phobia triggers include heights, insects, needles, and flying.

Elevate medical addresses specific anxiety disorders like agoraphobia, a disorder that causes you to fear and avoid places or situations that make you feel trapped and unable to escape. 

They also treat obsessive-compulsive disorders like trichotillomania, a condition where you experience an obsessive need to pull your own hair, and dermatillomania, which causes obsessive picking of the skin.

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When should I seek treatment for anxiety?

If anxiety symptoms disrupt your usual routine or make it difficult to work or engage with others, you should schedule an anxiety evaluation at elevate medical.

You should also have an evaluation for anxiety if you have unexplained symptoms that may relate to an anxiety disorder, such as:

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• Persistent restlessness

• Difficulty concentrating

• Frequent irritability

• Difficulty falling or staying asleep

Your provider at Elevate medical first performs a full medical evaluation to determine if any underlying health issues are causing your symptoms. If your issues relate to an anxiety disorder, they create a treatment plan to help you cope with anxious feelings and prevent recurrent panic episodes.

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How is anxiety treated?

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Elevate medical offers several mental wellness treatments for all types of anxiety disorders that focus on restoring balance in your mind-body-spirit connection. The team uses anxiety treatments like: 

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Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy, or talk therapy, allows you to talk about your feelings and emotions in a safe, judgment-free space. The therapy team helps you recognize anxiety triggers and provides you with tools to help you better manage your out-of-control feelings.

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Medications

If psychotherapy isn’t enough to calm your intrusive thoughts and persistent worries, your provider may add medications to your treatment. Anti-anxiety medications can treat existing symptoms and prevent recurrent episodes of panic and worry.

The providers only recommend medications if needed, and strive to avoid poly-pharmacy. They prioritize your safety by choosing the right medication for you and make efforts to taper you off medication when you’re in a better place. The physicians also explain the "why" behind the medication they chose for you.

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Mindful practices

Treatment for anxiety also focuses on mindful practices that you can do at home to reduce the intensity of anxious feelings. Mindful practices include yoga, breathing techniques, exercise, and other stress-reducing activities to keep you relaxed, boosting your overall mental wellness.

If you find yourself helpless under the weight of anxiety, you’re not alone. Contact the office by calling or booking online today.