Psychiatric Treatment: A Comprehensive Approach to Managing Anxiety Disorders

Anxiety disorders are common, affecting about 3.8 percent of people worldwide. While many anxiety disorders can be managed through psychotherapy, some may find the help they need through psychiatric treatment. In this post, we’ll explore psychiatric treatment as a comprehensive approach to managing anxiety, improving your quality of life, and potentially reducing symptoms of anxiety.

Understanding Anxiety Disorders
Anxiety is a normal part of every day life involving the anticipation of a future threat. However, for some people, anxiety can become excessive and persistent, leading to avoidance behaviors that can cause significant impairment or distress at work, socially, or other situations. Anxiety disorders can manifest in many different forms, such as generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and social anxiety disorder. If you struggle with an anxiety disorder, a psychiatrist or mental health professional can help you through a careful diagnostic evaluation and a personalized treatment plan that may involve medication management.

Balancing Medications with Therapy
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is a first-line evidence based psychotherapy for treating anxiety disorders. Through CBT, individuals with anxiety can gain insight into the sources of their anxiety, learn coping strategies, and reframe anxious thoughts. For many people, psychotherapy alone is sufficient to manage their anxiety. However, people who continue to experience persistent and debilitating anxiety may also benefit from seeing a psychiatrist or mental health professional who can discuss options for medication management as part of a comprehensive approach to managing their symptoms.

Guidelines for Taking Anti-Anxiety Medications
First-line evidence-based medications for the treatment of most anxiety disorders are antidepressants in the class of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI’s) or selective serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRI’s). These medications must be taken daily at the same time and may take a few weeks to begin noticing the effects. While we do not prescribe benzodiazepines, like Klonopin, Xanax, and Valium for example, non-controlled substance options may be considered for short-term relief of symptoms depending on your treatment needs.

Conclusion:
Psychiatric treatment is most effective in treating anxiety disorders in combination with psychotherapy, but can also be effective by itself in some cases. Psychiatrists and mental health professionals can help you understand your anxiety disorder and come up with an effective treatment plan to reduce your anxiety symptoms, leading to a more productive and meaningful life. Contact us to learn more about how Metta Psychiatry can help you manage your anxiety.