What is the best treatment for anxiety?
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Answers:
There are three ways to treat anxiety (that I can think of):
Meds - They work well, but some are addictive, and you have to try several before you find one that will work on you.
Exercise - Exercise is a major stress-buster. Pull on the tennis shoes and don't stop running until you feel better or you can't walk another step. Produces endorphins and makes you feel better chemically.
Meditation - Train your mind to go to a quiet, happy place. Then if you feel anxious, you turn it on, and the anxiety is at least partially disconnected. To start, just sit in a quiet place and listen to yourself breathe. Eventually, you'll be able to picture a beach (or a bathtub) without too much trouble, and you'll find you're able to focus on that beach to the extent that you can ignore everything else. Including whatever's making you anxious.
I've suffered anxiety disorder for 25 years, and partaken of many, many symptoms in it's name. Lots of light and flowers on my back porch calm me, not answering the phone, taking things slowly and not letting myself get in a steam about anything. Above all, I avoid noise, chaos and chaotic places.
I take lots of meds for this and similar disorders, and the only one I have to take right now just for anxiety is klonipin. Great med, works well, addictive. I'm hoping that I'll be taking it for a short period of time to get me over this current hump.
Probably much more information that you need, but just one more thing: NAMI.org, National Association for Mental Illness. They have all the information, help close to you, referrals, whatever you need. They are good people. I post on their discussion board EVERY DAY.
Take care, be happy
debbie
tx mom
Not a mental health professional
I am in anxiety too. the only thing to do is spend time with your friends rather than being alone. If you are alone then you keep thinking about your problem and your anxiety increases
hope that helps
doctor will prescribe some pills propranonol there very good and work well depending how severe the anxietys are will depend what strength the dr will give you anxiety is a horrible thing gd luck
I don't know about a best treatment.
Treatment depends on how long you have felt anxious, whether you have other problems or not.
Some self-help is also good. Neuro and Cognitive therapists train you to do this or you can read books about how to help yourself.
Start by reading articles on my website.
http://themeaningisyou.com
Generalized anxiety disorder
Introduction
It's normal to feel anxious or worried at times. Everyone does. In fact, a moderate amount of anxiety can be good. It helps you respond appropriately to real danger, and it can help motivate you to excel at work and at home.
But if you often feel anxious without reason and your worries disrupt your daily life, you may have generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Generalized anxiety disorder causes excessive or unrealistic anxiety and worry about life circumstances, usually without a readily identifiable cause.
The term for persistent anxiety that affects your day-to-day life is "anxiety disorder." Along with phobias, panic attacks and obsessive-compulsive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder is among the most common anxiety disorders. Women are more likely than men are to experience generalized anxiety disorder.
Living with generalized anxiety disorder can be difficult, but treatment is available. Medications and professional counseling or therapy can help you cope with the effects of generalized anxiety disorder.
Causes
When you feel anxious, your body releases hormones that prepare you to react to a threat. This is called the fight-or-flight response. When anxiety gets out of control, this response can occur almost continuously, even during times when you seem calm. Doctors and researchers don't fully understand why this happens.
Although the cause of generalized anxiety disorder is unknown, certain factors may contribute to the disorder:
Coping with illness. Having a serious physical illness, such as cancer, can make you anxious. Worrying about the implications of your diagnosis and possible treatment can become excessive and overwhelming.
Stress. A buildup of stressful life situations may trigger excessive anxiety. For example, having a physical illness, along with the stress of missing work or losing pay, may combine to cause generalized anxiety disorder.
Personality. People with some personality types are more prone to anxiety disorders. People with unmet psychological needs, such as having a close relationship that isn't fulfilling, may feel less secure and be more at risk of generalized anxiety disorder. In addition, personality disorders, such as borderline personality disorder, also can bring about GAD.
Heredity. Generalized anxiety disorder appears to run in some families.
Screening and diagnosis
Generalized anxiety disorder is distinguished from normal worrying and other anxiety disorders by how long it lasts and how it affects your daily life. If you've experienced intense anxiety and worry almost constantly for six months or more, you may have GAD. Persistent anxiety that affects you on a day-to-day basis is considered a medical problem.
Your doctor will likely perform a physical examination and a psychological evaluation to rule out other anxiety disorders or medical problems that may resemble GAD. A psychological evaluation consists of a questionnaire about yourself and an interview by your doctor. Other tests, such as a laboratory test to measure thyroid function, may be performed. Depending on the cause and severity of your condition, you may be referred to a mental health professional or other medical specialist.
Treatment
The two main treatments for generalized anxiety disorder are medication and psychotherapy, either alone or in combination.
Medications
Doctors use antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications to treat generalized anxiety disorder and other various types of anxiety disorders. Commonly prescribed drugs include:
Anti-anxiety drugs. Benzodiazepines are sedatives that often ease anxiety within 30 to 90 minutes, but they can be habit-forming if you take them for more than a few weeks. For this reason, your doctor may prescribe them for only a short time to help you get through a particularly anxious period. The most commonly prescribed sedatives include: alprazolam (Xanax), chlordiazepoxide (Librium), clonazepam (Klonopin), diazepam (Valium) and lorazepam (Ativan).
These medications may cause unsteadiness, drowsiness, reduced
muscle coordination and problems with balance. Higher doses and long-term use can cause memory problems. Don't drive or use heavy machinery while taking these drugs.
Another medication prescribed for anxiety disorders such as GAD is buspirone (BuSpar). This drug often doesn't work as well if you've taken benzodiazepines in the past. A common side effect of buspirone is a brief feeling of lightheadedness shortly after taking the medicine. Less common side effects include headaches, nausea, nervousness and insomnia.
Antidepressants. These drugs influence the activity of certain brain chemicals (neurotransmitters) to help nerve cells (neurons) in your brain send and receive messages. Examples of antidepressants used to treat anxiety include: fluoxetine (Prozac), paroxetine (Paxil), imipramine (Tofranil), venlafaxine (Effexor) and escitalopram (Lexapro).
In general, antidepressants are effective most of the time. But because your doctor can't predict which medication will work best for you, you may need to try more than one to find which drug works best for you. Furthermore, antidepressants usually don't work immediately. The medication may begin to work within two weeks, but it may take up to eight weeks before you notice its full effects.
Psychotherapy
Also known as talk therapy, this treatment involves receiving help from a mental health professional through a combination of talking and listening.
One type of psychotherapy, cognitive behavior therapy, examines distortions in thinking that lead to psychological problems. Cognitive behavior therapy is highly effective in treating mental illness, particularly anxiety disorders such as GAD. It's based on the foundation that you are what you think.
During cognitive behavior therapy, a therapist helps you identify distorted thoughts and beliefs that trigger psychological stress, fear or depression. You learn to replace negative thoughts with more positive, realistic perceptions, and you learn ways to view and cope with life events differently. Generally a short-term treatment, cognitive behavior therapy emphasizes learning to develop a sense of mastery and control over your thoughts and feelings.
Treatment for generalized anxiety disorder or any mental illness is tailored to each person. No single treatment regimen works for everyone. Most treatment occurs on an outpatient basis, but some people may need care in a hospital setting.
Drugs or booze,It works for me.
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