Anxiety Treatments

Learn how to relieve anxiety with the help of mental health professionals ...

There are many different methods of treatment available for those suffering from anxiety. The following are a few of the most common practiced today…

Cognitive behavioral therapy

Most psychotherapists today treat anxiety disorders (see Anxiety Disorders) with cognitive behavioral therapy, a therapy that examines thought patterns surrounding specific issues and problems, patterns that often result in negative or inaccurate perceptions and behaviors.

Scientists call these negative perceptions distorted thinking, and they are at the root of the six main types of anxiety: generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and specific phobias. Some mental health experts classify social anxiety disorder as a “specific phobia” while others categorize it as its own specific disorder. (see Cognitive Behavioral Therapy).

Distorted thinking

Most individuals with an anxiety disorder do not stop and consider their self-talk, or automatic thinking, that continuously plays through their minds. Similar to background noise or even static, these thoughts run continuously and are hard to self-monitor.

Many of these thoughts have been with individuals since childhood, making them as ingrained within their lives as any other automatic biological or physiological process.

For those struggling with anxiety, these thoughts are not based on logic. They often involve irrational beliefs that lead to increased stress and mental distress.

Psychotherapists use the techniques of cognitive behavioral therapy to address negative, automatic self-talk, challenging thoughts based on false or dysfunctional beliefs, finding alternative ways of thinking and responding to a range of issues and problems resulting in anxiety (see, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy).

Cognitive behavioral therapy takes less time than other types of interventions because it first identifies the specific problem or issues causing an individual distress, and then establishes a set of goals to solve that problem. The entire course of therapy usually takes between 10 and 20 sessions.

The first couple of sessions

Psychotherapists design therapy and therapeutic interventions according to each individual’s needs, diagnosis, and problems to overcome (see Anxiety Counseling). Depending on the situation, the first session of cognitive therapy tends to focus on getting to know the reasons why the patient is seeking help. The first session or two will center on a diagnosis, if one hasn’t already been made, and getting to know the therapist. The therapist will also ask questions about the patient’s diagnosis, and some personal and family details.

Both therapist and patient must feel comfortable in order for therapy to be a success. Many times personal information must be shared during the course of therapy, information that the patient feels uncomfortable or embarrassed to verbalize. The patient should feel at ease and confident with the therapist to open up truthfully about beliefs, fears, worries, and past traumas.

The first couple of sessions will focus on detail gathering – for both the therapist and the patient. It is perfectly acceptable for a patient – or therapist – to decide that another professional might be a better fit for a particular case.

Examining self-talk

Once the diagnosis is made and the problem identified, therapists ask patients to share their self-talk or thoughts.

However, it’s up to the patient to retrieve the streams of self-talk taking place, and that isn’t as easy as it sounds. Consider how many thoughts each of us have moving through our consciousness at any one point in time. Our thoughts are often continuous, and built on a complicated history of beliefs and values that we have stored in our memories over a lifetime.

Yet it’s being able to analyze those thoughts and beliefs to begin the process of healing.

This process of thought discovery and exploration takes place in the counselor or therapist’s office, usually in a clinic, hospital, or private office building.

In some cases, the therapist will ask patients to keep journals of thoughts that take place between therapy sessions. Besides thoughts, patients are also asked to record specific behaviors that take place, behaviors that include physical and emotional responses. It’s also important to include physiological changes that occur within the body as certain thoughts and behaviors occur.

The journal provides a way for the therapist to help the patient identify inaccurate ways of thinking. By asking the patient about each pattern of thought and behavior, of whether the pattern is rational or logical, the patient and counselor explore misperceptions of what’s actually taking place. This part takes a certain amount of time and patience. Few individuals have taken the time to try and understand “how they know what they know.”

Restructuring thought

Counselors will also encourage patients to re-examine how they respond to stressful situations (see Anxiety Counseling). Sometimes stress can’t be alleviated, and the patient has to learn how to control and live with the stress. This involves evaluating how certain responses and ways of thinking actually exacerbate the stress and anxiety while other, more healthy responses keep their harmful effects from affecting an individual’s mental health.

After discovering the impediments to healthy thinking and behaving, the therapist might also do some role-playing with the patient, practicing positive ways of thinking and behaving through stressful or anxiety-provoking situations.

The entire process is designed to get patients to re-structure their thoughts. Oftentimes individuals with anxiety see themselves as controlled by outside forces, and by teaching these individuals that they control their thoughts and behaviors provides the stimulus they needed to change their thoughts, and control their anxiety.

Exposure therapy

For anxiety disorders such as panic disorder (see Panic Disorder), phobias (see Specific Phobias), and PTSD (see PTSD), a type of therapy called exposure therapy has proven effective. The key to this therapy is to find a therapist well trained in exposure therapy - a professional with expertise and a sensitivity for the therapy’s principles.

Exposure therapy takes individuals to the feared object or situation, moving them through the stages of fear and through heightened feelings of danger. This process occurs gradually. The goal is to help patients first tolerate their fearful feelings, then put them into context and control them with their strengthened thoughts and behaviors. (For more information on exposure therapy, see the article Overcoming Panic Attacks.)

A holistic approach

Cognitive behavioral therapy also involves treating individuals with anxiety a holistic, mind-body approach. Because research over the past 20 years has proven the effectiveness of treating both the mind and body for a range of mental health issues, professionals often work mind-body interventions into treatment plans.

This mind-body approach encourages exercise since numerous studies show the benefits of exercise on mood and overall coping.

Relaxation exercises might also be an approach that cognitive behavioral therapists use for some patients. Teaching deep breathing skills, positive imagery, forgiveness, and assertive communication skills all are additional components of psychotherapy with a cognitive behavioral emphasis.

Becoming a cognitive behavioral therapist

If you have a passion for learning cognitive behavioral therapy in order to help those suffering mental health disorders like anxiety, consider a career as a mental health professional. To become a therapist, you will need at least a master’s degree in counseling, state licensing, and for some employers, national certification.

For more information, contact schools offering degree programs in Mental Health counseling, or on pursuing a psychology degree.

Medications for Anxiety

Sometimes mental health professionals prescribe medications in combination with therapeutic interventions. Many times, depending on the anxiety disorder, it takes trying one or more different medications to determine the one that works most effectively.

Each anxiety disorder has specific medications to treat its unique symptoms. However, most the medications prescribed for anxiety fall within one of the these main categories:

  • Antidepressants. Several antidepressants have been proven effective, and are prescribed for anxiety disorders. These medications take from a few weeks to a few months before they become fully effective. There are several classes of antidepressants, the more recent and commonly prescribed falling in the selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotoninnorepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) categories.
  • Benzodiazepines. These are short-term medications because if used for long periods of time, they can become habit-forming. However, they are used effectively for relieving acute anxiety. Benzodiazepines are categorized as either short-, intermediate- or long-acting. Short- and intermediate-acting benzodiazepines are preferred for the treatment of insomnia; longer-acting benzodiazepines are recommended for the treatment of anxiety.

All medications have possible side effects, and should only be taken under the supervision of doctors and licensed medical health professionals.