Anxiety disorders are the most commonly diagnosed and experience mental health issues in the world. While anxiety is a normal and even helpful tool for every living human, those living with anxiety disorders experience anxiety on a level that interferes negatively with daily life. Fortunately, those living with these disorders can find assistance with managing symptoms of their anxiety with a treatment plan for anxiety. Treatment can include psychotherapy, psychomedication, and holistic approaches to treatment.

Types of Anxiety Disorders

All types of anxiety disorders are characterized by heightened levels of anxiety, fear, and panic that interfere with daily life. But, there are different types of anxiety disorders that showcase specific symptoms and may require individual treatment approaches. The types of anxiety disorders include:

Generalized Anxiety Disorder: This disorder involves general symptoms of anxiety that are prevalent for at least two weeks. And, accompanying symptoms that are debilitating to daily life. Symptoms of this disorder include feelings of fear, doom, and worry even though an individual may not have any reason to experience these emotions.

Panic Disorder: This type of anxiety disorder involves the experience of panic attacks and the fear of having more panic attacks. Panic attacks are episodes of intense anxiety that can be accompanied by both psychological and physical symptoms. During a panic attack, an individual may experience intense fear. Additionally, they may experience heart palpitations, intense sweating, trouble breathing, and chest pains. In many cases, individuals who don’t know they are having panic attacks may associate them with the feeling of having a heart attack. So, these intense experiences promote fear for more panic attacks, which encourages the cycle of anxiety, making the disorder even harder to manage.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD): This anxiety disorder involves feelings of anxiety and an attempt to control them with repetitive behaviors. These repetitive behaviors, compulsions, can debilitate a person’s daily life. They can lead to avoiding contact with others or take a long amount of time to complete. Some examples of compulsions can include repetitive hand or body washing, counting objects/movements, and making sure things are in their right order. The act of these obsessive compulsions are attempts to manage feelings of overwhelming anxiety and/or unwanted thoughts.

Phobias: Phobias are specific, intense fears of objects, scenarios, or environments that can keep a person from performing daily tasks and living out everyday life in a healthy way. Some examples of specific phobias can include speaking in public, eating in front of other people, and being in crowds. Unfortunately, without treatment, phobias can exacerbate to the point of individuals being unable to leave their homes. Furthermore, they can keep people from conducting daily tasks in order to maintain mental wellbeing.

Treatment Plan for Anxiety Disorders

People living with anxiety disorders can take control of the symptoms of their mental health illness. Furthermore, they can live healthy, normal lives. A treatment plan for anxiety disorders can include a combination of both psychiatric medications and therapeutic approaches. Before treatment can begin, physical, mental, and medical evaluations can help to determine underlying contributing factors to these conditions. Understanding these underlying factors can help mental health specialists to better determine specific, individualized treatment approaches for each individual.