Anxiety Disorder

Anxiety

Living with Anxiety can be challenging and debilitating. At Ridgeview, we understand and we can help! Although Anxiety is your body’s natural response to stress, it becomes overwhelming for some making it impossible to enjoy everyday activities like going to the grocery store or a movie. Experiencing occasional anxiety is a normal part of life. However, people with anxiety disorders frequently have intense, excessive and persistent worry and fear. These feelings of anxiety and panic are often difficult to control, are out of proportion to the actual danger and can last a long time.

What is Anxiety

Anxiety has been described as a feeling of fear or apprehension about what’s to come; but there is so much more to Anxiety. Often, anxiety disorders involve repeated episodes of sudden feelings of intense anxiety and fear or terror that reach a peak within minutes (panic attacks). Examples of anxiety disorders include generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder (social phobia), specific phobias and separation anxiety disorder. You can have more than one anxiety disorder. Sometimes anxiety can even result from a medical condition that needs treatment. Understandably, this can have a dramatic impact on a person’s self-confidence, peace of mind, and ability to maintain meaningful relationships or perform well in academic or occupational settings.

Anxiety Causes

The causes of Anxiety are still not fully understood but mental health professionals have identified a few common ones which include genetic and environmental factors, as well as brain chemistry including: Life experiences such as traumatic events appear to trigger anxiety disorders in people who are already prone to anxiety. Inherited traits, some medical conditions like Heart Disease and Diabetes, medications, alcohol and substance abuse withdrawals can also trigger Anxiety.

Anxiety Signs and Symptoms

While symptoms differ for each individual some common signs and symptoms include:

• Substance abuse
• Feeling faint or dizzy
• Shortness of breath
• Dry mouth
• Sweating
• Chills or hot flashes
• Apprehension and worry
• Restlessness
• Distress and fear
• Numbness or tingling
• Digestive or bowel problems
• Headaches and chronic pain
• A preoccupation with or fear of appearing anxious, boring, or awkward (whether or not other people actually perceive them this way).

Anxiety Treatment

At Ridgeview Institute, we offer individualized treatment based on client needs including inpatient services and outpatient services. We work closely with individuals and their loved ones to create an effective treatment plan designed to assist the client with learning new skills to cope with their anxiety. This plan may include:

• Medication management
• Group/individual therapy
• Support groups for individuals and their loved ones.
• Psychoeducation