Calming an Anxious Mind: Common Anxiety Disorders and Effective Treatments

When does anxiety merit professional treatment?

Many people struggle with this exact question. The simple answer is that anyone who finds their anxiety troubling should do so. Clients who are committed to working through a jointly developed treatment plan are strong candidates for significant symptom relief and often complete resolution of symptoms.

Scientifically supported approaches like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and the newer Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) are powerful tools for recovery from many kinds of anxiety symptoms and disorders. Depending on the specific type(s) of anxiety being treated, trained professionals may integrate other evidence-based treatment protocols, as well.

This could include exposure therapy (carefully implemented programs building the person’s ability to cope with the feared situation or triggers), and/or mindfulness and relaxation practices (breathing techniques, muscle relaxation, visualization, affirmations, etc.).

Self-help books for anxiety are widely available online and through book outlets. These may be of help for gaining insights and, in some cases, for self-directed care. In my therapy practice, I often partner with clients to use high quality, scientifically supported workbooks as a discussion guide, client resource, and aid for organizing our treatment plan.

So why not rely on a workbook alone? Although they may incorporate some limited self-assessments or treatment choices, workbooks must take a generic approach suitable for a large population. The crucial benefit of working with a clinical psychologist is that a skilled therapist will appropriately tailor experiential exercises for unique individuals, regularly evaluate progress, and adjust the pace and strategies based on client responses and comfort level.

A qualified psychologist can also leverage a much wider variety of therapeutic approaches ideally suited for the personality, history, current life situation, and other psychological characteristics of the individual. For example, many clients struggling with anxiety also battle with substance use issues, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and mood disorders such as depression.

A psychotherapist who knows you well can make real-time adjustments based on your current circumstances, unique characteristics, and response to treatment. This kind of therapeutic process is optimally responsive, supportive, and efficient.

Whether you are considering ways to work on specific anxiety issues or are trying to understand symptoms affecting someone you love, this overview is a good starting point. It summarizes common anxiety disorders and symptoms and wraps up with an overview of some basic anxiety-reducing strategies that are ready to be used by anyone.

Types of Anxiety Disorders

These responses extend beyond developmentally appropriate stages (such as a toddler fearing the dark) and are excessive and persistent (usually lasting longer than six months). Symptoms are not caused by the physiological effects of medication or substance, nor by another medical or mental health condition. The National Institute of Mental Health highlights these as the most common types of adult anxiety disorders:

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) GAD usually involves a persistent feeling of anxiety or dread that interferes with daily functioning. It is experienced as excessive anxiety or worry that is difficult to control and occurs more days than not, for six months or more.

At least three or more of the following symptoms are present: restlessness or feeling “on edge,” easily fatigued, concentration problems or mind going blank, irritability, muscle tension, and/or sleep disruption. Anxiety, worry, or symptoms cause distress or impairment in key areas of functioning.

Panic Disorder This is recurring unexpected panic attacks. Panic attacks are a sudden surge of intense fear or discomfort that reaches a peak in minutes. While not a complete list, frequent symptoms are a sensation of a pounding heart, sweating, trembling, shortness of breath, fear of losing control, or fear of dying. For at least a month after such an attack, there is persistent worry about having another panic attack and/or changing behaviors to prevent future attacks.

Social Anxiety Disorder SAD is an intense fear or anxiety about social situations that might lead to scrutiny by others. Individuals with social anxiety fear that they may act in a way that leads to rejection or humiliation. Some of the additional criteria include avoiding or enduring social situations with intense fear or anxiety and experiencing fear or anxiety that is out of proportion to the actual threat and causes significant distress or impairment.

Specific Phobia A phobia is a marked fear or anxiety about a specific object or situation. Common examples include fears of flying on an airplane, heights, various animals, or insects, receiving injections, or seeing blood. These provoke immediate intense fear or anxiety, are typically avoided or endured with extreme discomfort, and result in significant distress or impairment in functioning.

These are just a few of the many types of anxiety disorders and some of their diagnostic criteria. A licensed clinical psychologist or psychiatrist can assist with a more detailed assessment through a personal clinical interview and/or completion of specific written tests that measure the nature and severity of symptoms. This kind of thorough assessment is vital to reaching the proper diagnoses and laying the foundation for an effective treatment plan.

Anxiety Disorder Treatment

Therapeutic approaches will vary, based upon the specific diagnosis and symptoms a client is experiencing. The list below is comprised of treatments with strong scientific evidence of effectiveness. I frequently implement these approaches, which have been particularly helpful to clients learning to manage anxiety.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) This heavily researched and effective treatment for mood disorders has many strategies to eliminate or manage anxiety, including gaining insight into triggering situations, identifying, and changing thought patterns that drive irrational fears and anxieties, increasing coping self-talk, and engaging in behaviors that reduce anxiety levels.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) ACT originally evolved from a CBT foundation but places more emphasis on accepting one’s thoughts and feelings and committing to actions that are consistent with personal values. Mindfulness and increasing psychological flexibility are also keys to reducing emotional distress.

Exposure Therapies These can take many different forms but generally involve building skills to face anxiety-provoking situations and systematically practicing the use of these strategies. Importantly, steps to face anxiety-provoking stimuli are gradual, and careful attention is paid to adjusting the steps and pace based upon each client’s experiences during the process.

In my experience, a prerequisite to success is ensuring that individuals have built sufficient coping skills and are simultaneously engaging in daily anxiety-reducing self-care. This may take the form of mindful breathing exercises, progressive muscle relaxation, meditation, affirmations, or guided imagery – all skills which can be learned and practiced during therapy, sometimes with the use of biofeedback.

Building a personal toolkit of multiple skills is optimal, as is regularly engaging in physical exercise and favored relaxing activities.

Anxiety Management Resources

If you would like to learn more about anxiety disorders on your own, free credible U.S. resources are available through the websites of the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration and the American Psychological Association. New Harbinger Publications sells mental health resources and offers many high-quality self-help guides in print or digital formats.

Many clients find it difficult to follow through with consistent independent self-help work. However, if you are highly motivated to pursue it, I highly recommend The Mindfulness and Acceptance Workbook for Anxiety by Forsyth and Eifert, available from New Harbinger.

It is an excellent resource that uses the ACT framework mentioned earlier. Another excellent guide is the book Feeling Great: The Revolutionary New Treatment for Depression and Anxiety, by David Burns. Both of these are sound approaches with underlying scientific support.

Tips to Reduce Stress and Anxiety

Even those without distressing anxiety can usually benefit from improved relaxation skills. Today, many of us experience chronic, low-level anxiety and stress that results in headaches, muscle tension, and sleep problems. It can become so familiar that we do not even recognize the tension until we have learned the mindfulness skills to identify it.

For those suffering from distressing anxiety or fear symptoms, the underlying level of anxiety can make the difference between experiencing a panic attack or becoming overwhelmed in a social situation and successfully coping. Relaxation counteracts the taxing drain of our daily stressors and gives us more energy to cope when difficulties arise.

Trainer and hypnotherapist Andrew Schwartz notes that anxiety management strategies can focus primarily on the physical (body-focused breathing or stretching exercises), on both physical and mental aspects (yoga, progressive muscle relaxation), or primarily on the mental aspect (meditation, guided imagery or visualizations) Most of us are served best by developing a variety of skills, which can be combined or selected as the situation dictates.

If you already use anxiety management strategies, you may opt to expand your repertoire to include new methods. Fitness centers and community centers often offer yoga, stretching, or meditation classes, and yoga studios are available in many areas. There are also many ways to try new approaches without leaving home.

There are many excellent relaxation DVDs still available for purchase. A web search will also confirm that there are many free options to stream YouTube videos or download guided audio exercises. I encourage you to test out a number of these options, to identify those that work best for you. A few to consider:

https://myhealth.alberta.ca/alberta/pages/relaxation-audio-tracks.aspx

https://northwest.iu.edu/counseling-services/resources/guided-audio.html

https://www.uclahealth.org/uclamindful/ucla-mindful-app

Closing Notes

I hope this overview was informative and provided tools to help you explore the topic further. Regular use of relaxation strategies can be beneficial for lowering the overall level of anxiety and for coping with stressors as they arise.

I encourage you to try out some new relaxation resources that interest you, and to seek out a skilled therapist if you are experiencing significant distress from anxiety. Know that you are not alone. Many individuals have broken free from anxiety’s grip and taught us much about their successes.

EMERGENCY HELP: If you are feeling suicidal or in crisis, it is imperative to seek immediate help. In the U.S., if you are not aware of local community resources, call 911 for emergency services. You may also contact the national 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988. To chat, go to http://www.988lifeline.org/. This resource will connect you to local mental health services.