Anxiety

Anxiety releases high levels of fight-or-flight hormones in your body, so you’re in a constant arousal state. This is exhausting, distressing, and could have long-term effects on your physical and mental health. Anne-Marie Odo, DNP, and her team at Semper Healthcare Services in Addison, Texas, offer compassionate treatment to people struggling with anxiety. They excel in supporting people using therapy and medication to relieve anxiety symptoms. Call Semper Healthcare Services today to arrange an anxiety assessment, or use the online booking tool to schedule an appointment.

Anxiety encompasses fear, stress, and worry, and is a natural response to life’s challenges. You might feel anxious about a job interview, exam, or giving a speech, for example. Beforehand, you get butterflies in your stomach, feel tense, and imagine what could go wrong. Afterward, you feel relief and often a sense of achievement.

When you develop generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), there’s no relief when the event ends. You simply move onto a new set of worries and/or obsess over the ones that have passed.

Some people develop more targeted anxieties called phobias. Common examples include enclosed spaces, snakes, and high places. Rather than feeling anxious all the time, as you do with GAD, phobias cause acute anxiety when you think about or see something that reminds you of what you fear.

What symptoms does anxiety cause?

People with anxiety are continually on edge. They have taut muscles, an increased heartbeat, and may sweat or tremble. This unending stimulation results in aching muscles, headaches, and digestive upsets.

You may experience a panic attack when stress overwhelms you. It can be impossible to move or speak; you might have palpitations (fast, irregular heartbeat), chest pain, and difficulty breathing. A severe panic attack mimics a heart attack, but there’s no physical damage.

Panic attacks are so disturbing that people who experience one often go to great lengths to avoid another. This can lead to social isolation, affect your relationships with family and friends, and limit your career prospects.

People with anxiety are also more likely to have a mood disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, seasonal affective disorder (SAD), or premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD).

How is anxiety treated?

Therapy is essential for people with anxiety disorders. Your skilled Semper Healthcare Services provider helps you identify the underlying causes of your anxiety and address them. You also learn cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) techniques that improve your ability to manage anxiety in daily life.

Those with mild anxiety may find therapy is enough on its own, but medication management is often vital for those with moderate- to- severe conditions. Anti-anxiety drugs reduce the severity of your symptoms, calming your mind and slowing down fight-or-flight hormone production. This increases the benefits of talk therapy.

Call Semper Healthcare Services today or book an appointment via the online scheduling tool for expert anxiety diagnosis and treatment.