Treatment of Anxiety Disorder
General characteristics of anxiety disorder in individuals: It is generally described as the state of feeling nervous, aggressive, troubled and uneasy without any reason, and in a way people cannot overcome in daily life. Physical manifestation of such mental depressions in the body is observed as sweating, shivering, shortness of breath, muscle contraction, dizziness and nausea. These symptoms, which are quite negatively reflected on social relationships, affect people’s daily lives, while making night sleep of the person problematic. All these indications signify anxiety disorders, rather than a normal anxiety in terms of the level of anxiety.
How should the anxiety disorder treatment be?
As anxiety disorders appear due to different reasons, their treatment approaches will be different as well. For instance, there will definitely be some differences between the treatment of the anxiety disorder experienced by a person who lost one of their relatives, and that of a panic disorder patient who goes into panic. Therefore, it is not correct to generalize the anxiety disorder treatment. Approaches of treatment for different anxiety disorders are as follows.
How Does Anxiety Go Away?
Acute Stress Disorder and its Treatment
In a case of anxiety disorder, which appears as a consequence of a life-threatening incident and which does not last more than 1 month, psychotherapy should be prioritized for treatment, rather than prescribing drugs that eliminate anxiety. If the case is acute, however, then it would be necessary to prescribe medications.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Treatment
This disorder is caused by persistent and long-lasting problems, which are caused by a person getting exposed to or witnessing traumatic experiences (abuse, rape, death, natural disasters or traffic accidents, etc.). Acute stress disorder takes this name following the lapse of 1 month. Serotonin reuptake inhibitors and Deep TMS are quite effective treatment approaches in the treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
Treatment of Panic Disorders
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and other psychotherapeutic approaches, in which relaxation techniques are taught, along with medication and Deep TMS are quite effective in the treatment of panic disorders. Serotonin reuptake inhibitors, which are capable of eliminating anxiety, are successful in the long run regarding the treatment of panic disorders. Controlling panics, which suddenly emerge, is possible thanks to the drugs called anxiolytics.
Treatment of Generalized Anxiety Disorder
This is the state where a person is constantly and excessively worried for no reason at the atmospheres where they are present. This is a state of being worried at a level that may extremely affect the course of life. The individual is generally aware of the fact that they are extremely worried, but they cannot overcome this. They continue their lives by always keeping the worst future-related scenario in mind. The matter of anxiety is generally over family, business, money and health.
Norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, which are very special, are effective in the treatment of this disorder. The value of the psychotherapeutic approaches is of indubitable greatness.
Treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Biological and environmental factors are among the reasons of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. It is a known fact that the decrease in the release of neurotransmitters in the brain, which are called serotonin, causes Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). At the same time, there are evidences that Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is passed from parents to children. Moreover, abuse, rape, diseases, loss of a relative, changes or problems regarding the course of life, concerns regarding an emotional relationship, which are caused by negative experiences and some environmental factors like a change in order, are also among the factors that can cause Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder used to be among anxiety disorders, yet today it is in a different category. Individuals are generally shy and embarrassed about being in this situation, and try to hide it from their circles. It shows big differences in treatment modality.
Treatment of Phobic Disorders
This is the state of exaggerated and unrealistic anxiety the patient develops against specific objects or situations. The behavior of fear and avoidance is one of the two components of phobias. There are many phobias in the medical literature. Yet, two of them are of specific importance. These are agoraphobia and social phobia. Agoraphobia is generally observed together with panic disorder. Tricyclic antidepressants and serotonin reuptake inhibitors are effective in its treatment.
In the treatment of social phobia, however, tricyclic antidepressants, along with defibrillator drugs to prevent tachycardia and similar sensations that trigger a phobic reaction, are used in addition to the main treatment. Behavioral therapy has a major place and significance in the general treatment of all phobic situations.
For How Long Does Anxiety Disorder Last?
As seen, anxiety disorders vary both in terms of their types and the treatment approaches implemented. On the other hand, the content of the disorder, along with biological and environmental differences in terms of patient, come into play. Therefore, we can say that the duration of the anxiety disorder treatment varies from individual to individual.
