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Medications and Complementary Therapies to Treat Anxiety

Everyone is worried and anxious at times, but those with anxiety have a hard managing their reactions. Psychotherapy and medications such as beta blockers, which are used to control blood pressure, and benzodiazepines can aid in managing.

Self-help strategies can help alleviate symptoms. Exercise, for instance can help reduce stress and relax your body.

Medication

If changes to your lifestyle or psychotherapy aren't helping your anxiety, medication may be a good alternative. Anxiety medication reduces fear signals and the fight or flight response within the body. Antidepressants are the most common medications used for anxiety. They work by increasing levels of certain neurotransmitters that affect mood. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) like citalopram, escitalopram, sertraline and prozac are usually the first medications prescribed. The SNRIs include venlafaxine, duloxetine, as also tricyclic antidepressants such as Tofranil (imipramine) Elavil, Tofranil (imipramine), or Pamelor can also be effective in treating anxiety.

Benzodiazepines are also sometimes used to treat anxiety. They're quick-acting and can be helpful in the short-term. However, they are addictive. Benzodiazepines are often used to treat insomnia and anxiety.

There are a myriad of different medications that can be used to treat anxiety, but only licensed health care providers are able to prescribe these medications. These include psychiatrists and psychologists as along with primary care physicians, some doctors of OB/GYNs and some psychiatric nurses. They must also receive special training to prescribe medication.

Some people use complementary therapies, such as exercise, to help alleviate anxiety. You can also find ways to relax and reduce stress, like deep breathing and mindfulness meditation. Biofeedback can be another beneficial technique, in which a therapist monitors your brain-wave patterns on an electroencephalograph and teaches you how to control them at will.

Additionally natural supplements such as 5-HTP and melatonin may aid in easing anxiety. But, it is essential to consult with your doctor prior to taking any supplement to treat anxiety or for any other reason. Supplements can be utilized as part of a comprehensive therapy program that includes psychotherapy, lifestyle changes and supplements.





Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).

CBT is among the many psychotherapeutic treatments for anxiety disorders that has been extensively studied and backed by empirical evidence. It targets abnormal behavior and thoughts that cause anxiety over time. Despite the fact that different CBT protocols were developed for different anxiety disorders, they all have common treatment goals and methods.

The first step in CBT is to recognize dysfunctional thought patterns that contribute to anxiety. Through sessions, patients learn to recognize these negative beliefs and challenge them. The therapist can also help patients identify and change avoidance behaviors. The therapist might ask patients to keep "thought journals" or diaries outside of sessions, and to implement the behavioural strategies they have learned in everyday life.

The aim is to eventually teach patients how to be their own therapists, by helping them understand their current patterns in thinking and behavior. This will help them to overcome unfounded fears and anxieties, decrease their anxiety levels and other negative emotions, and become more resilient.

CBT techniques involve identifying and reversing the way that the patient thinks which include overgeneralizing, catastrophizing, and minimizing positive events. Therapists also aid the patient in developing strategies for dealing with stressful situations. These techniques can be applied to all kinds of anxiety disorders. Often, they are incorporated into a comprehensive approach to mental health called "cognitive-behavioral therapy".

Exposure therapy is an additional component of CBT. It involves exposure therapy, which involves exposing the patient to the situation or object that causes them anxiety. This can be done by creating a mental picture or confronting the subject or situation in real life. For instance, a person with PTSD who is scared of a certain area could be urged to go to the location in which they were assaulted. Alternatively, a person with social anxiety disorder who fears public speaking might be encouraged to give a speech in front of a group.

Some studies have proven that combining CBT and pharmacotherapy can improve outcomes. However, www.iampsychiatry.com aren't conclusive, and more research is needed. Combining medications with CBT is generally more effective than either of them on its own. Combinations of benzodiazepines with CBT have been proven to be particularly efficacious in patients suffering from panic disorder as well as generalized anxiety disorder.

Therapy for exposure

One of the most effective ways to treat anxiety is exposure therapy, which can help you face the things that scare you in a secure environment with an experienced professional. The process may sound difficult but it will help you understand that your fears are not based on reality and that you can tolerate the discomfort of your triggers. It can also boost your confidence to take on your challenges in life.

There are a variety of exposure therapies, such as virtual reality, imaginal therapy and systematic desensitization. If you're scared to speak in public, your therapist may advise you to practice with a buddy or imagine yourself delivering the speech. Then, you'll gradually confront the situation in real life with the help of your therapist's support. In each session your therapist will examine you to see if you're feeling anxious or scared and adjust the level of exposure as needed.

During the course of a session the therapist will show you to calm down and deal with your feelings before explaining the triggers that trigger your fear. This could include meditation, a rhythmic breathing and guided images. They can also teach you strategies to avoid engaging in habit that causes anxiety, like avoiding elevators. Exposure therapy is usually conducted in a series of weekly sessions. some people require more than two or three sessions to overcome their fear.

The first step is to identify the thing or event that triggers anxiety, such as flying on a plane or in a crowd of strangers. Your therapist will assist you to decide on an approach to exposure therapy that is appropriate to your personality and needs. This could mean using a hierarchical system to decide the sequence of exposures or practicing relaxation techniques prior to starting.

In vivo exposure therapy is confronting the object or event that you're scared of. It could be as simple as crossing a bridge or having someone else reach out to you. This technique can be used to treat posttraumatic stress disorder and specific phobias.

It isn't easy to schedule vivo exposure therapy between appointments. Therefore, it is important to find a therapist who is specialized in this kind of cognitive behavioral therapy. You can search for an experienced specialist by searching your local psychological association or the mental health network. It's an excellent idea to read reviews and ask relatives or friends for recommendations.

Complementary therapies

Complementary therapies are a wide array of health treatments that aren't considered to be part of Western medicine. They can help reduce anxiety by teaching you relaxation techniques and encouraging healthy lifestyle habits. These treatments can include acupuncture, herbal therapy yoga, meditation music therapy, massage. They can also aid in relieving depression symptoms by reducing levels of stress hormones within your body.

A recent study has found that mindfulness-based meditation programs were linked with moderate improvement in anxiety symptoms. This approach uses different techniques of meditation to improve mindfulness, or the ability of staying in the present moment and getting rid of negative thoughts and feelings. This type of meditation is suitable for nearly everyone and doesn't require any special equipment or instruction. However, people with physical limitations may not be able in meditative practices that involve moving.

Other therapies that can relieve anxiety include breathing exercise, progressive muscle relaxation (PMR), biofeedback, self-hypnosis and the use of hypnosis. These techniques can help you manage anxiety by focusing on relaxing muscle breathing, calming breath, and visual imagery. These techniques can be employed at home or in an environment for treatment. These techniques are often combined with other forms therapy, such a cognitive behavioral therapy or exposure therapy.

Regular exercise and eating well-balanced meals are two more ways to decrease anxiety. Regular exercise can reduce your heart rate, blood-pressure, and cortisol levels, which are hormones that contribute to anxiety. A healthy diet can help you feel more energized and, in turn, lessen your anxiety.

Cognitive behavior therapy is an effective treatment for anxiety. It helps you recognize and overcome negative thoughts which lead to anxiety. Your therapist will show you to evaluate your fears and determine the likelihood that they'll actually happen. You can use strategies like looking at your fears in relation to previous experiences by considering the advantages and disadvantages of an event, and determining whether it's realistic to be worried about something that might happen.

Acupuncture, a traditional Chinese technique, is used to relieve stress. It is based on a study of the excesses and deficiencies in your energy, also known as qi, located in specific meridians. For instance, a lack of qi in the kidney or spleen meridians could cause anxiety. Certain studies suggest that acupuncture can reduce anxiety symptoms when combined with psychotherapy and other CAM approaches.