What is anxiety?
Anxiety is a natural way your body reacts when under stress. It’s a normal part of life and beneficial in many situations. For example, anxiety may help you feel more alert during a job interview or more aware when walking down a dark alley.
In most cases, anxiety resolves once the stress is gone. However, for some people the anxiety, fear, and nervousness don’t go away and may occur in normal everyday situations, interfering with your daily routine and quality of life.
If you’re suffering from chronic anxiety, you may have an anxiety disorder. The team of psychiatrists at Orlando Psychiatric Associates specializes in the diagnosis and management of anxiety disorders and can provide comprehensive care to help you understand the underlying cause of your anxiety and develop an effective treatment plan.
What are the types of anxiety?
There are many types of anxiety disorders, and you may suffer from more than one type. The team at Orlando Psychiatric Associates provides care for all types of anxiety, including, but not limited to:
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)
With GAD, you experience severe anxiety on a daily basis for six or more months. Anxiety may stem from any number of causes, such as your health, finances, or family.
Social anxiety
Social anxiety, previously called social phobia, causes fear, nervousness, and anxiety during social situations. With social anxiety, you may worry your behaviors in social settings will be negatively viewed and cause you embarrassment.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
PTSD is a type of anxiety disorder that develops after a life-threatening or traumatic event. In addition to fear and nervousness surrounding the trauma, PTSD also causes other symptoms, such as guilt, shame, and angry outbursts, that interfere with all aspects of your life.
Panic disorder
People with a panic disorder experience chronic unexpected panic attacks. During a panic attack, you may feel a paralyzing fear that causes physical symptoms such as sweating, dizziness, chest pain, or shortness of breath.
Phobias
Phobias, including agoraphobia and arachnophobia, are also types of anxiety disorders.
In addition to specializing in all types of anxiety disorders, the team at Orlando Psychiatric Associates also helps patients with gender identity disorders, as well as those who are transitioning.
How is anxiety treated?
The team develops personalized treatment plans for your anxiety disorder based on the type, underlying cause, anxiety triggers, the severity of your symptoms, and your overall physical and mental health. Your treatment plan may include a combination of talk therapy and medication.
Orlando Psychiatric Associates also specializes in medical marijuana and may recommend the alternative plant-based treatment to assist in the management of your anxiety disorder.
Chronic anxiety is paralyzing and disruptive to daily life. To get the help you need, contact Orlando Psychiatric Associates by phone or book your visit online today.
