What Kinds Of Anxiety Disorders Can Be Treated With Anxiety Therapy?
Anxiety can manifest in physical or mental symptoms. When people feel anxious, they may find that their hearts start pounding or their stomachs feel unsettled. Anxiety can cause racing thoughts, feelings of impending doom, and negative feelings about oneself. Anxiety can make it hard to enjoy your life and fulfill your responsibilities. Fortunately, anxiety therapy can help people overcome their anxiety symptoms. Here are four types of anxiety disorders that can be treated with anxiety therapy:
1. Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Generalized anxiety disorder is one of the most common anxiety disorders. People with this condition may feel a persistent sense of unease, even in situations where anxiety would not usually be warranted. Experiencing constant anxiety can wear a person down, making them irritable and tired. Fortunately, therapists can help people with GAD. Cognitive-behavioral therapy is a helpful technique that can help people with GAD gradually experience fewer anxiety symptoms.
2. Social Anxiety
It's normal to be nervous in certain social situations, such as before giving a presentation at work. However, people with social anxiety experience an outsized anxious response when they are around other people. People with social anxiety may worry that others will judge them or think they're stupid, annoying, or uninteresting. A therapist can help people change these negative beliefs, replacing them with positive, evidence-based thoughts instead.
3. Panic Disorder
Panic attacks can mimic some of the same physical symptoms of heart attacks. A person who is having a panic attack may feel like their chest hurts or like they can't breathe. Panic attacks aren't dangerous, but they can be very alarming to the person experiencing them. People with panic disorder experience panic attacks on a regular basis. Over time, people with panic disorder develop a fear of their panic attacks, which can cause them to limit their exposure to situations that might trigger an attack. An anxiety therapist can help people with panic disorder overcome their fear so they can lead full lives. They can also teach helpful techniques that can be used to weather these uncomfortable occurrences to people who experience panic attacks.
4. Phobias
Phobias are specific fears that are distinct from more generalized forms of anxiety. A person may develop a phobia after a negative experience with a certain object or situation. Anxiety therapy can help people overcome phobias that are negatively impacting their lives. Through careful exposure therapy, a therapist can gradually help patients reduce their sensitivity to their fear triggers.
