Anxiety Disorders Explained and Treatment Options in Florida

What Is Anxiety?

Anxiety disorders are a category of mental health disorders defined by excessive and chronic fears or worries disproportionate to the actual threat present and that interfere with daily functioning in a major way; they are the most common type of mental health disorder in the United States.[1]

Unlike normal stress or worry, anxiety disorders involve a dysregulation in the brain’s threat response system that keeps your internal alarm “ringing” long after the danger has passed or triggers it even in situations where there is no threat at all. Long term, this chronic activation of your nervous system can be physically and emotionally exhausting, and take a toll on your health, functioning, relationships, and quality of life.

Types of Anxiety Disorders

Anxiety can present in multiple ways, with some presentations more common than others. Each type of anxiety and its symptoms can be treated differently, so it is important to identify what is going on in order to develop an effective treatment plan. The most common anxiety types are listed below:

• Generalized Anxiety Disorder, or GAD — Characterized by persistent and excessive worry about a wide range of everyday events and situations. Patients typically experience physical symptoms of muscle tension, exhaustion, and difficulty focusing or concentrating.
• Panic Disorder — Defined by recurrent, unanticipated panic attacks. Panic attacks are episodes of extreme anxiety that typically occur randomly, are sudden, and are characterized by physical symptoms such as shortness of breath, heart palpitations, chest pain, and dizziness.
• Social Anxiety Disorder — Intense fear of social situations and being judged by other people. Patients with social anxiety disorder will typically avoid social gatherings and situations.
• Specific Phobias — Characterized by high levels of anxiety that occur when confronted with a specific object or situation (e.g., heights, animals, enclosed spaces). Someone with a specific phobia can often understand that their fears are irrational or exaggerated, but they will avoid them anyway.
• Separation anxiety and other anxiety presentations — Anxiety disorders can present in a variety of ways, and many individuals experience features of multiple types simultaneously.

It is important to identify which type or types of anxiety are present in order to begin creating an effective treatment plan.

What Causes Anxiety?

There are multiple ways anxiety disorders can develop, including:

• Genetics — Anxiety disorders tend to run in families, suggesting that anxiety has a significant heritable component to it. Having a first-degree relative (parent, sibling) with anxiety increases the chance of developing anxiety later in life.[2]
• Brain chemistry and neurobiology — Research shows that anxiety disorders involve a dysregulation in the activity of neurotransmitters such as serotonin, GABA, and norepinephrine, which play key roles in regulating mood, arousal, and stress response.[3]
• Trauma and adverse childhood experiences — Traumatic events, adverse childhood experiences, and chronic stress are among the strongest possible risk factors for developing an anxiety disorder.[4]
• Personality and temperament  — Characteristics like behavioral inhibition, sensitivity to threat, and perfectionism are associated with a higher risk of developing anxiety. [5]
• Co-occurring conditions — Anxiety disorders frequently co-occur with major depression, OCD, PTSD, and substance abuse disorders, each of which can exacerbate anxiety symptoms and complicate treatment. [6]

What Anxiety Feels Like

Anxiety is more than just mental — it’s a full-body experience too. Understanding how anxiety affects your body can help you see when it might be time to seek professional assistance.

Physical and psychological symptoms of anxiety include:

• Increased heart rate, breathlessness, or tightness in your chest
• Tightness in the muscles, trembling, or restlessness
• Sweating, nausea, or gastrointestinal discomfort
• Dizziness, feeling light-headed, or feeling disconnected from reality
• Excessive worrying that is impossible to control
• Difficulty concentrating, a mind that goes “blank,” or is flooded with too many thoughts at the same time
• Avoiding situations, people, or places that cause you to feel anxious
• Trouble sleeping including being unable to fall asleep, stay asleep, or waking up feeling anxious
• Having an overwhelming fear that is out of proportion to the situation

Physical symptoms of anxiety are often the hardest part of living with an anxiety disorder, yet they are the least recognized as being indicative of anxiety.

When to Seek Professional Help

Anxiety that occasionally interferes with daily life is very different from having anxiety begin to run your life. Professional help is needed if:

• Anxiety is interfering with your work, relationships, or ability to do everyday activities
• You are avoiding people, places, and situations because of anxiety 
• Physical symptoms of anxiety are negatively impacting your health
• Anxiety has persisted for a long time, and you’ve tried to resolve it on your own without success
• You are experiencing other mental health issues, such as depression, substance abuse, or a history of trauma, along with anxiety, which makes it harder to manage
• You have tried counseling for anxiety and did not get adequate or long-lasting relief

For those with extreme anxiety who have not responded to outpatient treatment, a higher level of intensity and clinical intervention in a residential treatment program may be needed.

Anxiety Treatment at Helios West Palm in Florida

At Helios West Palm, anxiety treatment begins with a thorough psychiatric evaluation to identify the specific anxiety disorders you are struggling with, as well as any other underlying co-occurring mental health issues. Our program provides the structure and intensity that severe anxiety often requires, with clinical support available around the clock and a treatment experience designed to address anxiety at its root.

Benefits of Anxiety Treatment

Anxiety treatments can change not just the frequency of anxious episodes, but the overall way a person responds to them and how they relate to fear itself. Benefits of evidence-based anxiety treatment include:

• Significant reduction in the number and severity of anxiety and panic attacks
• Less avoidance and an improved ability to engage in a broader range of situations
• Enhanced daily functioning across a variety of areas, including work, relationships, and daily life activities
• Better ability to manage co-occurring disorders such as depression and substance abuse
• More coping strategies that can be effectively used in real-life scenarios
• Better quality of sleep, physical well-being, and overall quality of life
• More accurate, less catastrophic perceptions of uncertain circumstances or threats