Anxiety: Definition, Symptoms, Warning Signs, Causes, Medications, Treatment Options, Prevention, and Home Remedies

Treatment options for anxiety disorder

After anxiety has been diagnosed, it usually requires prescription drugs to achieve better results in a shorter period. They are used in combination with psychotherapy. In some cases, only psychotherapy is enough to solve the problem. The type of drugs used to control anxiety disorders usually includes antidepressants. New antidepressant agents are very safe, have few reported adverse events in these patients, and are easier to use than tricyclic antidepressants. Still, not all antidepressants are approved by the FDA to treat anxiety, so the treatment should always be guided depending on your particular case and the latest recommendations. Psychological therapy and behavioral modifications are fundamental and show very high efficacy in studies. There is a type of psychologic therapy known as psychodynamic psychotherapy. It is oriented to create insight in patients and help them realize what they are doing and why. This type of psychotherapy is beneficial when phobias are found along with personality disorders. There is also interpersonal psychotherapy and other methods available depending on the subtype of anxiety you are experiencing. In 2019, cranial electrotherapy stimulation received FDA approval as a treatment for many brain chemistry disorders, including depression, insomnia, and anxiety. This therapy is particularly attractive because it is non-invasive and doesn’t require administering drugs. However, it should be used in combination with mainstream medical treatment. It delivers electromagnetic pulses to the brain cortex and makes changes in brain connections and neurotransmitter balance. This is a brief overview of treatment options, but the one used in each particular case depends on:

• The type of anxiety disorder, because each is associated with different alterations in brain chemistry and function. Thus, each receives different treatments.
• The severity of the diagnosis, because the dose and number of accompanying prescription drugs are modulated according to the patient’s needs.
• The level of functioning before anxiety sets in because that is the baseline. Sometimes we have alterations in the baseline, and these patients may require additional treatment.
• The patient’s motivation has to improve because some therapeutic agents only work when patients play their part. This is particularly the case with psychotherapy.

To give you an example of how treatment varies, we will examine some therapeutic considerations depending on the type of anxiety: