Anxiety

The clinical team at Relief Mental Health has decades of experience treating individuals with all types of anxiety diagnoses. We understand clinical anxiety and know the symptoms can create significant disruption. The symptoms of anxiety can deter an individual from participating in social activities, damage personal and professional relationships, and impair work performance and academic achievement. Severe cases of anxiety can prevent an individual from participating in the typical activities of daily life, which can lead to isolation and worsening of symptoms.

Our approach to treating anxiety diagnoses includes a combination of innovative, evidence-based therapies and personalized support to give each of our patients the best possible chance of treatment success.

We combine traditional approaches for the treatment of anxiety diagnoses such as psychiatry, medication management, and talk therapy with cutting-edge technologies like transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), SPRAVATO®, and IV ketamine infusions. Our wide range of treatment options increases the likelihood that all patients at Relief Mental Health meet their treatment goals and learn to successfully manage the symptoms of depression, anxiety, and other conditions.

Advantages of anxiety treatment at Relief Mental Health include:

Skilled, compassionate, caring clinicians and staff committed to helping each patient meet their treatment goals
New approaches for the treatment of anxiety including transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), SPRAVATO®, and IV ketamine infusions
Medication management directed by our providers
Therapy and support with our team of experienced, empathetic therapists

What is Anxiety?

The National Association on Mental Illness (NAMI) indicates that all the various anxiety diagnoses recognized by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) have one distinguishing feature in common:

“A persistent, excessive fear or worry in situations that are not objectively or inherently dangerous.”

NAMI indicates that people with anxiety diagnoses most often experience two types of symptoms: physical symptoms and emotional symptoms.

Physical symptoms of anxiety may include:

Elevated heart rate
Hyperventilating, i.e., rapid breathing
Sleep problems
Fatigue
Headaches
Excess sweating
Tremors/shaking
Nausea/stomach problems
Constant trips to the restroom at school, work, or home

Emotional symptoms of anxiety may include:

Extreme fear of typical daily circumstances of situations
Continuous or unusual irritability
Constant restlessness
Belief that almost any future event will have the worst possible outcome
Excess agitation
Constant nervousness

It’s important to recognize that we all experience anxiety during our lives, and that not all anxiety is necessarily negative. For instance, anxiety over an upcoming job interview might cause an individual to prepare more thoroughly for the interview. However, residual anxiety after preparing for the interview can be counterproductive. Likewise, mild anxiety over a mistake made in the past might cause an individual to correct that mistake. However, residual anxiety once the mistake has been corrected can be counterproductive.

When an individual experiences an emotional symptom such as an intense fear of going to work, and that fear persists for days, weeks or months, that’s a sign of anxiety that may meet clinical criteria for an anxiety diagnosis. Or, if a physical symptom like a headache appears – without a readily identifiable physical origin – every day for weeks or months, that may also be a sign of anxiety that may meet the clinical criteria for an anxiety diagnosis.

Types of Anxiety Diagnoses

Most people know about clinical-level anxiety, but not everyone knows there are several types, each with its own specific set of characteristics. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) define five major, distinct anxiety disorders that occur in adults:

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD):

GAD is characterized by chronic worry and tension with little or no identifiable cause.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)

OCD is characterized by obsessions – unwanted and intrusive thoughts, and compulsions – behaviors performed in order to prevent obsessive thoughts or temporarily mitigate the negative emotions associated with obsessions.

Panic Disorder (PD)

PD is characterized by constant, repeated episodes of extreme fear or worry often accompanied by physical symptoms like elevated heart rate, dizziness, nausea, and chest pain/tightness in the chest.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

PTSD typically develops in response to a traumatic event which involved either significant physical and/or emotional harm or the imminent threat or potential of significant physical and/or emotional harm. People with PTSD may experience terrifying flashbacks or intense fear of any situation that reminds them of the initial traumatic event or events.

Social anxiety disorder (SAD)

SAD – not to be confused with seasonal affective disorder – is characterized by excessive, disproportionate fear of typical daily social situations. People with SAD may fear specific social situations, such as meeting new people. In extreme cases, people with SAD experience symptoms before almost any social situation involving other people.

Those are the primary types of anxiety. While the symptoms of all types of anxiety diagnoses can be extremely disruptive and severe anxiety can be totally debilitating, it’s important to know one thing: anxiety conditions are treatable and respond well to therapy, medication, counseling, and support.

How Relief Mental Health Can Help: Treatment for Anxiety

At Relief Mental Health, comprehensive, evidence-based care for anxiety diagnoses may include one or more of the following treatments.

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is designed to treat depression, OCD, and other common diagnoses safely and effectively. TMS works by emitting gentle magnetic pulses to the area of the brain that regulates mood. These pulses activate specific areas of the brain and decrease mental health symptoms. Patients will sit comfortably in a chair during their 20-minute session and can drive themselves home after treatment.

TMS does not require anesthesia, hospitalization, and has no systemic side effects.

BrainsWay Technology

Relief Mental Health uses BrainsWay technology which has been demonstrated to have exceptional efficacy due to its broad and deep prefrontal stimulation. Unlike medication, the benefits of TMS are durable. This means that patients experience lasting remission of symptoms long after treatment has been completed. Even in cases where medications have not proven effective, TMS can help our patients overcome their symptoms.

TMS does not require…

anesthesia, hospitalization, and has no systemic side effects. During the 20-minute treatment session, patients sit in a comfortable chair and engage with our staff. This extra engagement during treatment helps improve the efficacy of treatment and yield better results compared to other TMS clinics. Patients are awake and alert throughout treatment but typically don’t experience any pain.

SPRAVATO®

SPRAVATO® is a prescription medicine used to treat:

Adults with treatment-resistant depression (TRD)
Depressive symptoms in adults with major depressive disorder (MDD) and suicidal thoughts or actions

SPRAVATO® (esketamine) is the first and only NMDA receptor antagonist approved for adults. It’s administered under medical supervision in one of our carefully designed therapeutic rooms. Your physical and mental health are expertly monitored during care.

SPRAVATO® demonstrates consistent safety across indications and can only be administered in a certified healthcare setting. Relief Psychedelics is an REMS-certified provider of SPRAVATO® for people with treatment-resistant depression.

SPRAVATO® is fast acting and effective.

While some treatments take weeks or months to yield results, patients often feel the positive benefits of SPRAVATO® within hours. For patients with severe mental health symptoms, this fast-acting treatment can propel patients into remission quickly.

IV Ketamine Infusions

Evidence shows that intravenous (IV) infusions with ketamine have positive therapeutic effects.

Research on ketamine shows the following:

Ketamine can reduce symptoms associated with mental health conditions quickly
Patients with mental health symptoms experience long-lasting improvement with ketamine treatment.

When a patient chooses IV ketamine treatment, the first step is either a virtual or in-person consultation to determine whether IV ketamine is an appropriate candidate for their diagnosis. New patients to Relief Mental Health can expect their initial consultation to last about an hour, while current Relief Mental Health patients using IV ketamine as a new treatment modality can expect their initial consultation to last about half an hour. After an initial consultation and if the patient is deemed clinically appropriate, an appointment is scheduled for the patient to return at his or her earliest convenience.

Psychiatry & Medication Management

From initial evaluation to medication management to psychotherapy referrals, our psychiatric team puts you on the right path to optimal mental health. On your first visit, we will review symptoms, personal history, treatment options, and life goals to create a plan that keeps you moving forward. At returning visits, we monitor progress as well as respond to any new treatment modalities. We’re here to help you achieve your goals every step of the way.

We see patients with established diagnoses that need continued psychiatric care as well as patients seeking a diagnosis for the first time. Psychiatric medication is not the right fit for everyone, but many find success by adding medication to their plan of care. Because many psychiatric medications are long term, having a provider that specializes in this type of prescribing is crucial.

Our team of Psychiatrists, Nurse Practitioners, and Physician Associates have unique treatment experience. Finding the right provider can be the catalyst to great results. For more information about an individual provider call our intake line and we will match you with the right fit.

Relief Mental Health offers both in office and telehealth visits to be able to provide flexibility that fits into your life. Our team will develop a treatment plan tailored to your diagnosis and needs.

Therapy

Discover the tremendous things you’re capable of achieving and create a more fulfilling life with the help of a Relief therapist. Our staff consists of therapists with varied expertise that we carefully match with patients to help them become the best version of themselves. We will do a short intake and match you with the most appropriate therapist based on your goals, geography, availability, and diagnosis.

Therapy is beneficial for a variety of challenging diagnoses including but not limited to depression, anxiety, mood instability, sexuality issues, trauma, self-injury, eating disorders, coping with loss, stress management, and more. Depending on your diagnosis, we use a variety of evidence-based modalities such as CBT, DBT, ERP, ACT.

We offer both telehealth and in-person appointments. Schedules, geography, and provider will help determine how we see you.

For a person with clinical anxiety, many daily activities are impossible: their symptoms are so powerful they simply cannot participate.

When a mental health diagnosis like anxiety goes untreated, symptoms can escalate until they dominate life and control behavior. This causes many of the negative consequences we mention above: impaired school and work performance, the inability to participate in social activities, and disrupted personal relationships.

When patients choose anxiety treatment at Relief Mental Health, they can learn to manage their symptoms and end their isolation. We welcome all our patients into a vibrant community of expert psychiatrists, therapists, and clinicians. As time in treatment passes, we see our patients grow. We see their confidence restored, along with the hope and optimism that increase their chances at making a full recovery.

Anxiety Diagnoses: Facts and Figures

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), anxiety is a common medical condition.

Here are the latest figures on anxiety worldwide:

301 million people have anxiety – that’s about 4.1% of the entire population
Anxiety rates are consistent across age groups
Anxiety is more common among females

Anxiety is also common in the United States.

The latest information from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) shows the following statistics for the year 2020:

Around 31.1% of U.S. adults experience any anxiety diagnosis at some time in their lives
Close to 40 million adults 18+ in the U.S. reported an anxiety diagnosis in the past year
Anxiety is more common among females
22.8% of adults in the U.S. report anxiety with serious impairment
33.7% of adults in the U.S. report anxiety with moderate impairment
43.5% of adults in the U.S. report anxiety with mild impairment