Anxiety Therapy

Treatment of Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Is medication an effective treatment for generalized anxiety disorder?

Psychiatric medication is often sought as a treatment for generalized anxiety disorder. Medication can often effectively lower anxiety. For very short term, situation specific anxiety, medication may be an acceptable treatment. However, even in these situations it is important to be aware of the drawbacks of using psychiatric medication to treat anxiety. Medication for anxiety may cause side effects such as impaired reaction times, lethargy, sleepiness, impaired memory, impaired thinking, and numbed emotions. Medication may cause many unwanted physical side effects. Medication for anxiety has the potential to cause dangerous interactions with other medications that are being taken concurrently or may impair their effectiveness. They may cause dangerous interactions with common foods. Because of the possibility of undesirable side effects therapy is a better treatment for generalized anxiety disorder.

Psychiatric medication is only effective as a short term treatment for generalized anxiety disorder. With longer treatments, even a few weeks, patients may become psychologically and physically addicted to the medications. They can become dependent on them and fearful of being without them. Many medications for anxiety begin to lose their effectiveness over time and require larger and larger doses as the patient habituates to them.

Once a patient’s psychiatric medication wears off generalized anxiety disorder usually returns. Thus, an endless cycle of medication is required to keep anxiety at bay.

For all these reasons, psychiatric medication is not recommended for the long term treatment of generalized anxiety disorder and therapy is a much better option.

What is the best treatment for generalized anxiety disorder?

Therapy is the best treatment for generalized anxiety disorder. The results are long lasting and effective. Clients gain confidence from learning to understand and control their generalized anxiety disorder. With therapy, clients learn the causes of their generalized anxiety disorder, what maintains it, and effective strategies for coping with it. Psychotherapy can help reduce and eliminate generalized anxiety disorder.

What is the best type of therapy for generalized anxiety disorder?

A variety of psychotherapies exist for the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder. Here are some of the most common types as well as newer therapies.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapies: CBT includes elements of cognitive therapy and behavioral therapy for the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder. CBT uses talk therapy to teach clients how to change the thoughts and behaviors believed to be causing their anxiety.

Psychodynamic Therapies: Uses psychotherapy techniques that date back all the way to Sigmund Freud. Many of the techniques of psychodynamic therapy originated in psychoanalysis. These techniques focus on unconscious mental dynamics such as defense mechanisms and internal representations of interpersonal relationships.

Sensorimotor / Somatic Therapies: A newer type of trauma informed therapy that focuses on therapy for both halves of the brain (the logical left side and the emotional right side) and the awareness of the sensations of emotions in the body.

Internal Family Systems Therapy: Another recent form of trauma informed therapy that focuses on consciously creating healing conversations between the different parts of our personality.

Eye Movement Desensitization Therapy: A newer form of therapy that was specifically created to heal PTSD and trauma. It’s most distinguishing feature is the use of bilateral movements of the body and eyes to heal traumatic memories.

How can The Happiness Psychologist help me with generalized anxiety disorder?

The Happiness Psychologist uses a positive, effective, client-friendly approach to therapy. He believes that therapy should be empowering and that you should feel good about your therapy. It should help you live a happier, more joyful life, It should enhance your natural resilience, inner strength, and ability to heal. It should be customized to be comfortable and effective for you. It should focus on you, not your diagnosis. He believes his clients are not broken and that they can overcome any challenge with the right guidance.

The Happiness Psychologist believes that clients are unique, therefore, no one type of therapy for generalized anxiety disorder is best for everyone. The Happiness Psychologist integrates the therapies described above, as well as other types of therapy, to customize psychotherapy to each individual client. This flexible approach to therapy is known as eclectic or integrative therapy and is very effective.

For the treatment of anxiety specifically, The Happiness Psychologist will work with you to identify your type of anxiety. He will help you understand the causes of your anxiety and the effects it has on your thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and body. He will teach you strategies to cope with anxiety when it occurs and to reduce its frequency. If you’d like to heal your generalized anxiety disorder call The Happiness Psychologist today!

What will happen if I don’t get treatment for generalized anxiety disorder?

Generalized anxiety disorder has multiple negative effects on one’s life. It results in excessive worry and stress. It results in unpleasant physical symptoms such as restlessness, muscle tension, and poor sleep. And it results in impairment in important areas of one’s life such as family, relationships, career, and education. Without treatment, generalized anxiety disorder tends to be lifelong.