Anxiety

Anxiety is a normal state of mind that’s one of the many emotions most people frequently feel throughout their lives. Examples of healthy anxiety include worrying about your child on their first day at school or feeling nervous before giving a presentation at work.

These everyday worries and causes of stress aren’t a problem – in fact, feeling anxious can boost your performance and make you more alert and aware. It can also be a significant motivator, driving you to achieve more in your life.

Anxiety only becomes an issue when it begins to affect you most or all of the time. If feelings of worry and fear are interfering with your life, then anxiety has gone beyond being a healthy, useful emotion and become a serious mental health disorder.

There are several different forms of anxiety disorder, including:

• Generalized anxiety disorder 
• Panic disorder
• Social anxiety disorder
• Phobias

OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder) and PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) are also still thought of as anxiety disorders, although they’ve now been reclassified.

Anxiety disorders can cause a range of symptoms, such as:

• Uneasiness
• Constant fear
• Panic attacks
• Nightmares
• Sleep problems
• Feeling out of control
• Unwanted thoughts
• Shortness of breath
• Palpitations
• Nausea
• Dizziness

Anxiety disorders are more common in people who have clinical depression. It could be that depression makes you more anxious, or it could be that extreme anxiety brings on depression. Importantly, these are separate conditions even though they’re linked.

The highly experienced team at Nashville Brain Institute diagnoses your anxiety disorder during an in-depth consultation. They review your medical history and check your current health before discussing your symptoms with you and how you feel.

Understanding the type of anxiety disorder you have and what may have triggered it helps in creating your treatment plan. Other problems you might have as well, like depression, also need to receive the appropriate treatment.

Several medications can help ease the severe symptoms of anxiety. Antianxiety drugs like alprazolam, and SNRIs (selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors), are two examples of the types of medication that can help reduce your anxiety.

You might benefit from other medications, for example, antidepressant SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors), which could be especially helpful if you also have depression. Anticonvulsant medications such as gabapentin or low doses of antipsychotic drugs might also be beneficial for some patients.

Talking therapies are an essential part of recovery from anxiety disorders and depression. One to one psychotherapy to discover the root causes of your anxiety, and CBT (cognitive-behavioral therapy) to help you manage the problems anxiety causes, are especially beneficial.

As part of a holistic approach to treating patients, Nashville Brain Institute offers other therapies that could ease your anxiety and improve your health, such as:

• Biofeedback
• Neurofeedback
• ​Herbal medicines
• ​Nutritional therapy
• ​Acupuncture

Nashville Brain Institute also provides the latest advanced treatment options for anxiety and depression. These include:

Esketamine therapy (Spravato™)

Esketamine is a treatment that uses a form of the anesthetic drug ketamine to reduce depression and anxiety.

TMS (transcranial magnetic stimulation)

TMS is a noninvasive therapy that utilizes magnetic pulses to increase feel-good neurotransmitters in your brain.

The team at Nashville Brain Institute also provides a pharmacogenomic testing service that can help select the right treatment for you and prevent avoidable side effects.

For help with anxiety that’s out of control, call Nashville Brain Institute today, or book an appointment online.