Anxiety Disorder Treatment Specialist in Peachtree Corners GA, and Asheville, NC

An anxiety disorder is a very common type of mental health disorder that leads to increased feelings of anxiety, fear, or dread as a response to specific situations or events. It is very normal to experience general feelings of anxiety when faced with a new or unfamiliar situation, but those fleeting feelings can be differentiated from an anxiety disorder when the anxiety starts to interfere with the individual’s ability to control their response to situations and their ability to function daily. It can be difficult for those suffering from an anxiety disorder to manage their symptoms, but proper treatment and management can provide significant long-term relief as the patient will learn coping strategies to help them more effectively navigate the associated symptoms.

Common symptoms of an anxiety disorder can be classified under one or more categories including mental, behavioral, and physical symptoms. The common mental symptoms of anxiety include an inability to control obsessive thoughts, particularly those that are flashbacks of traumatic experiences, frequent feelings of fear, uneasiness, and panic, as well as frequent nightmares. Frequent behavioral symptoms of an anxiety disorder include having trouble sleeping, having difficulty staying still or feeling calm, and incorporating behaviors that are considered to be ritualistic. Physical symptoms that are commonly experienced in those who have an anxiety disorder include clammy hands (sweaty and cold), nausea, tension in the neck, shoulders, and other muscles, dry mouth, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, and tingling or numbness in the extremities. There are no specific tests that can be performed to diagnose someone with an anxiety disorder, so physicians and therapists will typically just require as much detail as possible from the patient regarding the specific symptoms that are being experienced as well as their frequency and severity.

The most common type of anxiety disorder is generalized anxiety disorder, which can be described as having general but intense and often unrealistic feelings of worry and tension that occur on most days regarding most tasks or situations. A panic disorder is also a type of anxiety disorder, often displaying as intense and sudden panic attacks that are frequently described as feelings of anxiety but are much stronger and can typically be triggered by a specific situation, person, or thing. Panic attacks often resemble a heart attack, resulting in increased sweating, heart palpitations, difficulty breathing, and chest pains. Other common types of anxiety disorders include phobias about specific things or scenarios, social anxiety disorder (often resulting in self-consciousness and increased worry while partaking in normal daily social activities), agoraphobia (the fear of becoming overwhelmed), and separation anxiety disorders. It is also very common for those suffering from other types of mental health conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, or obsessive-compulsive disorder to also develop an anxiety disorder.

There is no specific cause or defining feature that will lead to the development of an anxiety disorder, but there are several factors that are likely to increase the risk. The demographic that is most commonly affected by an anxiety disorder includes those who are assigned female at birth, often developing the disorder at some point during their teens or early adulthood, but they can develop in anyone at any age. An individual who has undergone trauma or suffered from abuse or neglect, particularly at a young age is more at risk for developing an anxiety disorder, but this is not a requirement. Also, anxiety disorders have proven to be somewhat hereditary, making those who have a direct family member (such as a parent or sibling) who has been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder much more likely to be at an increased risk. It is also much more common for those who have experienced long-lasting stress or severe stress to eventually develop an anxiety disorder.

Specialized and quality care is available at Ascension Solutions Treatment Clinic. We serve patients from Peachtree Corners GA, Asheville NC, Swannanoa NC, Johns Creek GA, Woodfin NC, Biltmore Forest NC, Fairview NC, Roswell GA, Dunwoody GA, Pittsburg GA, Western North Carolina, and the surrounding areas.