Anxiety, on its own, is nothing more than the brain and body reacting to stress and potential danger. To feel anxious from time to time is normal, and may even help you in certain conditions. Anxiety disorders go above and beyond this – they are mental health conditions marked by constant and overwhelming anxiety, stress, and fear.
Anxiety disorders can make it difficult to perform in school, maintain friendships, or keep up your regular daily life. Fortunately, with the right treatment you can manage your symptoms and regain a sense of normalcy in your life.
What are the types of anxiety disorders?
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder: The standard anxiety disorder, usually referred to as simply “anxiety disorder”. This is when you feel excessive, disproportionate worry and stress over things that do not warrant it.
- Social Anxiety Disorder: Also known as social phobia, social anxiety disorder is when a person feels overwhelming anxiety and self-consciousness in normal social situations.
- Panic Disorder: This is an anxiety disorder where you suffer from sudden outbursts of fear called panic attacks. Symptoms of panic attacks include breaking out in a sweat, chest pain, and heart palpitations.
- Agoraphobia: An anxiety disorder characterized by an intense fear of being in a place that is hard to escape from in case of an emergency.
What are the symptoms of anxiety disorder?
Anxiety disorder varies from person to person and can manifest in different ways, but signs and symptoms generally include the following:
- Feelings of nervousness or restlessness
- A sense of impending doom or danger
- Increase in heart rate
- Hyperventilation (rapid breathing)
- Sweating
- Trembling
- Fatigue and loss of energy
- Weakness
- Trouble concentrating
- Trouble sleeping
- Gastrointestinal distress
- Avoidance of things associated with your anxiety
What causes anxiety disorder?
It’s not quite as cut-and-dry as an illness like the flu or the common cold. Anxiety disorders can be caused by a number of factors like inherited traits or traumatic experiences in life.
In some cases, an anxiety disorder is a result or a symptom of another underlying condition. Examples of conditions sometimes linked to anxiety include the following:
- Diabetes
- Hyperthyroidism
- COPD, asthma, or other respiratory disorders
- Heart disease
- Drug abuse
- Drug withdrawal
- Chronic pain
- Irritable bowel syndrome
How do you treat anxiety disorder?
Traditional Treatments
For decades, doctors have advised treatment methods like antidepressant medications (which can have some side effects) and therapy sessions. General lifestyle changes may also help you find relief from your symptoms.
Ketamine Infusion Therapy
Exactly how ketamine treats anxiety disorders is still being researched. The current understanding is that ketamine binds to receptors in the brain that increases the amount of a neurotransmitter, glutamate, is released. This will then set off a chain of reactions within the brain that affects thinking and emotional regulation.
To put this in simpler terms, the brain reacts to ketamine in a way that triggers hormones that help create more positive emotions. This can occur within minutes after a person receives their infusion, but some people may need several treatments before they experience the highest level of benefits.
Contact us today to learn more about our innovative new anxiety treatment.
