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Anxiety disorders can be anything from panic attacks to a specific or generalised anxiety. They range greatly in severity and can include obsessive-compulsive behaviour and phobias. Anyone can suffer from them, and they're not only very unpleasant but debilitating. The good news is that they can definitely be treated.

One of the biggest steps for someone who suffers from anxiety is to talk to their doctor about it. There's a natural reticence to admitting such a perceived weakness, even though it's a common problem. Patients generally feel as if they should be able to deal with things alone, that asking for help is admitting that they're abnormal or crazy. Overcoming this resistance and getting help is essential, so any encouragement from relatives or friends is a real advantage.

Once the problem has been diagnosed, treatment will depend very much on the severity of the case. For everyone, a visit to a psychiatrist for an assessment is pretty much required. This isn't some kind of weird mental test, though: it's a chat with a health professional to figure out how bad things are and to come up with ways to handle the anxiety. Chances are that the psychiatrist will have a social worker or someone with a similar background present during the assessment, to provide further options in the choice of treatments.

In cases where the anxiety is mild - that is, it's hard to handle but the sufferer can still continue with most normal activities - self-help may be suggested as an appropriate form of treatment. This this would involve providing reading materials and perhaps a short course of therapy, either with a counsellor or computer-based. In the UK, this currently means CBT: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. The goal is to show the patient where things are going astray and causing them anxiety in ''normal' situations and, by encouraging changes in their reactions and thought processes, to provide a means of dealing with the problem.

The psychiatrist may also decide that some form of medication would help. They are specialised in this field and have a huge range of products at their disposal, from benzo-diazepines such as Xanax and Lorazepam to other drugs like quetiapine, chlorpromazine, etc. However, many psychiatrists are reluctant to prescribe medication for more than a very short period (or at all), since a lot of the drugs used can be very addictive. They tend to use them to help a patient through the more severe periods of anxiety, giving the CBT or other therapy time to take effect.

Group therapy is another popular form of treatment, though in cases such as social phobia it may not be possible. The basis of this is that the patient can share their experiences with others in a similar situation and draw on the combined strength and encouragement of the group. Such sessions usually include a teaching aspect, where the health professional explains the reasons for the condition and suggests methods of coping.

Finally, in some cases, therapy, counselling or full-blown analysis may be suggested or desired by the patient. This is the most extensive and prolonged form of treatment, but also the most complete: by undergoing psychoanalysis, the patient traces things right back to the source of the problem and, instead of just managing it, comes to terms with it. In understanding lie acceptance and healing.

The key things to remember when dealing with an anxiety disorder of any type are that it can happen to anyone and that it can be successfully treated.

Learn more about this author, Spike Wyatt.
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