woman getting therapy as anxiety treatment
LinkedIn

Summary: Yes, when you commit to the process, treatment for anxiety can really work. Evidence-based treatment for anxiety, delivered by skilled and experienced mental health professionals, can help patients manage symptoms and regain control of their lives.

Key Points:

  • Common first-line treatment for anxiety includes medication and psychotherapy.
  • Lifestyle changes, such as sleep hygiene, healthy eating, exercise/activity, and stress management, can improve outcomes when used in addition to first-line treatments.
  • New research shows that for some patients, mindful meditation may also help reduce symptoms of anxiety.

If I Think I Have Anxiety, What Should I Do?

The first thing to do is understand what we say above: when you commit to evidence-based modalities administered by qualified mental health professionals, treatment for anxiety can really work. Millions of people have anxiety and receive treatment to effectively manage their symptoms and lead full and productive lives.

The second thing to do – if you think your anxiety is more than typical worry and meets criteria for a clinical mental health disorder – is arrange for a full psychiatric evaluation administered by a licensed mental health professional.

While primary care physicians, family doctors, and other providers can administer basic screenings for anxiety, the providers best equipped to administer a full psychiatric evaluation include:

  • Psychiatrists. Psychiatrists can administer full psychiatric evaluations, diagnose anxiety, offer referrals for care, prescribe medication, manage medication, and in some cases, provide psychotherapy
  • Clinical psychologists. Clinical psychologists can administer full psychiatric evaluations, also diagnose clinical anxiety, offer referrals for care, and provide therapy and counseling.
  • Psychiatric nurse practitioners. Psychiatric nurse practitioners can administer full psychiatric evaluations, diagnose clinical anxiety, offer referrals for care, and prescribe medication.
  • Psychologists and therapists. Psychologists and therapists can administer full psychiatric evaluations, diagnose clinical anxiety, offer referrals for care, provide psychotherapy, and in some states, masters-level psychologists and therapists may have the authority to prescribe medication.

Once you have a full evaluation, you’ll likely receive a diagnosis and a referral for care. The most common types of anxiety include generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), social anxiety disorder (SAD), separation anxiety, agoraphobia, panic disorder (PD), and specific phobias.

If you receive a diagnosis for anxiety, please know you are not alone.

Anxiety in the U.S: Facts and Figures

The 2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (2024 NSDUH) shows the following prevalence of anxiety among adults in the U.S.

Past Two-Week Symptoms of Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Adults 18+

  • Mild symptoms: 37.5 million
    • Male: 15.2 million
    • Female: 22.6 million
  • Moderate symptoms: 12.2 million
    • Male: 5.1 million
    • Female: 7.1 million
  • Severe symptoms: 7.1 million
    • Male: 2.8 million
    • Female: 4.3 million

For a detailed breakdown of anxiety prevalence by age group, please read the following article on our blog:

How Many People in the U.S. Have Anxiety?

Now let’s take a look at the types of treatment for anxiety considered safe and effective.

Important Facts About Mental Health Treatment

We need to back up for a moment and clarify something. When you begin any type of mental health treatment, it’s important to understand that outcomes vary by the individual. Successful treatment depends on the following factors:

  • The type and severity of your disorder and symptoms.
  • The length of time you went undiagnosed
  • Previous mental health and medical history
  • Which treatment you choose

In addition, the following three factors play a role in a successful treatment outcome:

  1. Your definition of success. In treatment for anxiety, success is based on mutual goals determined through a collaborative decision-making process that includes you, your provider, and anyone you want to participate in your treatment planning.
  2. Your relationship with your therapist. Evidence indicates a positive treatment alliance, a.k.a. having a good and productive rapport with your provider, can significantly improve outcomes.
  3. Your commitment to treatment. This is also called treatment adherence. In all cases, treatment for anxiety really works only if you put the necessary time and effort into treatment. Clinicians and researchers say it this way: treatment adherence improves outcomes.

That last point is essential, and something most of us need to carry over from the way we handle physical problems. When a doctor says, “Don’t use your sprained elbow for a week, take these anti-inflammatory meds, and start physical therapy next week,” you understand that the success of your recovery depends on following those orders, or your treatment adherence.

Treatment for Anxiety That Really Works

Let’s circle back to the first two key points we list at the beginning of this article, which indicate the type of treatment for anxiety that really works most often includes a combination of medication, psychotherapy, and lifestyle changes.

We’ll review these treatments now.

Medication:

  • Anxiolytics. This type of medication is effective in reducing symptoms of anxiety. Generally speaking, providers prescribe anxiolytics for short-term symptom relief for patients diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), panic disorder, and insomnia. The most common class of anxiolytics prescribed for anxiety are benzodiazepines, including medications like Xanax, Alprazolam, and Diazepam. Benzodiazepines present a significant risk of physical dependence, and prolonged use – over two weeks – can lead to severe withdrawal upon discontinuation. Therefore, most prescriptions for benzodiazepines are for short-term use.
  • Antidepressants. Due to the risk of misuse and dangerous withdrawal symptoms associated with benzodiazepines, many patients and providers choose selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs). Both types of medication alter the relative amount of specific neurotransmitters in the brain – serotonin and norepinephrine – related to mood, emotion, and the stress response.

Psychotherapy:

  • Cognitive behavioral therapies (CBT). Evidence from a recent study shows that CBT-type modalities are the most effective talk therapies available for anxiety. Among CBT treatments, researchers found that two third-generation CBT modalities – mindfulness-based cognitive behavioral therapy (MBCBT) and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) – are the most effective, followed by standard CBT.

To read our in-depth article on that study, please read this article on our blog:

Psychotherapy for Anxiety: A Review of Effective Treatments

Lifestyle Changes:

  • Changes in daily behavior that promote reduction of anxiety symptoms include increasing exercise and activity, adopting a healthy diet, improving sleep hygiene, and learning basic stress management skills.
  • Recent studies, including the one we link to about CBT, above, and this article – Comparing Meditation versus Medicine for Patients with Anxiety Disorders – show that mindful meditation is effective in reducing symptoms of anxiety.

We’ll summarize this information below.

Treatment for Anxiety: Do You Need It?

There are only two people who can answer that question: you and your treatment provider. If you need to know the symptoms of anxiety and learn whether what you experience meets criteria for a clinical mental health disorder, please review our anxiety treatment page:

Anxiety Treatment in San Diego at Crownview Psychiatric Institute

If you have symptoms of anxiety that disrupt your daily life, then we encourage you to follow the steps we outline in the second section of this article and seek professional support. Treatment sooner than later is important, because the consequences of untreated anxiety can be serious.

When you’re constantly on edge or anxious, what you feel is likely related to increased levels of cortisol – the stress hormone – in your body. Long-term, chronic exposure to cortisol is associated with the following physical problems:

  • Hypertension
  • Impaired immune function
  • Cardiovascular disease

Long-term exposure to cortisol can degrade physical and mental health: that’s clear. However, the negative consequences of long-term, untreated anxiety on smooth functioning in virtually all areas of life may offer more immediate and compelling reasons to consider seeking professional support:

  • Problems in relationships: family, peer, romantic
  • Impaired work achievement and performance
  • Impaired academic achievement
  • Problems finding and keeping work/employment
  • Increased risk of alcohol and/or drug use, misuse, or disordered use

These problems are more often associated with severe anxiety than mild anxiety, which is another reason to seek professional advice if you think you have anxiety. Evidence-based treatment can help you manage your symptoms, and reduce the chances that mild anxiety becomes severe, debilitating anxiety.

That’s why we’ll end with this important information: if you have anxiety symptoms or a clinical anxiety disorder, the sooner you get the evidence-based treatment you need, the better the outcome.

Finding Help: Resources

If you or someone you know needs professional treatment and support for anxiety, please contact us here at Crownview Psychiatric Institute: we can help. In addition, you can find support through the following online resources:

About Angus Whyte

Angus Whyte has an extensive background in neuroscience, behavioral health, adolescent development, and mindfulness, including lab work in behavioral neurobiology and a decade of writing articles on mental health and mental health treatment. In addition, Angus brings twenty years of experience as a yoga teacher and experiential educator to his work for Crownview. He’s an expert at synthesizing complex concepts into accessible content that helps patients, providers, and families understand the nuances of mental health treatment, with the ultimate goal of improving outcomes and quality of life for all stakeholders.