Anxiety

Treatment of Anxiety Disorders

• Treatment of the cause (if necessary)

• Psychotherapy

• Pharmacological treatment

• Treatment of other active diseases

It is important to make an accurate diagnosis because treatment varies from one anxiety disorder to another. Anxiety disorders should also be distinguished from the anxiety seen in many other mental illnesses, requiring different treatment approaches.

If the cause is another medical condition or medication, doctors try to correct the cause rather than treating the symptoms of anxiety. The anxiety should subside after the physical disorder has been treated or when the offending drug has been stopped long enough for the withdrawal symptoms to go away. If it persists, anti-anxiety medications or psychotherapy (such as behavioral therapy) are used.

If an anxiety disorder is diagnosed, pharmacological treatment or psychotherapy (such as behavioral therapy), alone or in combination, can significantly relieve suffering and dysfunction for most people. Benzodiazepines (such as diazepam) are frequently prescribed for acute anxiety. For many, antidepressants, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), are as effective for anxiety disorders as they are for depression. Specific treatments depend on the diagnosed anxiety disorder.

All anxiety disorders can occur with other psychiatric pathologies. For example, anxiety disorders often accompany alcohol use disorder. It is important to treat all of these conditions as soon as possible. Treating the alcohol use disorder without treating the anxiety is unlikely to be effective since the person may be using alcohol to treat their anxiety. On the other hand, treating anxiety without addressing the alcohol use disorder may be ineffective, as daily changes in the amount of alcohol in the blood can cause anxiety levels to fluctuate.