Most anxiety disorders are treatable with a combination of psychotherapy and medication. You should learn the details of these treatments and other treatment options for generalized anxiety disorder, specific phobia, social phobia, panic disorder, agoraphobia, and post-traumatic stress disorder/acute stress disorder. Treatments depend upon the specific disorder diagnosed by a mental health professional.
Reputable post traumatic stress centres and therapists can be a bit hard to locate. Some local disaster relief offices, rape crisis hotlines, and state attorney general offices will be able to direct you to local therapy centres. If this does not help, you can try contacting your nearest university-based department of psychiatry or psychology, many of which have anxiety disorder or post-traumatic stress treatment centres, or can recommend centres or therapists. No matter who recommends a centre or therapist, the final choice of which one you select is entirely up to you, and should be one with whom you feel comfortable.
Generally anxiety disorder and post-traumatic stress treatment centres are found in large cities, so most people will, in all likelihood, seek treatment from a private therapist. However, even if you are seeking treatment at a centre, most of the issues that you will be dealing with are the same if you are selecting a private therapist.
Remember that some therapists do not have proven track records in diagnosing and treating anxiety disorders or post traumatic stress. Unfortunately, not many therapists will admit that they lack experience in this field. You should ask about the extent of a therapist’s experience with your problem before engaging their services, or you could end up getting second-rate help from an otherwise top-notch therapist.
Another thing to remember is that people who are in a state of emotional turmoil are rarely capable of being cool and objective about diagnosing their problems, even though they are the best person for the job. It is advisable therefore to give the therapist a complete list of your symptoms during the first session, rather than informing the them of your own conclusions and then grilling them about their experience in treating your illness. The therapist should give you a diagnosis based on your symptoms, and if you find their diagnosis surprising, ask for an explanation. There is always the option of a second opinion.
Using drugs to treat Anxiety Disorders
Before you start psychological or drug therapy, have a complete medical examination, which will help to determine whether or not your anxiety symptoms are caused by a medical condition. In addition, your doctor will most likely also be able to discover whether certain prescription or over-the-counter medications might be causing your symptoms. Heart conditions, thyroid disease or medications, and cold remedies can all be causes of the psychological and bodily symptoms of an anxiety disorder.
Usually some combination of the psychological and drug therapies that are particularly good at relieving the symptoms of anxiety disorders are to be found at anxiety disorder and post-traumatic stress treatment centres. A lot of private therapists specialise in anxiety disorders and in post-traumatic therapy.
Once you have been diagnosed, try asking your potential therapist a few questions, such as what is their approach to treatment, how do they define recovery, what are your chances of recovery, and what is their rate of success with patients who suffer from your illness? Enquire about their experience in treating your illness, how often you will meet, and for how long, how long before you start to feel better, what happens if you have a set-back during treatment, or a relapse after the treatment and does the therapist provide follow-ups? Also ask if you can talk to a former patient about his or her experience in the treatment program. If the therapist is unwilling to give you any hints of a diagnosis or does not take your questions seriously, you might be well advised to look elsewhere.
You should also enquire about the cost of the proposed treatment programme, and whether or not the therapist is state-certified so that their clients are reimbursed by their insurance companies. The majority of medical insurance plans have some compensation for treatment by licensed professionals, and a lot of therapists offer sliding scales based on what you can afford.
Take heart, help is not necessarily out of reach, even if your financial resources are very limited. Drug treatment is usually quite economical and is successful in a lot of patients, controlling or containing troubling symptoms. Behaviour and cognitive therapy can be self-administered to a certain extent, with the aid and support of self-help groups.