Anxiety Disorders:
If a clinician is going to work with Anxiety Disorders, they need to understand that Anxiety Disorders are one of the most neurologically based mental health disorders next to Bipolar and Schizophrenia. It is important to help my clients understand this concept because Anxiety Disorders such as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Social Anxiety, and Panic Disorders are debilitating and extremely life interfering for clients and their families. While medication is not needed for everybody with these disorders, it is helpful to understand that the part of the brain called the Limbic region is extremely over-active and literally not letting the person let go of certain things or be able to shut their minds off. The treatments that I utilize such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy & Dialectical Behavior Therapy; help strengthen the parts of the brain that can help keep the Limbic regions at bay or even help quiet them down. I also believe strongly that family support/education, exercise, diet, sleep, and other life style changes are essential to treatment
Anxiety is technically a good thing, it is just when it gets to a certain level that it negatively effects us. Treatment focuses on identifying what YOUR anxiety feels like and developing a treatment plan that addresses YOUR symptoms. Treatment can consist of emotion regulation skills, mindfulness approaches, social skills training and exposure therapy, thought stopping, and other proven Cognitive Behavioral interventions.