Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) Treatment
You’re tired of struggling with anxiety.
You can’t stop ruminating over every decision that you make. You find yourself overthinking situations that you know other people aren’t. Additionally, other areas of your life are being impacted. Often, you can’t focus or concentrate on what you’re supposed to be doing. Other times, you hyperfocus on things to the point that you neglect other responsibilities. Living with anxiety is exhausting. Luckily, there is treatment for anxiety in Tampa, FL.
What is anxiety?
Anxiety can be adaptive as it helps you to protect yourself from real danger. However, when anxiety becomes excessive, it can become a problem for daily living. Anxiety affects almost 20% of the adult population. And, it is the most common mental health illness in the United States, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. If you are in Tampa, Fl. struggling with persistent worry daily and experience little relief from anxious thoughts or feelings, then you may benefit from anxiety treatment from one of our specialized clinicians at Anxiety Center of Tampa.
How Do I Know If I Have GAD In Tampa, FL?
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is best described by excessive and debilitating worry about almost anything in daily life. This includes work, school, money, or health. When someone is diagnosed with GAD, it is likely that their worry is disproportional to the actual threat. They may also experience high anticipatory anxiety regardless of if there is an actual or perceived threat. This can lead to increased avoidance of activities of daily living which ultimately affect functioning.
What does GAD feel Like?
Every person experiences symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder differently. Through our experience offering anxiety therapy in Tampa, FL, we’ve worked with many people experiencing anxiety. Our anxiety therapists have worked with people struggling with the following:
spending too much time thinking about worse-case scenario
searching for possible solutions for things that haven’t happened yet
not being able to relax, having trouble concentrating, or making decisions
Those with GAD may feel as if they are in a constant state of anxiousness, even when there is nothing to worry about, contributing to impairment in their personal, professional, and social lives.
Uncertainty and Anxiety
Avoidance of uncertainty maintains anxiety. Although uncertainty can be a trigger for anyone, those that consistently attempt to seek certainty and avoid the unknown find that their intolerance of uncertainty skyrockets. Avoidance of uncertainty can cause:
an increase in planning and analyzing behaviors
seeking excessive reassurance
list-making rituals
double-checking behaviors
impairing distraction or procrastination from responsibilities
These behaviors may grant temporary relief from anxiety; however, they will serve to maintain anxiety as that relief from anxiety decreases over time. People struggling with uncertainty may find these behaviors familiar:
Checking bank accounts multiple times per day
Re-planning your schedule several times per week
Reviewing your to-do list over and over again
Asking yourselves questions throughout the day that instill doubt and fear
Feeling that worrying is the only way to prevent the worst-case scenario.
Proper treatment for anxiety will help you develop a tolerance for uncertainty as every human being on earth faces uncertainty daily. Anxiety creates the illusion that you will have control if you worry enough, but you probably feel more uncertain every day that you act according to what anxiety tells you to do.
Symptoms of Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
According to the DSM-V, the diagnostic criteria for GAD is as follows:
Excessive anxiety and worry (apprehensive expectation), occurring more days than not for at least 6 months, about a number of events or activities (such as work or school performance).
The individual finds it difficult to control the worry.
The anxiety and worry are associated with three (or more) of the following six symptoms (with at least some symptoms having been present for more days than not for the past 6 months):
Note: Only one item is required in children.
A. Restlessness or feeling keyed up or on edge.
B. Being easily fatigued.
C. Difficulty concentrating or mind going blank.
D. Irritability.
E. Muscle tension.
F. Sleep disturbance (difficulty falling or staying asleep, or restless, unsatisfying sleep).
The anxiety, worry, or physical symptoms cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.
The disturbance is not attributable to the physiological effects of a substance (e.g., a drug of abuse, a medication) or another medical condition (e.g., hyperthyroidism).
The disturbance is not better explained by another mental disorder (e.g., anxiety or worry about having panic attacks in panic disorder, negative evaluation in social anxiety disorder [social phobia], contamination or other obsessions in obsessive-compulsive disorder, separation from attachment figures in separation anxiety disorder, reminders of traumatic events in posttraumatic stress disorder, gaining weight in anorexia nervosa, physical complaints in somatic symptom disorder, perceived appearance flaws in body dysmorphic disorder, having a serious illness in illness anxiety disorder, or the content of delusional beliefs in schizophrenia or delusional disorder).
Anxiety Treatment in Tampa, FL
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is the first line of treatment for GAD. Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), a type of CBT, is implemented in order to address avoidance caused by GAD. An individual seeking treatment for GAD should expect a combination of CBT and ERP techniques to be a part of their treatment plan. CBT prepares the individual by teaching them to acknowledge thoughts and feelings, while ERP will help the individual challenge their maladaptive behaviors in order to change to how they react to anxious thoughts and feelings. The goal of anxiety treatment in Tampa, FL is to help the individual create a new relationship with their anxiety, where they are able to accept the presence of it and not let the anxiety dictate their behavior. This is done by through education of what is anxiety and how it is maintained and encouraging choices independent of what anxiety identifies as safe.
Begin Treatment for Anxiety with Anxiety Center of Tampa
Our anxiety therapists at Anxiety Center of Tampa are specialized in providing treatment for anxiety disorders. All the clients seen at our practice have been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, therefore, beginning treatment with us gives you the opportunity to start the evidenced-based treatment necessary for the treatment of anxiety. While many therapists can provide CBT, only a few in the Tampa Bay Area are trained to provide the crucial ERP component. Treatment is highly individualized at our practice. Your schedule, length of session, and frequency are considered when creating your treatment schedule. At your intake session, you and your therapist will discuss your needs and obstacles to treatment to set you up for success. Call Anxiety Center of Tampa at 813-773-5807 for more information or to schedule your appointment today. You can also contact us through email via our contact page. Here are the easy steps to so that you can get your life back on track:
Meet our anxiety therapists.
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