Talk to a Psychologist/Psychiatrist
Have you been experiencing any of the symptoms listed on our pages? If so, maybe what you're experiencing is caused by an anxiety disorder. One way to examine your symptoms would be to make an appointment to see a psychologist or psychiatrist. They can give you helpful advice and different methods to use to cope with your symptoms. We asked psychiatrist, Dr. Anne Mulkern, some typical questions about anxiety disorders. See below to find out what she has to say!
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Questions for Dr. Mulkern
1. What is the most common anxiety disorder that you see in your office?
By far, the most common anxiety disorder I see in my office is Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Individuals with GAD experience anxiety to an excessive degree. They worry more often than they don't worry and they have a lot of difficulty controlling it. 2. How many patients that you see resort to a biomedical solution to treat their anxiety? 100% of the patients I see for anxiety disorders are seeking a pharmacologic piece to their treatment. The answer to this question would be answered quite differently depending upon the type of mental health care professional you are asking. Since I was trained in psychiatry vs psychology or social work, I always consider the "bio" piece of the biopsychosocial model for treating mental illness. That said, I almost always combine the medication piece of treatment with some form of psychotherapy. The psychotherapy piece is usually a combination of an insight-oriented approach along with cognitive behavioral therapy. 3. How would you usually treat an anxiety disorder like OCD? The data suggests that OCD is best treated with a combination treatment approach that employs medication combined with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Generally, I see the person for the medication piece of his/her therapy and refer the person to another mental health care professional to learn techniques in CBT. Most psychiatrists are not well trained in CBT so will refer pts to a psychologist or social work who was trained in CBT. In choosing a medication, I generally first think about using one of the serotonin reuptake inhibitors (sri's) like Prozac, lexapro or celexa. These drugs are generally first thought of as antidepressants but they are in fact equally good for treating anxiety. In the early phase of treatment I may add a drug like Ativan or klonopin (these are called benzodiazepines) because these drugs can offer immediate relief whereas the sri's can take several weeks to show a benefit. I like to use drugs like Ativan and klonopin only at the beginning and then taper them once the sri kicks in as far as benefit. The reason for this is because benzodiazepines are potentially addicting and one always wants to minimize that risk. Sometimes it is necessary to continue the benzo and then I try to just keep the dose as low as possible. 4. Everyone has anxiety, but what makes someone have an anxiety disorder? Everyone experiences anxiety. Everybody worries sometimes. We consider it a disorder when: A) the time spent worrying is excessive, usually experienced more time than not. B) it generally seriously interferes with carrying out day-to-day activities like school, job, and can also seriously interfere with a person in his/her relationships with other people. C) The DSM-5 also requires at least three physical or cognitive symptoms to be present. These might include restlessness, fatigue,poor concentration, irritability, muscle aches, or sleep disturbance. The sleep difficulty we usually see in someone who is anxious is difficulty falling and/or staying asleep. In contrast, the sleep disturbance we see in depression is more often early morning awakening. Thank you so much for answering all our questions Dr. Mulkern! No problem! |