Anxiety

Experiencing occasional anxiety is entirely normal. However, people with anxiety disorders often have excessive, intense, persistent worry and fear about everyday situations. At Sincere Psychiatry in Delray Beach, Florida, board-certified psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner Reginald J. Sincere, PMHNP-BC, and his team take a patient-centered approach to help patients manage anxiety and anxiety disorders. He can help you regain control of your anxiety and regain control of your life. Call the office or schedule your telemedicine appointment using the online booking tool today.

What is anxiety?

Experiencing anxiety sometimes is a normal part of life. It’s that mix of fear, worry, and stress you might develop before an interview or feel when your child goes on a sleepover.

However, an anxiety disorder causes intense, excessive, and persistent worry and fear about everyday situations. Symptoms may start during childhood or the teen years and continue into adulthood.

Anxiety disorders often involve repeated episodes called panic attacks, where you experience sudden feelings of intense fear or terror that peak within minutes.

These feelings of anxiety and panic disrupt your daily activities and are difficult to control. They’re typically out of proportion to any potential danger. You may stay away from certain places or situations to prevent these feelings and avoid panic attacks.

What anxiety disorders might affect me?

Examples of anxiety disorders include:

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)

GAD is the most common anxiety disorder. You experience continual worry and fear about virtually everything, making every day challenging.

Specific phobias

Phobias are irrational fears of an object or situation that doesn’t match the threat (if any) involved. People with phobias go to extreme lengths to avoid the source of their fear, which could be anything from spiders or bats to flying or clowns.

Social anxiety disorder

Social anxiety disorder or social phobia is an intense, overwhelming fear of being with others. It makes you avoid crowds and prevents you from mixing with people, especially those you don’t know.

Separation anxiety disorder

Separation anxiety is a severe fear of being apart from someone close to you. It typically begins in childhood, when children experience separation from their primary caregiver.

You could have more than one anxiety disorder; for example, it’s not uncommon for someone with GAD to also have a phobia. Sometimes anxiety results from a medical condition that needs diagnosis and treatment. Whatever form of anxiety you have, the Sincere Psychiatry team can help.

How is anxiety treated?

To treat anxiety, the Sincere Psychiatry team combines medication with psychotherapy.

Anti-anxiety drugs help to reduce the intensity of your fear and stress. You can then benefit more from therapy.

Individual psychotherapy explores the underlying causes of your anxiety, which could relate to an experience in your past. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) shows you how to reassess flawed thoughts and change them to more realistic ones.

To learn more about the Sincere Psychiatry team’s expertise in treating anxiety disorders, call the office or book an in-person or telemedicine appointment online.