Anxiety

What is the difference between anxiety and an anxiety disorder?

Anxiety disorders are conditions that affect your mental health. They’re characterized by ongoing worry, fear, or panic attacks that occur in everyday situations that don’t affect many other people. 

While nearly everyone feels anxious from time to time (anxiety), an anxiety disorder is more severe or long-lasting and negatively impacts your quality of life when not addressed. 

What are the different types of anxiety disorders?

Common anxiety disorders include:

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)

GAD is characterized by unrealistic worry, tension, or extreme fear in situations that don’t warrant these emotions. 

Panic disorder

Panic disorder can cause sudden, intense panic attacks that may present as shortness of breath or the feeling of having a heart attack. 

Social anxiety disorder

Social anxiety disorder causes you to feel embarrassed, nervous, or even fearful of socially interacting with other people — particularly large groups of individuals. 

Phobias

Phobias provoke intense fear when exposed to specific situations or objects, such as heights, spiders, snakes, blood, elevators, or other enclosed spaces. 

Agoraphobia

Agoraphobia is a disorder in which you fear situations that cause you to feel helpless, trapped, or embarrassed. In severe cases, you might not even want to leave your home.

Separation anxiety disorder

Separation anxiety disorder is a fear often seen in children or teenagers about being away from their parents. But the disorder can affect anyone.

Who is at risk of anxiety disorders?

Things that increase the risk of anxiety disorders include:

• Family history of anxiety disorders
• Trauma
• Stress
• Certain personality traits
• Drug or alcohol misuse

Depression or other mental health conditions may also increase the risk of having an anxiety disorder. 

How are anxiety disorders treated?

The Smart Brain and Health experts provide a clinical consultation to determine how to best treat your condition. They discuss your medical history and provide a pre-treatment functional MRI — brain imaging that creates pictures of your brain’s health. 

They use the information to guide treatment decisions and determine if you’re a candidate for transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS).

How does TMS treat anxiety?

TMS is a noninvasive, painless mental health treatment that delivers magnetic energy to stimulate nerve cells in the brain. 

Smart Brain and Health providers use MRI imaging of the brain (“GPS for the Brain”™ ) to accurately target TMS treatment. They provide stereotactic techniques on a Brain Lab system pioneered for brain surgery but adapted for individualized TMS therapy. They follow up several times to ensure treatment is effective.

Your personalized anxiety treatment plan may also include lifestyle changes, psychotherapy, medications, or a combination of treatments. 

Schedule an anxiety evaluation at Smart Brain and Health by calling the office or using the online booking feature today.