Anxiety Disorders
While it’s normal for individuals to experience anxiety or nervousness, anxiety disorders may cause physical and emotional distress that interfere with a person’s ability to lead a normal life. Anxiety disorders are not personal weaknesses, character flaws or the result of poor upbringing, but are real illnesses with real causes.
An individual with anxiety disorder symptoms can be evaluated by a doctor, which would include questions about medical history and a physical exam. There are no lab tests that diagnose anxiety disorders, but a doctor may use various tests to look for physical illnesses that may be causing the symptoms. If there’s no physical illness, an individual may be referred to a mental health professional to treat the disorder.
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Symptoms of Anxiety Disorders
Anxiety disorders are a group of related conditions, such as panic disorders, phobias, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), or social anxiety disorder, and each has its own set of symptoms. All anxiety disorders do have common symptoms that include:
- Feelings of apprehension or dread
- Feeling tense and jumpy
- Restlessness or irritability
- Expecting the worst and being watchful for signs of danger
- Pounding or racing heart and shortness of breath
- Upset stomach
- Sweating, tremors, and twitches
- Headaches, fatigue, and insomnia
How We Treat Anxiety Disorders
Our treatment environment is firmly rooted in our Social Integration Model™, which aims to encourage positive social functioning. Our individualized treatment plans are customized based on client’s individual needs; no two treatment plans are the same. We aim to assist in relieving the stress that comes from assimilating back into everyday life and help our clients achieve the highest levels of functioning and independence once they leave treatment. Our treatment for anxiety disorders includes:
- Multiple levels of care designed to provide the ideal level of support to help clients reach their full potential of either independent or semi-independent living.
- Our Social Integration Model™ during which we teach skills in individual and group therapies, and then help clients put them into practice during on- and off-site activities.
- Each client is assessed throughout treatment by our experienced treatment team to advocate for the proper length of treatment to ensure the best chance for recovery.
- In tandem with our Social Integration Model™, we use multiple therapeutic modalities including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), art therapy, family therapy, and others.