Anxiety and Everyday Life

Anxiety is a normal part of life. We all have anxiety daily. One can be anxious about an upcoming examination, a job interview, a date, or any one of a thousand different things. There are times, however, when anxiety gets out of control and requires us to do something about it. This is often called pathological anxiety.

Pathological anxiety can mean that the normal anxiety in one’s life has simply overwhelmed one’s ability to handle it. Either the level of anxiety has increased or one’s ability to deal with it has decreased. Either way, pathological anxiety can make one feel upset, uncomfortable, angry, or irritable. It can lead to depression, poor marital relationships, work problems, and scores of other intra- and inter-personal problems.

Anxiety symptoms come in many different forms. Whereas one person’s anxiety might manifest itself as obsessions or compulsions, another’s may be manifested as physical or somatic symptoms. Some people with anxiety have panic attacks. Some people actually live in a constant state of worry that they have a difficult time controlling. Symptoms of anxiety are as varied as the people who suffer from them.

People often want to know how to determine if the anxiety that they are feeling is normal or pathologic, and if it is pathologic, if it requires treatment. Basically, if the anxiety is making you feel uncomfortable and is interfering with your work or personal life, it is pathological anxiety and may require treatment.

Anxiety is treatable. The primary modality of the treatment of anxiety is psychotherapy. The specific type of psychotherapy depends upon the needs of the patient and the training of the physician. In general, psychoanalytic psychotherapy, cognitive or behavioral therapy, and supportive psychotherapy produce good results, but other modalities of treatment can also be effective. Oftentimes, medication treatment is an important adjunct to psychotherapy. The psychiatrist can provide medications, such as antidepressants, antianxiety medications, and other effective medications in conjunction with psychotherapy if needed.

To find out more about our treatment of anxiety disorders, please check out our website www.birminghamcounselingcenter.com. For appointments, please call the office at (248) 644-3605.