Treatment of Anxiety Warsaw

Anxiety is a natural reaction of the body. It appears in a situation of uncertainty, danger and aims to arouse our vigilance. All this in order to be able to properly react to the lurking threat. But what if the anxiety is irrational, unreasonable, or persists all the time?

There are several types of anxiety disorders. Their common feature, apart from the feeling of anxiety and fear, are somatic ailments. Patients often experience tightness in the chest, shortness of breath, increased heart rate or dizziness in situations of contact with a source of anxiety. There may be sweating, a lump in the throat, trembling hands / voice or tinnitus.

The following anxiety disorders are distinguished:

panic anxiety paroxysmal – this is a disorder characterized by repeated attacks of anxiety. The experience is very strong and unpleasant. Therefore, the experience of the first panic attack leads to the so-called a vicious cycle in which the person begins to develop “fear of fear.” This further fuels symptoms and increases anxiety. A panic attack can occur even when there is no real threat or specific stimulus;

• generalized anxiety – characterized by constant, lingering anxiety and tension. It may increase in certain situations. Typical of generalized anxiety is also the tendency to worry, think “How will it be”, to imagine the situation in a negative way, often exaggerated and strongly distorted. Constant tension contributes to the deterioration of functioning, persistent tightness in the chest and sleep problems;
• social phobia – this is a strong fear of social situations. People affected by phobias are afraid of being judged by others, are convinced that everything they say will be embarrassing and unworthy of attention, or on the contrary – they are afraid that they will be empty in their heads and will not say a word. In social phobia, there is a strong fear of embarrassment in contact with other people. This leads to avoiding social situations and withdrawing from relationships. The disorder has serious consequences for private and professional life, it slows down and withdraws from these areas;
• agoraphobia – this is a type of phobia related to the fear of being in a crowd (e.g. in a queue) or in places from which there is no escape or it is very difficult to escape. Agoraphobia is usually accompanied by panic attacks;
• specific phobias – this is a strong fear directed at a specific stimulus – a place, object, situation, person, animal, etc. It appears only at the moment of contact with a factor perceived as threatening. It can be, for example, fear of a storm, dentist, spiders, fear of heights or claustrophobia.

Constant worry and the feeling of tension are constant elements that accompany patients with generalized anxiety. Treatment is primarily based on cognitive behavioral therapy.

It helps to learn to perceive the situation realistically and verify whether it is really threatening. Working with a therapist also supports the search for harmful beliefs and transforming them into supportive.

A sick person learns what to do when he is facing stronger anxiety. Treatment is also based on learning relaxation techniques (to reduce tension) such as meditation and mindfulness exercises. With the support of the therapist, the person learns to realistically assess the situation and focus on what is here and now.

Sometimes drug therapy may be necessary, especially when somatic symptoms persist.

Other anxiety disorders, too, are usually treated with cognitive behavioral therapy. Exposure to a threatening stimulus is a permanent feature.

A sick person is exposed to a factor that causes them fear. All this takes place in safe and comfortable conditions, thanks to which the patient can face his anxiety and see that nothing is threatening him.

During therapy, you will learn how to tame anxiety. Treatment is individually tailored to your predispositions, needs and well-being. Together with the therapist, you will set goals to achieve, thanks to which you can check your progress in therapy.

Read more: Psychotherapy Warsaw