Who to see about anxiety

What to Say and Ask

Where to start?

Anxiety disorder is a medical condition that a variety of professionals can treat. The sooner you start treatment, the better the outcome you can expect.

Effective treatment of an anxiety disorder requires that you be completely open and honest with your doctor. It’s important that you trust the doctor who is treating your condition and feel comfortable with them. Don’t feel that you are “stuck” with the first doctor you see. If you’re not comfortable with them, you should see someone else.

You and your doctor must be able to work together as a team to treat your disorder. A variety of doctors and specialists may be able to help manage your anxiety. A good place to start is with your primary care physician.

The Healthline FindCare tool can provide options in your area if you need help finding a primary care doctor.

Primary care physician

Your primary doctor will conduct a complete physical examination to determine if your symptoms are being caused by another condition. Symptoms of anxiety may be due to:

hormone imbalance
side effects of medications
certain illnesses
various other conditions

If your doctor rules out other conditions, your diagnosis may be an anxiety disorder. At that point, they may refer you to a mental health professional, such as a psychologist or psychiatrist. A referral is especially likely if your anxiety is severe or is accompanied by another mental health condition, such as depression.

Psychologist

A psychologist can offer psychotherapy, also known as talk therapy or counseling. A psychologist can help get you to the root of your anxiety and make behavioral changes. This type of therapy may be especially helpful if you’ve experienced trauma or abuse. Depending on the state where you live, your psychologist may prescribe medications for your depression. Illinois, Louisiana, and New Mexico are the only states that allow psychologists to prescribe medicine.

Your treatment by a psychologist will likely be in conjunction with ongoing treatment by your primary doctor. Psychotherapy and medication are often used together to treat anxiety disorder.

Psychiatrist

A psychiatrist is a medical doctor with specialized training in the diagnosis and treatment of mental illnesses. A psychiatrist can provide both psychotherapy and medication to treat your anxiety disorder.

Online psychiatry services

Read our roundup of the best online psychiatry services to find the right fit for you.

Psychiatric nurse practitioner

Psychiatric nurse practitioners provide primary mental health care to people seeking treatment for a variety of mental health conditions. Psychiatric nurse practitioners are able to diagnose and treat people with mental illnesses, including prescribe medications. As fewer medical students go into psychiatry, more and more psychiatric care is being assumed by psychiatric nurse practitioners.

To make the most of your visit to the doctor, it’s a good idea to be prepared. Take a few minutes ahead of time to think about what you need to tell your doctor and what questions you want to ask. The best way to make sure you don’t forget anything is to write it all down.

This information will help your doctor make an accurate diagnosis of your condition.

Make a list of your symptoms and when they began. Note when your symptoms occur, how they affect your life, and when they’re better or worse.
Write down any major stresses in your life, as well as any traumas you’ve experienced, both past and present.
Write down all of your health conditions: mental and physical.
Make a list of all medications and supplements you’re taking. Include how much you take and how often.

List any other substances you use or consume, such as:

coffee
alcohol
tobacco
drugs
sugar, especially if you eat large amounts

You’ve probably thought of a million questions you want to ask your doctor. But when you’re in the office, they’re easy to forget. Writing them down will help both you and your doctor, and save time. It’s a good idea to put the most important questions at the top of the list in case there isn’t time for all of them. Here are some questions you may want to ask. Add any others you think are important for your doctor to know.

Do I have an anxiety disorder?
Is there something else that might be causing my symptoms?
What treatment do you recommend?
Should I see a psychiatrist or a psychologist?
Is there a medication that I can take? Does it have side effects? What can I do to prevent or relieve the side effects?
Is there a generic medication I can take? How long will I need to take it?
When will I feel better?
What else can I do to relieve my symptoms?

The list of questions you make will help you be prepared to answer your doctor’s questions. Here are some questions your doctor will probably ask you:

What are your symptoms and how severe are they?
When did your symptoms start?
When do you experience symptoms? All of the time? Sometimes? At specific times?
What makes your symptoms worse?
What makes your symptoms better?
What physical and mental medical conditions do you have?

What medications are you taking?
Do you smoke, consume caffeinated beverages, drink alcohol, or use drugs? How often and in what quantity?
How stressful is work or school?
What is your living situation? Do you live alone? With family?
Are you in a committed relationship?
Are your relationships with friends and family good, or difficult and stressful?
How much do your symptoms affect your work, school, and relationships with friends and family?
Have you ever experienced any trauma?
Does anyone in your family have a mental health condition?

In addition to your prescribed treatment, you may want to join a support group. It can be very helpful to talk with other people who are experiencing symptoms similar to yours. It’s good to know that you are not alone. Someone else with similar symptoms can understand what you’re going through and offer support and encouragement. Being part of a group can also help you develop new social skills.

Your community will likely have several support groups, either for your specific disorder or for anxiety in general. Check with your medical professionals to learn what resources are available in your area. You might ask your:

mental health provider
primary doctor
county mental health services agency

You can also participate in support groups online. This may be a good way to start if you have social anxiety disorder or feel uncomfortable in a face-to-face group setting.

Treatment of diagnosed anxiety is often multi-disciplinary. This means you may see one or all of the following medical practitioners:

primary care physician
psychologist
psychiatrist
psychiatric nurse practitioner
support group

Contact your general practitioner first, and be ready to describe:

your symptoms
when they occur
what seems to trigger them

Your doctor may refer you to other medical practitioners. The sooner you start treatment, the better the outcome you can expect.

What to Say and Ask

Where to start?

Anxiety disorder is a medical condition that a variety of professionals can treat. The sooner you start treatment, the better the outcome you can expect.

The Healthline FindCare tool can provide options in your area if you need help finding a primary care doctor.

Primary care physician

Your primary doctor will conduct a complete physical examination to determine if your symptoms are being caused by another condition. Symptoms of anxiety may be due to:

hormone imbalance
side effects of medications
certain illnesses
various other conditions

Psychologist

Your treatment by a psychologist will likely be in conjunction with ongoing treatment by your primary doctor. Psychotherapy and medication are often used together to treat anxiety disorder.

Psychiatrist

Online psychiatry services

Read our roundup of the best online psychiatry services to find the right fit for you.

Psychiatric nurse practitioner

This information will help your doctor make an accurate diagnosis of your condition.

Make a list of your symptoms and when they began. Note when your symptoms occur, how they affect your life, and when they’re better or worse.
Write down any major stresses in your life, as well as any traumas you’ve experienced, both past and present.
Write down all of your health conditions: mental and physical.
Make a list of all medications and supplements you’re taking. Include how much you take and how often.

List any other substances you use or consume, such as:

coffee
alcohol
tobacco
drugs
sugar, especially if you eat large amounts

Do I have an anxiety disorder?
Is there something else that might be causing my symptoms?
What treatment do you recommend?
Should I see a psychiatrist or a psychologist?
Is there a medication that I can take? Does it have side effects? What can I do to prevent or relieve the side effects?
Is there a generic medication I can take? How long will I need to take it?
When will I feel better?
What else can I do to relieve my symptoms?

The list of questions you make will help you be prepared to answer your doctor’s questions. Here are some questions your doctor will probably ask you:

What are your symptoms and how severe are they?
When did your symptoms start?
When do you experience symptoms? All of the time? Sometimes? At specific times?
What makes your symptoms worse?
What makes your symptoms better?
What physical and mental medical conditions do you have?
What medications are you taking?
Do you smoke, consume caffeinated beverages, drink alcohol, or use drugs? How often and in what quantity?
How stressful is work or school?
What is your living situation? Do you live alone? With family?
Are you in a committed relationship?
Are your relationships with friends and family good, or difficult and stressful?
How much do your symptoms affect your work, school, and relationships with friends and family?
Have you ever experienced any trauma?
Does anyone in your family have a mental health condition?

mental health provider
primary doctor
county mental health services agency

You can also participate in support groups online. This may be a good way to start if you have social anxiety disorder or feel uncomfortable in a face-to-face group setting.

Treatment of diagnosed anxiety is often multi-disciplinary. This means you may see one or all of the following medical practitioners:

primary care physician
psychologist
psychiatrist
psychiatric nurse practitioner
support group

Contact your general practitioner first, and be ready to describe:

your symptoms
when they occur
what seems to trigger them

Your doctor may refer you to other medical practitioners. The sooner you start treatment, the better the outcome you can expect.

treatment, how to get rid of anxiety, how to deal with anxiety for no reason

Anxiety is a negatively colored mood with feelings of worry, tension, and fear. In moderation, such emotions are useful: they help to mobilize forces and find a way out of extreme situations. But there must be grounds for concern, and normally it lasts a limited period of time.

If a person constantly experiences a feeling of anxiety and anxiety for no reason, this may indicate the presence of a mental disorder. In the absence of help, constant tension wears out the nervous system and the body as a whole, which leads to a breakdown in adaptation mechanisms and the development of chronic diseases.

If you notice that you cannot relax for a long time, then you should think about visiting a specialist.

In pathological cases, a state of anxiety and restlessness without a cause manifests itself both mentally and physically.

Mental symptoms:

constant feeling of fear and excitement for no reason,
poor concentration and attention,
sleep disorders,
emotional lability, irritability, tearfulness,
inability to relax and fully engage in daily activities or communication,
the need to reassure others that everything is okay. At the same time, words of support do not bring relief.

Physical symptoms:

rapid breathing and heartbeat,
headaches, pain in the abdomen and in the region of the heart,
excessive sweating,
eating disorders: increased or loss of appetite,
weakness,
shivering, chills,
stool disorders: frequent urge, constipation,
feeling short of breath,
nausea,
muscle spasms and pain.

Unreasonable anxiety and anxiety increase or smooth out from time to time. Exacerbations often accompany stress: conflicts, important events, illness. Normally, a person recovers quickly after the situation is resolved, but when upset, negative emotions do not go away.

The intensity of anxiety varies from mild to severe. The extreme is panic. If you ignore an anxiety state for a long time for no reason, then panic attacks can join it. They overtake unexpectedly and sometimes without a good enough reason, but after this episode, a person begins to avoid situations similar to the one in which it happened: public transport, an elevator, or just a crowd of people. This greatly reduces the quality of life and can lead to social isolation.

Causes of causeless anxiety and anxiety

The occurrence of anxiety disorder is influenced by heredity. It has been found that certain brain structures and features of biological processes play an important role in the emergence of fear and anxiety. Personal characteristics, somatic health problems, lifestyle and various types of addictions also matter. Sometimes there is no cause for causeless anxiety and worry. Negative feelings usually have a trigger - an event or thought that causes an anxious response. However, most people are not aware of their triggers and believe that their emotions are groundless. In this case, only a specialist will help to understand why excitement arises for no reason.

There are a number of diseases, the symptoms of which are constant anxiety. With causeless fear and anxiety, the reasons may be as follows:

Generalized Anxiety Disorder: Persistent nervousness and worry over small things that are usually visible to others and last 6 or more months. It starts in adolescence and intensifies with age.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder: obsessive thoughts and fears that are accompanied by obsessive actions that do not bring relief. Obsessive-compulsive disorder is distinguished - a person is indomitably haunted by memories that reproduce a traumatic situation.
Phobias: irrational fear of any, even mundane, things. Accompanied by uncontrolled panic and physical manifestations.
Panic attack - an excruciating and sudden attack of panic, which is accompanied by a fear of death and vivid somatic symptoms. The regular occurrence of panic attacks means the development of a panic disorder.
Post-traumatic stress disorder: occurs after a severe traumatic situation and is accompanied by high levels of anxiety, avoidance and flashbacks.

These are the most common examples, but pathological anxiety can be a symptom of other disorders or the result of a failed stress management. If you want to understand why there is a feeling of anxiety for no reason, you should consult a doctor. Without clarifying the main factor and working on it, it is impossible to restore health and peace of mind.

What to do with causeless anxiety and anxiety

It is difficult to live in constant stress. If you experience causeless anxiety and fear of what to do, the following list will tell you:

Talk to someone you trust. This could be a relative, a close friend, a therapist, or a helpline employee. People are social creatures, so communication is a good way to relieve internal tension.
Find a way to calm down quickly. There is not always a person with whom you can share. Therefore, it is important to find a suitable method that will help you relax: breathing techniques, soothing music, aromatherapy, self-massage, and more. If you cannot independently choose a technique that quickly helps with anxiety for no reason, a specialist will tell you what to do.
Add physical activity to your life. It is a natural and effective remedy for anxiety. Moderate sport relieves stress, lowers stress hormones, and strengthens the nervous system. Get at least 30 minutes of physical exercise a day.
Normalization of lifestyle. Get enough sleep, eat well, give up bad habits. This stabilizes physical performance and neurotransmitter levels, which helps maintain emotional balance.
Start keeping a diary. Notes help identify patterns of anxiety flare-ups, understand the causes, and notice early signs of their occurrence. Also, thanks to this, you will begin to focus more on positive events that you might not have noticed before.

With excitement for no reason, everyone who regularly encounters this wants to know what to do. There is no universal method, however, the 5 steps listed above are recommended for every person with increased anxiety. This may be enough to alleviate symptoms. But if self-help techniques do not give the desired effect, then with a regularly occurring feeling of anxiety for no reason, you need to find out from a specialist what to do.

Treatment of causeless feelings of anxiety and restlessness

Regardless of the cause of pathological anxiety, professional help is the only complete method to eliminate the problem. If you have constant excitement and anxiety for no reason, you can quickly and effectively learn from a psychiatrist or psychotherapist how to get rid of this condition.

Due to the diversity of anxiety disorders, their therapy must be adapted to the individual clinical picture and diagnosis. Therefore, only a highly qualified specialist who has experience working with different types of anxiety conditions can tell you how to get rid of an anxiety state for no reason. For example, the therapy algorithm for a patient with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is different from the help for panic attacks.

For a state of anxiety and anxiety without a cause, treatment includes the following approaches:

Psychotherapy. The most promising direction, which not only eliminates the symptom, but identifies the cause and fights it. Therapy teaches when feeling anxiety for no reason, how to get rid of acute attacks of anxiety, relax, look at life situations differently. The doctor will help to uncover the main causes of your fears and work them out. The patient receives the tools to overcome anxiety and uses them successfully. Cognitive-behavioral therapy is usually used: in the course of treatment, the patient encounters an object of concern and gradually gains confidence that he can control the situation.
Medical therapy. Depending on the type of anxiety and the presence of associated mental or physical health problems, antidepressants, sedatives, sleeping pills, and other drugs may be prescribed. When anxiety is felt without a cause, drug treatment will alleviate the symptoms and improve the quality of life of the patient during his psychotherapeutic work on the underlying cause. Uncontrolled medication leads to dangerous side effects and withdrawal syndrome, so they can only be used according to the individual course prescribed by the doctor.

It is recommended to use a combination of psychotherapeutic and drug treatment, but sometimes only the first one is enough.

You should not put off visiting a doctor if you feel that experiences are preventing you from living. Over time, the symptoms worsen and other severe mental illnesses join: depression, neurotic disorders, and more. If the normalization of lifestyle does not help, it means that you will understand how to get rid of unreasonable anxiety only from a psychotherapist. With a timely appeal to a competent specialist, only a few sessions of psychotherapy may be enough for recovery.

Thanks to modern psychotherapeutic approaches, hundreds of people are making great strides every day in the fight against anxiety disorders. There is no need to endure the painful burden of fear and anxiety, because timely assistance allows you to achieve excellent results: the patient will fully recover and return to a full life, and the improvement will be noticeable after the first session.

Panic attacks. Whom to contact and how a neurologist can help?

Over the past 2 years, much has changed in the life of all mankind. We have to adapt to new, sometimes very difficult, conditions. From TV and the Internet, we are constantly pressed with disturbing news and not the best forecasts, or the unknown in the future.

Someone copes with this easily and is ready for change, while someone falls into a state of panic and cannot do anything about it. The normal reaction of people when faced with the difficulties of life is to try to understand what is happening and what to do with it next.

Our body is a mirror of our mental state and reflects these problems in the form of symptoms that are difficult to distinguish from serious diseases of organic origin.

On one not the best day, a person is faced with a new state for himself and begins to suspect that 9 has covered him0123 panic attack . Let's figure out what it is, how to survive this state and not go crazy (despite the fact that before that you clearly controlled everything in life) and what strategy to develop in order to emerge victorious from this situation.

Panic attack (panic) is a short-term episode of intense anxiety with a sudden onset, reaching a maximum within a few minutes, accompanied by anxiety or fear of death, loss of control, combined with severe disturbances in the work of the heart, respiratory system, gastrointestinal tract.

If this condition begins to recur (while the symptoms may vary slightly), then doctors are already talking about panic disorder or episodic paroxysmal anxiety . Unfortunately, the patient quickly develops a fear of waiting for an attack.

Signs of a panic attack

Heart . The characteristic onset of an attack is accompanied by symptoms from the cardiovascular system - with a sudden onset of a "strong heartbeat", a feeling of "interruptions", "stop", discomfort or pain in the region of the heart.
Pressure . Most panic attacks are accompanied by a rise in blood pressure, the numbers of which can be quite high.
Asphyxiation . The most pronounced violations in the respiratory system: shortness of breath, a feeling of lack of air with shortness of breath and hyperventilation, "a feeling of suffocation." Describing an attack, patients report that they “caught their throat”, “the air stopped flowing”, “it became stuffy”.
Indigestion . Gastrointestinal disturbances such as nausea, vomiting, belching, epigastric discomfort, feeling of fullness or abdominal pain may also be observed. As a rule, at the time of a panic attack, dizziness, sweating, tremor with a feeling of chills, “waves” of heat and cold, paresthesia, coldness of the hands and feet are observed.
Appearance . Changes in complexion, pulse rate, fluctuations in blood pressure are objectively determined, and dissociation is often found between the subjective experience of autonomic disorders by patients and their severity during an objective examination.

The disease can develop slowly, over months or years, or it can develop quickly, over days or weeks.

As panic attacks continue, they can be associated with various life circumstances, which become, as it were, conditioned stimuli. Attacks can be repeated in similar situations in which the attack occurred for the first time (metro, transport, loneliness), fear is formed in anticipation of an attack.

How can you help yourself with a panic attack?

Analyze the situation . If you have the above symptoms, you must first determine whether this is a panic attack as a one-time occurrence against the background of stress (illness) or there is a fixation of panic and you will clearly need medical help.
Focus on your breath . Remember that the first first aid is to go out into the air, deeply and consciously begin to breathe. If there is no way to walk, then just lie down, take a comfortable position, breathe deeply and slowly.
Don't be alone . Do not hesitate to ask for help from those who are nearby, do not hide your condition. Discuss what happened. Don't be alone with the problem!
Make an appointment with a doctor . If the episodes recur, a doctor can help resolve the problem. Before taking, think about the circumstances under which seizures occur. These can be:

viewing disturbing news;
conversation with a friend, quarrel with relatives;
situation at work with colleagues;
study exam;
watching movies;
travel by public transport, elevator, etc. ).

Panic attack treatment by a neurologist

Many people ask the question: how and how can a neurologist help me? It's forever. Nothing like this! It is a myth. Panic attacks are very well treated. If you think about it, it's time to contact a neurologist and strictly follow his recommendations.

The doctor will examine you,
will conduct tests,
listens carefully, asks specific questions,
will match the symptoms and facts of your life,
will prescribe a basic treatment that will start working immediately.
If necessary, will prescribe additional examinations.

The doctor will tell you how to act in your individual situation!

If at the appointment he reveals violations of the cardiovascular system that are clearly permanent in nature, he will refer you to a cardiologist, for an ECG, for monitoring heart rate (Holter). This is necessary to determine if there is a pathology of the heart and whether it is necessary to take control of the heart rhythm and heart rate with medication.
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