Anxiety Treatment in New York
What is Anxiety?
Anxiety is a feeling of excessive worry and fear. It is often accompanied by physical symptoms such as perspiration, tension, shortness of breath, and an elevated heart rate. People with anxiety disorders find it difficult to control or suppress these feelings, which interfere greatly with their daily functioning and cause noticeable distress. Included in this category of disorders are Generalized Anxiety Disorder; Panic Disorder, which is distinguished by recurring panic attacks (surges of intense fear and physical sensations that last only a few minutes); Social Anxiety Disorder; and specific phobias (such as fear of heights). Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a related but different disorder. We provide intensive outpatient therapy (IOP) for anxiety; you can read more about IOP here.
What are examples of anxiety disorders?
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Those with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) show excessive anxiety or worry, most days for at least 6 months, about a range of things such as personal health, social interactions, their professional lives, and even routine life circumstances. This excessive worry and even fear can cause significant problems in their social, professional/educational, and family lives.
Typical Generalized Anxiety Disorder symptoms:
Feeling restless, aggitated, or on-edge
Being easily fatigued
Having difficulty concentrating/focusing
Irritability
Muscle tension
Difficulty controlling feelings of worry
Sleep problems (difficulty falling or staying asleep, restlessness, or unsatisfying sleep)
Selective Mutism
Selective mutism is a severe anxiety disorder. A person with selective mutism is unable to speak in certain social situations, for example, with less well known individuals or in school. The inability to speak it not a choice.
Panic Disorder
People with Panic Disorder have recurrent and unexpected panic attacks. A panic attack is a sudden periods of intense fear that comes on very quickly and reaches its peak within minutes. Attacks can occur either unexpectedly or by a triggering event, such as encountering a feared object or situation.
Typical experiences during a panic attack:
A pounding heartbeat or accelerated heart-rate
Trembling or shaking
Shortness of breath
Sweating
Feelings of impending doom
Feelings of being out of control
Individuals with Panic Disorder often live with the worry of when the next attack will occur. They will actively try to prevent a new attacks by avoiding known triggers including places, situations, or behaviors. Worry about panic attacks, and the effort spent trying to avoid attacks, causes significant problems for sufferers.
Phobia-related disorders
A phobia is an intense fear of—or aversion to—specific objects or situations. Although anxiety is an unavoidable part of life, the fear that those with phobias feel is greatly out of proportion to the actual danger caused by the feared situation or object.
Typical experiences of those with a phobia:
Irrational or excessive worry about encountering the feared object or situation
Taking active steps to avoid the feared object or situation
Experience immediate intense anxiety upon encountering the feared object or situation
There are several types of phobias and phobia-related disorders (see below).
Individuals with phobias have intense, irrational fears of specific objects or situations.
More on phobias and phobia-related disorders
Specific Phobias
Individuals with specific phobias have an intense fear of, or feel intense anxiety about, specific types of objects or situations.
Common examples of specific phobias include:
A fear of flying
A fear of heights
A fear of a specific animal, such as snakes
A fear of receiving injections
A fear of seeing blood
Separation Anxiety Disorder
People who have separation anxiety disorder fear being parted from people to whom they have an attachment and often worry that some sort of harm will befall to their loved ones while during the separation. This fear leads them to try to avoid being separated from those to whom they are attached and to avoid being alone.
Social Anxiety Disorder
People with Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) have a general intense fear of, or anxiety toward, social or performance situations. They worry that actions or behaviors associated with their anxiety will be noticed and negatively evaluated by others, will will in turn lead to feelings of embarrassment. Often, individuals with SAD will avoid social situations in order to evade any chance of being viewed negatively by others.
Social Anxiety Disorder can result in individuals avoiding social situations out of fear of being seen in a negative light by others.
Agoraphobia
Agoraphobia is an intense fear of two or more of the following situations:
Being in open spaces
Being in enclosed spaces
Using public transportation
Standing in line or being in a crowd
Being outside of the home by one’s self
Those with agoraphobia often avoid these situations, in part, because they think being able to leave, or escape, might be difficult or impossible in the event they have panic-like reactions or other embarrassing symptoms. In the most severe form of agoraphobia, an individual can become housebound.
How we treat anxiety at City Center Psychotherapy
City Center therapists specialize in treating issues of anxiety through Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Exposure Therapy.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Research has shown that CBT is an efficacious and effective treatment for anxiety disorders including Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD), Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Panic Disorder, and phobias.
CBT therapists work with a client to identify and address how the client’s thoughts and behaviors interact to create anxiety. With a therapist, you will work to recognize how negative thought patterns influence your feelings. By recognizing and changing negative thought patterns, as well as changing behaviors that lead to the worsening of anxiety, CBT can help you better manage issues of anxiety and feel better. Psychoeducation about why anxiety occurs and exercises also support positive outcomes for clients.
Exposure Therapy
Like CBT, Exposure Therapy is an effective treatment for fears and anxieties. It has been scientifically demonstrated to help individuals suffering from GAD, phobias, Panic Disorder, SAD, OCD, and PTSD.
In Exposure Therapy, a therapist might recommend a program of graduated exposures (e.g., exposing an individual to the thing that they fear) in order to help break the pattern of avoidance and live a more satisfying life. The exposure to the feared objects, activities or situations in a safe environment helps reduce fear and decrease avoidance over time.
*Telehealth (online) therapy available.
Meet Jeremy.
Jeremy was on the subway headed to work one day when his heart started racing, he couldn’t catch a breath, and he was flooded with feelings of fear and dread. He was experiencing his first panic attack. Although Jeremy had experienced feelings of anxiety before, he had generally tried to ignore those feelings. The panic attack made Jeremy realize that he needed to find a solution to his anxious feelings, which prompted him to begin therapy with us. In his sessions, Jeremy shared that he was constantly stressed about work. His worries and fears about the future kept him awake at night and he always felt “on edge.” With his therapist’s guidance, by creating a daily thought record Jeremy was able to notice the frequency of his automatic negative thoughts and identify his triggers. Using exercises from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, we helped Jeremy consider alternate views and tolerate uncertainty about the future. Jeremy has also found utilizing skills such as mindfulness, journaling, and lunchtime walks has added to his well-being. Jeremy is now able to manage his anxiety and feel a greater sense of calm.
Client names, photos, and other identifying details have been changed to maintain confidentiality.
What are the steps to begin anxiety therapy?
At City Center Psychotherapy, we’re here to help. Contact us today to hear more about treatment options in New York and how to get started.