Anxiety

You don’t have to live with crippling fear or worry caused by anxiety when there are treatments available to help. At Blue Water Psychiatry in Mesa, Arizona, board-certified psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners Justin McKinley, PMHNP-BC, Susan Bowen, PMHNP-BC, and their caring staff offer treatments to ease anxiety symptoms. To schedule a consultation, call the office or use the online booking feature today.

What is anxiety?

Anxiety disorder is a common mental health condition that makes typical life situations feel uncomfortable. It may cause you to have panic attacks or avoid everyday situations because of ongoing fear and worry. 

Having anxious feelings from time to time is normal, but experiencing them every day may prompt you to seek professional mental health care. Treatment with Blue Water Psychiatry can help reduce debilitating symptoms. 

What are the symptoms of anxiety?

Some of the anxiety symptoms you may struggle with include:

• Constant fear or worry
• Nervousness or restlessness
• Overthinking situations
• Sweating or trembling
• Difficulty focusing
• Problems sleeping
• Depression
• Fear of social situations

You might avoid people, places, or things that cause anxious feelings. Triggers that don’t bother most other people might make you feel fearful. Anxiety symptoms can be mild, moderate, or debilitating in some cases.

What are the risk factors for anxiety?

The cause of anxiety isn’t entirely clear, but risk factors include:

• Family history of anxiety
• Past trauma
• Ongoing or extreme stress
• Having an illness or disease
• Other mental health challenges
• Substance use 
• Chemical imbalances in the brain

Some research suggests that certain personality traits may contribute to the development of anxiety disorders, including being timid or shy, wanting to be in control of everything at once, or being easily flustered. 

How is anxiety diagnosed?

To determine if you have anxiety, the team at Blue Water Psychiatry reviews your medical history, lifestyle habits, medications, and symptoms. They also ask about your emotions and behavior patterns.  

Blue Water Psychiatry also offers pharmacogenomic testing to determine which medicines work best with your genes. The team then tailors a customized treatment based on your unique situation.

How is anxiety treated?

Blue Water Psychiatry may suggest one or more of the following treatments for anxiety:

Lifestyle counseling
Changing your lifestyle habits, like eating healthy foods, getting regular exercise, and making good quality sleep a priority, may help reduce anxiety symptoms. 

Prescription medicines
Blue Water Psychiatry may recommend anti-anxiety medicines if needed. The team also offers medication management to reduce side effects and ensure the medicines you’re taking are working for you. 

Talk therapy 
In combination with lifestyle recommendations and medicines, the team provides psychotherapy (talk therapy) to help you cope with anxiety by making behavioral changes. 

To find out more about anxiety treatments, call Blue Water Psychiatry or book a consultation online today.