The Toolbox at LisaKiftTherapy.com

I recently attended a seminar called, “Why We Worry: Understanding and Treating Anxiety Disorders,” by Mark S. Scheider, Ph.D. and sponsored by the Institute for Brain Potential. It was packed full of really interesting and current information on the significance of anxiety, it’s prevalence, causes, maintaining factors and treatment considerations. A lot of what he said resonated with my model of treatement for anxiety with the use of cognitive behavioral strategies to alleviate the distressing symptoms associated with it.

I’ll outline some of the basic information here for those interested in getting a little better understanding of anxiety disorders – based on information acquired from the presentation by Dr. Schneider.

Significance of Anxiety:

Anxiety is the most common mental health problem with over 19 million sufferers in the U.S. There are more female sufferers than male – the most common type of anxiety disorder reported is Social Anxiety. Anxiety is about a person’s perception of reality and can be helpful when it warns us about danger or motivates us to achieve. It can be unhelpful when it keeps us on high alert more often than we really need to be. In other words, “normal” anxiety is problem solving – “abnormal” anxiety is problem generating.

What Causes Anxiety?

Specific anxiety disorders don’t seem to be inherited (except possibly OCD and Blood/Needle Phobia) though a person’s propensity to be nervous might be passed down genetically. Childhood factors such as having an anxious or controlling parent can also contribute to the development of anxiety. A person with an anxious parent may become an adult with the belief system, “The world is a dangerous place,” which can often be an underlying core belief that causes people to have a more fear-based world view. Similarly, a person with a controlling parent might become an adult with the belief system, “I must be perfect,” which can plague them with unattainable expectations placed on themselves. Early losses such as death or divorce can also be part of the story of someone who later develops anxiety.

What Maintains Anxiety?

Some of the things that allow anxiety to continue to be problematic are, 1) overestimating the probablility of bad things happening and 2) failing to challenge beliefs – which very likely are irrational!

Anxiety Treatment

The most researched form of treatment for anxiety is a combination of cognitive behavioral therapy and medication. There are numerous medications used to treat anxiety and these should be discussed with a doctor. The different subtypes of anxiety – Social Phobia, Specific Phobia, PTSD, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder – are all going to have slightly different treatment paths. Some will require more behavioral interventions than others. A CBT and medication combination might be the most helpful.

Many people have an anxiety disorder that remain untreated because they’ve adopted effective coping skills to AVOID THE FEARED STIMULUS. What can eventually bring these people into treatment is the inability to avoid this “feared stimulus” – whether it be a shy, socially phobic individual being challenged with a new job that requires more contact – or a perfectionistic, obsessive compulsive individual who feels they can’t keep up with their self imposed expectations any longer – without emotional and physical consequences.

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Lisa Brookes Kift is a psychotherapist with a private practice in Marin County, California.  See more mental health articles by Lisa in The Toolbox at LisaKiftTherapy.com: A Resource for Emotional and Relationship Health.

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