Home Mental disordersAnxiety disorders When to go to the doctor for anxiety?

When to go to the doctor for anxiety?

by Alivia Nyhan
Published: Last Updated on

Anxiety is a picture of unpleasant symptoms that affects many people today due to the tremendous demand for external stressors, added to the inability of the individual to respond assertively to them and deficiencies at the organic level that prevent the body from being able to reduce anxiety levels physiologically and facilitate calm.

At FastlyHealwe will address what anxiety means when it becomes clinically significant and thus suggest when to go to the doctor for anxiety, or even what other professional assistance may be helpful, depending on the severity of it.

What is anxiety?

Anxiety is a multidimensional reaction; it presents symptoms both physically and psychologically. Anxiety is popularly used to imply a response or state of concern and fear of the future, causing difficulty in assertive decision-making.

The anxiety present in people with addictions or dependencies on certain substances or habits when they cannot access them is also very well understood. All these popular descriptions of anxiety are correct. Still, it can be forgotten that stress can reach severe levels and damage those who suffer from it and those around them.

Anxiety: diagnosis

The DSM-IV and ICD-10 diagnostic manuals agree that the following signs and symptoms characterize anxiety (specifically a panic attack):

Physical symptoms

  • Sweating
  • Palpitations and increased heart rate
  • Shaking or shaking
  • Unsteadiness, dizziness, or fainting
  • Choking, choking, and shortness of breath
  • Chills or flushing

Psychological symptoms

  • Fear of dying and the future
  • Addiction or dependence on any substance or habit to alleviate these symptoms
  • Depersonalization (not feeling yourself) or derealization

Depending on the circumstances in which anxiety occurs, there are some (specific) differential diagnoses within the spectrum of anxiety:

  • Phobias: exaggerated and irrational anxiety responses such as agoraphobia, specific phobias (e.g., spiders), and social phobia.
  • Post-traumatic stress and acute stress.
  • Obsessive-compulsive disorder: anxiety if things are not kept in the correct order, cleanliness, or pattern.
  • Substance-induced anxiety or medical illness.

The mention of these classifications is essential to remember the different ways in which anxiety can manifest itself. All can be worthy of medical attention if the severity of the case is enough to classify it as a disorder.

When to go to the doctor for anxiety?

Remember that everyone can experience a panic crisis at various times because life is full of surprises, and we are not always prepared to face them. To differentiate a panic attack or an anxious personality from anxiety that needs clinical attention, there are other crucial indicators in addition to the symptoms:

  • Social and environmental adaptation: when these symptoms extend to the point of interrupting or bringing to zero the individual’s work performance and sociability even with their closest circles, something needs to be addressed.
  • Risk to own or other people’s integrity: when any of the symptoms reach this point, attention is necessary, even if they are mainly physical or psychological symptoms. If you are a father or mother, the guarantee of food and psychophysical integrity must be fulfilled. Otherwise, it would help if you had therapy and, ideally, supervision or assistance in your relationship with the children.
  • Post-traumatic stress: after a severe event such as the sudden death of a spouse or family member or a natural accident, it is essential to immediately attend to the person and see if they warrant medical attention, depending on the severity of the reaction (acuity of symptoms).

Who else to turn to?

When we talk about care for anxiety, we must clarify the range of professionals and tools necessary to handle the case.

  • The psychiatrists are trained to meet this level of drug and other types of mental disorders and apply psychotherapeutic tools depending on their therapeutic current. However, a psychiatrist is, in principle, a doctor with a specialty in psychiatry, not a psychologist. A neurologist is another very suitable specialty.
  • Psychologists are a vital letter to consider, especially to accompany the therapeutic process to heal the psychological dimension and find the unconscious roots that lead to the anxiety. The person needs to understand better what anguish is. However, we remember that a non-medical psychologist, therefore, in case of disorders, multidisciplinary care is better.
  • Exercise: the practice of physical activity and meditation helps anyone have better management and cope with fear and emotions. Although a specialist teacher or an accompanying loved one will be of great help (do not leave the patient alone in the process).

This article is merely informative, at FastlyHeal .com we do not have the power to prescribe medical treatments or make any type of diagnosis. We invite you to see a doctor in the case of presenting any type of condition or discomfort.

If you want to read more articles similar to When to go to the doctor for anxiety? We recommend that you enter our category of Mental Disorders .

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