If you are experiencing a mental health crisis (such as having suicidal thoughts), go to your closest emergency room or call 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
At Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN), we know how much anxiety disorders and other mental illnesses can affect daily life. In fact, anxiety disorders are the most common mental health concern diagnosed throughout the United States. If you are experiencing symptoms of or have been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, our experienced and specially educated behavioral health clinicians are dedicated to providing you personalized care for your individual needs.
What are anxiety disorders?
Anxiety disorders are a group of conditions characterized by persistent, excessive fear or worry in normal situations.
While its normal for everyone to have occasional bouts of anxiety throughout their lives, people with anxiety disorders experience recurrent and regular episodes of intense fear and terror.
While the exact cause of anxiety disorders isn’t entirely known, these conditions have been linked to both genetic and environmental factors.
Types of anxiety disorders
The most common anxiety disorders include:
- Generalized anxiety disorder, which involves regular bouts of anxiety over routine events and activities. These feelings of anxiety are hard to control and can affect your physical health.
- Social anxiety disorder, which involves fear and avoidance of social situations due to concern about being judged or embarrassed by others.
- Panic disorder, which involves recurrent bouts of fear and terror (panic attacks). During these episodes, you may experience shortness of breath, chest pain, a feeling of impending doom and/or heart palpitations.
- Phobias, which are characterized by a severe fear of certain objects, places, situations and/or animals.
Symptoms of anxiety disorders
The most common symptoms of anxiety disorders include:
Emotional symptoms
- Anticipating the worst and always being on the lookout for signs of danger
- Feelings of apprehension, dread and/or impending doom
- Feeling restless or irritable
- Feeling tense, nervous or jumpy
Physical symptoms
- Fatigue and/or insomnia
- Feeling like your heart is pounding or racing
- Frequent urination
- Headaches
- Shortness of breath
- Sweating
- Tremors and/or twitches
- Trouble concentrating
- Upset stomach and/or diarrhea
Without treatment and mental health support, these symptoms can greatly impact your personal and professional life. For some people, they can also lead to depression, alcohol misuse, substance use, and/or suicidal thoughts or behaviors.
Treatment for anxiety disorders
There are two main treatment options available for anxiety disorders:
- Psychotherapy, which involves speaking to a mental health professional
- Medications, including anti-anxiety drugs and antidepressants
Your specific care plan will depend on your symptoms and treatment history.
Personalized anxiety disorder care at LVHN
At LVHN, our behavioral health team takes an individualized approach to treating anxiety disorders, focusing on your diagnosis, symptoms and treatment history to develop a care plan specific to you.
We offer outpatient care at various locations, with options for both in-person and virtual appointments.
If you would benefit from additional support, we also offer partial hospitalization programs (which allow you to receive daily in-person mental health support in a clinical setting and return home afterward) and inpatient behavioral health services.
If you are facing an anxiety disorder and are looking for a supportive and experienced care team, LVHN is here for you, every step of the way.
Start your behavioral health journey
Please speak to your LVPG primary care or family medicine physician for a referral. If you are not currently seeing an LVPG clinician, please call 888-402-LVHN (5846) or click below to set up a new patient appointment for primary care or family medicine.
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