When Does Anxiety Warrant Professional Intervention?

Did you know that researchers have identified 27 distinct emotions? And, as you might suspect, everyone experiences them — even those considered “negative,” like anxiety, fear, sadness, disgust, and anger.

On top of that, there tend to be gradients of emotions, instead of fixed emotional states. This interconnectedness creates richer emotional experiences. However, it also means far more nuance, which can make it more difficult to detect a potential mental health disorder, like anxiety.

So, how do you know when you could benefit from professional intervention? 

At her practice in Mesquite, Texas, Vijaya Nama, MD, knows how debilitating mental health conditions like anxiety can be. Not only can it rob you of your sense of control and undermine your motivation, but it can also lead to intense physical symptoms and trigger serious health problems. 

Fortunately, as compromising as anxiety can be, it’s also highly treatable. In this blog, Dr. Nama explores four major signs that your anxiety warrants professional help. 

When anxiety starts taking over

When you have persistent anxiety, it doesn’t mean that you worry more than the average individual. Instead, it means that your anxiety response causes a disproportionate amount of distress that impacts your daily life and personal relationships. 

Your anxiety could require professional intervention if: 

1. Your symptoms cause you to disengage

Anxiety often triggers excessive worry about routine aspects of life, ranging from personal health and family issues to workplace success, daily appointments, and everyday responsibilities. 

When anxiety starts to define your daily existence, it’s more difficult to engage in productive, positive, meaningful action. This can leave you feeling like you have little control, giving rise to feelings of distress, despair, or apathy that are out of proportion with reality. 

As this occurs, it’s common for people to disengage from their life and those they love.

2. Your feelings and behaviors take a toll on your relationships

Avoidance and withdrawal are common hallmarks of untreated anxiety. Why? Because people with this disorder do their best to steer clear of situations that might provoke unwanted feelings. 

However, withdrawal and avoidance do more than impact the person with anxiety. They can take a real toll on personal and professional relationships, especially when friends, partners, family members, or colleagues don’t know about your anxiety or understand how it affects you. 

Over time, this type of interpersonal relationship strain can both erode your social support network and intensify your anxiety disorder.

3. You develop physical symptoms, too

The fight-or-flight hormones that flood a person’s system when anxious or worried don’t just put the brain on high alert — they also impact the body. 

Without treatment, the muscular tension and rapid heart rate frequently seen with anxiety can trigger numerous physical health problems, from chronic migraines and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) to insomnia and substance misuse.

4. Your anxiety leads to depression — or vice versa

It’s not unusual for someone with an anxiety disorder to experience depression as well, and the reverse is true, too. In reality, nearly half of people with untreated anxiety or depression are eventually diagnosed with the other disorder, too. 

These coexisting conditions increase the risk of another serious co-occurring problem: substance misuse. 

How to take action against anxiety

Now for the good news: You can regain the upper hand again.

Seek professional help for your anxiety when your feelings overwhelm you. Evidence-based treatment options can help you regain control over your symptoms so you can live a productive, fulfilling, and enjoyable life.  

Dr. Nama takes a multifaceted approach to mental health care at her practice that may include:

• Counseling (talk therapy)
• Prescription antidepressants 
• Anti-anxiety medications
• Learning new coping skills

Lifestyle changes — like adopting a nutritious diet and exercise program — can also do wonders for managing anxiety symptoms.

You want to regain a sense of well-being and reclaim your life, and Dr. Nama can help. Call 972-587-9846 or request an appointment online today.