When It’s Time to Seek Help for Your Anxiety

Rates of anxiety in the United States and around the world are soaring, yet too many people aren’t getting the available help. Here, we look at some red flags that your anxiety can benefit from treatment.

Given all that’s going on in the world today, it might not come as a surprise that rates of anxiety have risen by nearly 20% around the world since 1990.

Speaking of 20%, that’s nearly the percentage of adults in the United States who have an anxiety disorder — yes, almost one in five American adults reports anxiety, to say nothing of the millions of kids and teens who are also affected.

As part of our primary care services, the team of healthcare providers at Michigan Avenue Primary Care includes mental health specialists. So, we turn to them to outline a few warning flags that your anxiety can benefit from our help.

The many faces of anxiety

When we talk about anxiety, we’re actually referring to several anxiety disorders, including:

Generalized anxiety disorder, which affects twice as many women as men
Panic disorder
Social anxiety disorder
Obsessive-compulsive disorder
Phobias

No matter the type, these anxiety disorders all stem from the same thing — a fight-or-flight response that’s overactive and often stuck in the “On” position.

Under normal circumstances, your fight-or-flight response is designed to protect you when there’s immediate danger by initiating physiological changes that can help you escape or stand your ground. Once the danger passes, your body returns to normal.

With an anxiety disorder, this stress response kicks in, even when there’s no immediate threat, and it stays on, which can have a huge effect on your health and on your life, which we get into next.

Signs of anxiety

When you have anxiety of any kind, you might develop:

Underlying feelings of dread, fear, and panic
Trouble sleeping
Feeling jittery and agitated
Feeling foggy and unable to focus
Extreme sweating
Nausea
Heart palpitations and racing heartbeat
Dry mouth
Dizziness
Body aches due to muscle tension

These side effects can be fleeting, such as during a panic attack, or they may form a constant background. And, make no mistake, these symptoms are very real and very physical, often driving people to the emergency room thinking they’re having a heart attack.

Getting help for your anxiety

When it comes to seeking help for your anxiety, our guiding principle is that if your peace and happiness have been suppressed by anxiety, it’s time to get help.

While breaking free from anxiety and finding peace is reason enough, there are other red flags when it comes to anxiety, such as:

Your anxiety is interfering with your ability to function
You’re starting to isolate because of anxiety
You’re unable to maintain relationships
You’re struggling with physical symptoms

Again, some anxiety in life is perfectly normal, but if your anxiety seems to be stuck in overdrive or it’s really having an impact on your life and on your health, please see us so that we can get you on the relief road.

To get that ball rolling, please contact our clinic in The Loop, Chicago, Illinois, today to schedule an appointment.