Anxiety

Adult and Child Psychiatrist in San Diego, California

Anxiety services offered in San Diego, CA

For some people, anxiety is a severe problem that’s either present all the time, severely affecting your health and quality of life, or becomes extreme in certain situations. If you or your child struggles with anxiety, visit skilled psychiatrist Sanjoy Sathpathy, MD, and his team at So Cal Psychiatric Care in San Diego, California.

The team provides effective therapies to help children and adults with anxiety free themselves of constant stress and fear.

Anxiety Q&A

What is Anxiety?

It’s normal to feel anxious when you’re worried about a significant event or an unpleasant task. The anxiousness should disappear when the cause of your stress or fear goes away. If it doesn’t, you might have an anxiety disorder.

When you have an anxiety disorder, feelings of worry, fear, and stress control your life. You can feel nervous and on edge, indecisive and full of self-doubt, have difficulty sleeping, and may experience appetite and weight changes. Headaches, muscle tension, and neck and backache are also common. Anxiety can cause physical symptoms such as:

Excessive sweating
Shaking and trembling
Nausea and vomiting
Abdominal pain
Fast, shallow breathing
Chest pain

These symptoms can become severe if something triggers a panic attack, causing you to feel afraid and out of control. You might cry, scream, or be unable to move or speak. Severe panic attacks can mimic the symptoms of a heart attack.

Panic attacks are so distressing that people who have them tend to avoid situations that might trigger one. This can lead to social isolation if you’re too afraid to leave home.

What are the different kinds of anxiety disorders?

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is the most common form. It causes an almost constant state of fear and worry where everything is a source of stress. Other kinds of anxiety disorders include:

Panic disorder

Panic disorder’s key feature is repeated panic attacks. It may develop from untreated GAD or other anxiety disorders.

Phobias

Phobias are fears of certain situations like being trapped in a small space (claustrophobia) or certain things (spiders and snakes are some of the most common). The fear or panic you feel is often greater than the possible threat, and in many cases, the object of a phobia is harmless.

Social anxiety disorder

Social anxiety disorder is a phobia where being with others is the source of your distress. Large crowds and strangers are usually the primary focus of your anxiety.

How are anxiety disorders treated?

The So Cal Psychiatric Care team uses talk therapies to help people overcome their anxiety. Various forms of therapy could help, but cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and interpersonal psychotherapy are the main approaches.

Anti-anxiety drugs may be a part of your treatment plan to reduce your symptoms. So Cal Psychiatric Care also specializes in painless, non-invasive transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) for treatment-resistant anxiety.

For expert help with your anxiety disorder, call So Cal Psychiatric Care or book an in-person or telehealth appointment online today.

We are a Psychiatric clinic that treat patients for anxiety and depression with TMS, along with TMS therapy treatment, and more.