When Should You Seek Treatment for Anxiety?

Anxiety, worries, and fears are natural parts of life. Everyone experiences them at some point. But when do these feelings cross the line from normal to something that needs professional help? This post identifies signs that indicate when treatment could be helpful and how to take the first step.

Are anxiety, worries, or fears interfering with your life?

When anxiety, worries, or fears become intense, frequent, or uncontrollable, they can interfere with daily life. For example, feeling nervous before a job interview is normal, but constant fear that prevents you from leaving the house is not. If you have anxiety that is excessive or unrealistic, it is likely interfering with your life.

Signs You Should Seek Treatment

1. Anxiety Interferes with Daily Activities

If your worries or fears stop you from doing things you enjoy or completing everyday tasks, it’s a strong signal to seek help. This might include avoiding social events, missing work, or struggling to care for yourself.

2. Physical Symptoms Affect Your Health

Anxiety can cause physical symptoms like rapid heartbeat, sweating, stomach problems, headaches, or muscle tension. If these symptoms are frequent or severe, they are likely interfering with your enjoyment of life and should be evaluated by a professional.

3. You Experience Panic Attacks

Panic attacks are sudden episodes of intense fear with symptoms such as chest pain, shortness of breath, dizziness, and a feeling of losing control or dying. People often begin avoiding situations which may be associated with panic attacks. Treatment can be incredibly beneficial for reducing both panic attacks and the avoidance of feared situations.

4. Your Anxiety Lasts for Weeks or Months

Everyone feels anxious sometimes, but if your anxiety lasts longer than a few weeks and shows no sign of easing, it may be a sign to seek help. You may be experiencing an anxiety disorder or simply prolonged stress. Either way, prolonged anxiety is miserable and seeking treatment is likely to be helpful.

5. You Use Substances to Cope

Turning to alcohol, drugs, or other unhealthy behaviors to manage anxiety or fears is a red flag. These coping methods can worsen your condition and create new problems. Treatment to address the anxiety can remove these poor coping strategies before they become problems themselves.

6. You Have Thoughts of Self-Harm or Suicide

If anxiety or fear leads to thoughts of hurting yourself or suicide, seek immediate help from a mental health professional or emergency services. Thoughts of suicide can result from fears that life will not improve. Luckily, anxiety is a treatable condition and your life has great likelihood of improvement!

***sometimes people with OCD have fears that they will harm themselves even when they have no actual intention to harm themselves - this is different from actual suicidality but is often very distressing and suggests that treatment could be helpful.

How to Take the First Step

Seeking treatment can feel overwhelming, but small steps make a difference. Here are some possible first steps:

• Share your feelings with trusted friends or family members.

• Reach out to a mental health professional for an evaluation.

  • ask for referrals from people you know

  • Google for therapists in your area

  • PsychologyToday.com lists therapists and their specialities in your area

  • your insurance carrier may offer a list of in-network providers

  • your school and/or workplace may have counselors available at low or no cost

• Talk to your primary care doctor about your symptoms.

• Use reputable online resources to learn about anxiety and treatment options. Some examples:

  • Anxiety Disorders Association of America

  • Obsessive Compulsive Foundation

  • American Psychological Association

    
    

Remember, asking for help is a sign of strength and courage, not weakness. Anxiety Disorders are treatable; your mind and body to work together to decrease your worries and fears.