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Posts Tagged ‘treating anxiety disorder’

treating anxiety.~In an effort to help you understand how your psychiatrist or psychologist is likely to approach you when treating panic disorder, this article will provide you with a brief overview of the contents of the American Psychiatric Association’s (APA), Treatment of Patients with Panic Disorder.~Following is a brief overview of the American Psychiatric Association’s (APA), Treatment of Patients with Panic Disorder, to help you understand how your mental health professional is likely to approach you when treating anxiety disorder.~The American Psychiatric Association’s (APA), Treatment of Patients with Panic Disorder set out the steps in treating anxiety disorder, and following is a brief overview of that clinical reference.} This article is written for the average person, rather than clinicians, and so much of it has been paraphrased. The APA first published the guideline in 1998, and it has been updated as recently as January 2009 on the APA’s website. Developed by a work group, instead of one single psychiatrist, this guide is widely used by the medical community, which is why it makes sense for anyone who suffers from panic disorder to understand the guidance it contains.

Involving All Your Care-Givers
Keeping all your doctors in the loop is one of the first recommendations given in the guidelines, as is stressing that, as part of your disorder, you will very likely be anxious about treatment. You need to know what your doctor wants you to do if you feel that an attack has reached emergency proportions, so the guidance encourages your doctor to provide you with instructions such as calling their pager number, calling 911, or going to the emergency department.

Relating to Psychiatric Assessments
One of the first steps your doctor is instructed to take will be to provide a complete examination or assessment for the purpose of ruling out other medical conditions that can cause attacks, and to make sure you really are suffering from panic disorder. (You can find additional information related to questions you can expect on this site, or you may visit the APA’s website to see a separate guideline titled, Practice Guideline for the Psychiatric Evaluation of Adults, Second Edition.)

Making a Treatment Plan Just For You
Your psychiatrist will next need to develop a plan that meets your needs as an individual. The doctor will help you to figure out how often you have attacks, how those attacks manifest, and if you have any other phobias like agoraphobia. Your doctor may ask you if you keep a daily journal or diary, and if you do not already, will probably recommend that you start one.

Keeping You Safe
Your doctor has an obligation to make sure that your panic disorder will not put you in danger. This entails assessing you for potential violence towards others, or thoughts of harming yourself.

Assessing Functional Impairment
Next, the guidelines instruct your doctor to figure out how functionally impaired you may be. This means taking a look at whether you suffer from agoraphobia, or if you have difficulties doing everyday things like driving.

Developing Treatment Goals
The main focus of {treating anxiety disorder will be to reduce attacks, obviously, but your treatment goals will also include intermediate and long-term goals.~Obviously, the main focus of treating panic will be to cure or reduce your attacks, but will also include intermediate and long-term goals.~While the focal point of treating anxiety will be to cure you from panic attacks, there will also need to be intermediate and long-term goals.~Naturally, getting rid of panic attacks is going to be the focal point of treating panic, and this will include intermediate, as well as long-term goals.} Weaning you off prescribed drugs or at least stepping down your dosage will be part of your treatment goals.

Keeping On Top of Your Progress
Your psychiatrist is supposed to monitor how well you are responding to treatment for your panic attacks, and to keep an eye out for any other conditions that he or she may notice during that treatment.

Keeping You Abreast
Your clinician is finally instructed to keep you in the loop and let you know where you are with your panic disorder treatment.