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Anxiety and related conditions, like obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), can develop into disabling problems without expert help. If you’re overwhelmed by anxiety, talk to Prashanth Pillai, MD, and Ksenia Pillai, MD, at The Fountain Group in Reston, Virginia. They provide compassionate care and effective treatment so that you can overcome anxiety and regain emotional control. Call The Fountain Group today or schedule a telehealth consultation online for expert care of anxiety-based disorders.
Anxiety Q&A
What are anxiety disorders?
Anxiety disorders are mental health conditions where you continually experience fear and worry, or those emotions are out of proportion to any threat. The several anxiety disorders include:
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)
Children and adults with GAD worry all the time about everything. They live in constant fear of harm to themselves and others and often become physically ill from chronic stress.
Phobias
Phobias are extreme fears of specific things. Often it’s living creatures like snakes or spiders. It can also be a situation like flying, being up high, or getting stuck in a confined space. Almost anything can develop into a phobia, triggering extreme anxiety attacks when exposed to what you fear.
Social anxiety disorder
Social anxiety disorder is a phobia caused by being with others, especially in crowds and with people you don’t know. It often affects children and young people.
Separation anxiety
Separation anxiety develops in early life when children become excessively distressed at being apart from their parents or caregivers.
People suffering from depression often develop anxiety. Depression causes long-lasting, severe sadness, hopelessness, and self-loathing that can lead to self-harm and thoughts of suicide.
Anxiety is also a symptom of many other conditions, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
Why does OCD cause anxiety?
OCD is a challenging disorder where obsessions lead to compulsive behaviors. Obsessions could focus on anything but are frequently unpleasant or distressing subjects involving violence, religion, taboo sexual acts, or contamination.
The anxiety you feel from the unwanted thoughts and ideas leads you to develop rituals to manage your negative emotions. A typical example is having an obsession with germs and a fear of infection.
Your continual anxiety about getting sick or being in contact with something dirty makes you wash your hands repeatedly. Even if your skin dries, cracks, and bleeds, you feel compelled to wash them in a specific way for a set time. Failure to complete your rituals causes extreme anxiety and can trigger a panic attack.
How do I overcome anxiety?
Although anxiety disorders can be severe, with expert help from The Fountain Group, you can manage your symptoms and possibly free yourself entirely from anxiety.
The primary treatments are medication and psychotherapy. Anti-anxiety drugs reduce anxiety’s grip on your mind, while psychotherapy helps you change the thoughts triggering your distress.
Call The Fountain Group today or book an appointment online for expert help overcoming anxiety and OCD.