EN
Translate:
EN
The Invisible Epidemic
Living in Chicago can be wonderful. It has all the amenities of the big city, with a small town sensibility and a unique skyline and vibrant cultural life in the Chicago Loop, River North or other neighborhoods. But it has its stressful moments as well. Crowded trains, traffic, busy sidewalks can all add to anxiety and make life problematic, and increase worry.
Anxiety disorders affect many of us, and you are not alone in your difficulty. Anxiety symptoms can manifest in our life as general worry over life hurdles, or as fear of public speaking, or trouble with being in crowds. In its most difficult aspect, panic attacks (or anxiety attack symptoms) can strike, making it difficult to function at all for brief or longer periods of time.
If you suffer from increased stress and anxiety, you are among the majority of people on the planet. The symptoms are due in great part to the way we are “wired” in our physiologies. Your nervous systems and brain work together in symphony to ward off danger in your environment. This is a normal survival mechanism that is working overtime, and at some point in our lives, most people living in the developed world will experience heightened stress. With fewer natural enemies, we tend to apply the same heightened alert to our modern environments, often with negative consequences. Working with a psychologist can help help to alleviate your stress.
Anxiety Definitions
More than ever, people are experiencing stress in their lives and search for an anxiety therapist. Anxiety disorders are one of the most common mental health issues. Approximately 20% of adults, and 8% of children experience some type of anxiety. Our current political climate is also increasing the level of stress for many of us.
What makes and Anxiety Disorder?
Anxiety can be described as a reaction to a perceived stressor where the mind and body act as if there is clear and present danger. It typically takes the form of fearful thoughts about the future, or some event that causes stress, like public speaking. Panic attacks are the most difficult manifestation of anxiety, causing a person to be stricken with crippling bodily sensations (increased heart rate, difficulty breathing, and overwhelming fear, often embarrassment).
Anxiety disorders include:
- Generalized anxiety Disorder
- Social Anxiety Disorder
- Panic Disorder
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is no longer classified as an anxiety disorder, but a compulsion disorder. However OCD has elements of anxiety related to it, and is often treated in similar ways as anxiety disorder.
Anxiety Treatment
We specialize as anxiety therapists in the Chicago Loop/River North area. Chicago Psychology Services is a group practice run by a clinical psychologist.
We use a variety of evidence-based practices, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and psychodynamic therapy. We also integrate mind/body modalities (biofeedback, hypnosis, Alpha-Stim medical device, and mindfulness meditation) to help people better manage their anxiety symptoms. These treatments effectively combined can shift you from nervous system overload, and refocus your mind on your goals and the enjoyable aspects of life.
Many people find that after a few sessions, they learn skills to turn the table on stress and worry, and are able to find relief from their and panic attack symptoms. Eventually they experience more peace in their lives. These psychotherapy sessions can be had in conjunction with a psychiatrist’s prescription of anxiety medications, but they are not always needed or helpful.
Whether you or a loved-one suffers from anxiety, you are most welcome to contact me and discuss options and ways to handle the stressors in your life. We provide a free phone consultation for each patient before you enter the office for the first session. Individual care and treatment planning helps each person who we work with feel attended to with understanding.