Anxiety

Feeling anxious now and then is common, but ongoing or extreme anxiousness can reduce your quality of life or be crippling. At Colorado Cares Psychiatry in Denver, Colorado, psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner Carrie Radding, PMHNP-APN, and her team offer treatments for anxiety to calm you, ease unrealistic fears, and help you thrive. Schedule an in-person or telepsychiatry appointment at Colorado Cares Psychiatry by phone or request one online today.

What is anxiety?

Anxiety is a condition that affects your thoughts, mood, emotions, and even your behaviors. While common, severe cases can lead to bothersome symptoms that make everyday activities challenging.

Anxiety is characterized by ongoing or extreme fear and worry in situations that may not affect other people. If you’re troubled by anxiety, see the Colorado Cares Psychiatry experts for an evaluation. They care for children, teenagers, and adults.

Which symptoms can anxiety cause?

Anxiety can cause the following symptoms:

• Severe anxiousness
• Ongoing fear or worry
• Trembling
• Sweating
• Increased heart rate
• Panic attacks
• Avoiding certain people, places, or events
• Depression
• Phobias
• Feeling nervous or tense
• Difficulty sleeping
• Problems concentrating

You might struggle at work, in school, or with interpersonal relationships due to anxiety or be uncomfortable in social situations (social anxiety).

What increases my risk of anxiety?

Anxiety may stem from genetic and environmental factors. Your risk appears to increase because of a family history of anxiety, certain personality traits, or substance misuse. Anxiety can stem from past trauma, having a medical condition, enduring ongoing or extreme stress, or having another mental health condition. While not always the case, depression is often present with anxiety. 

How is anxiety diagnosed?

Your Colorado Cares Psychiatry specialist discusses your symptoms and medical history to diagnose anxiety and determine the most appropriate treatment. They inquire about your lifestyle, medications, thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. 

GeneSight® testing allows your specialist to determine which medications match your genetic makeup before personalizing your treatment.

How is anxiety treated?

Colorado Cares Psychiatry provides an array of treatments for anxiety, including in-person and virtual psychotherapy (telepsychiatry), medication management, and healthy lifestyle coaching. They offer cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), exposure therapy, and other forms of psychotherapy to help you overcome worrisome anxiety symptoms.

You might meet individually, or as a couple or family, with your therapist once weekly or as needed. They follow up to ensure your treatment is effective.

For best results, it’s also important to adopt stress-reduction strategies, get plenty of sleep and regular exercise, eat nutritious foods, and avoid smoking or substance misuse.

Schedule an in-person or telepsychiatry appointment at Colorado Cares Psychiatry by phone or request one online today to get screened or treated for anxiety.