Living with anxiety

If you suffer from panic attacks, obsessive thoughts, unrelenting worries, or an incapacitating phobia, you may have an anxiety disorder. But you don’t have to live with  the anxiety and fear. Treatment can help, and for many anxiety problems therapy is a good place to start. Certain types of therapy, such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and exposure therapy, are particularly beneficial. These therapies can teach you how to control your anxiety levels, stop worrying thoughts, and conquer your fears.

Treating anxiety disorders with therapy

When it comes to treating anxiety disorders, research continues to show that therapy is usually the most effective option. That’s because anxiety therapy—unlike anxiety medication—treats more than just the symptoms of the problem. Therapy can help you uncover the underlying causes of your worries and fears; learn how to relax; look at situations in new, less frightening ways; and develop better coping and problem-solving skills. Therapy gives you the tools to overcome anxiety and teaches you how to use them.

Anxiety disorders differ considerably...

...so therapy should be tailored to your specific symptoms and concerns. If you have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), your treatment will be different from someone who’s getting help for anxiety attacks. The length of therapy will also depend on the type and severity of your anxiety disorder. However, many anxiety therapies are relatively short-term.

Numerous types of therapy are used to treat anxiety...

...but the leading approaches are cognitive behavioral therapy and exposure therapy. Each anxiety therapy may be used alone, in combination to create the most effective therapy. Anxiety therapy may be conducted individually, or it may take place in a group of people experiencing similar anxiety problems.