Anxiety

What is it?

Anxiety is more than feeling stressed or worried from time to time. It’s a persistent sense of fear or unease that can interfere with work, relationships, and overall well-being. It may appear as generalized worry, social anxiety, panic attacks, or specific phobias.

What are the symptoms?

Anxiety can affect both the mind and body. Common symptoms include:

• Excessive or hard-to-control worry

• Feeling on edge, restless, or irritable

• Trouble concentrating

• Muscle tension, headaches, or stomach discomfort

• Fatigue and difficulty sleeping

• Physical sensations such as a racing heart, shortness of breath, trembling, or sweating

How is it diagnosed?

I begin with a comprehensive psychiatric evaluation and a conversation about your symptoms, history, and daily life. My goal is to understand how anxiety affects you and identify patterns that may be contributing to it. This allows me to create a personalized, evidence-based treatment plan that fits your individual needs.

How is it treated?

I tailor each treatment plan to your goals and overall health.

• Medication management: Many people benefit from medications that help regulate the body’s stress response, such as SSRIs or SNRIs. Other options may include buspirone, beta-blockers for situational anxiety, or short-term use of benzodiazepines when appropriate.

• Lifestyle and coping strategies: Regular sleep, exercise, balanced nutrition, and tools such as mindfulness or grounding techniques can enhance treatment and support long-term stability.

• Ongoing support: Because anxiety often overlaps with other conditions, I monitor progress closely and adjust your plan as needed to keep it effective and safe.

What to expect:

Most patients start noticing improvement within a few weeks, though full benefit may take longer. I’ll review options, potential side effects, and progress with you regularly so your care stays focused and personalized.