The anxiety disorders are the most common mental health condition, impacting around 20% of adults and youth. Despite how many people are suffering from anxiety, the majority of them do not receive adequate treatment. Within the mental health community, anxiety treatment is considered a “specialty.” How can something so common be a specialty condition?
“Anxiety”
First of all, anxiety is an emotion: it is useful for our body’s functioning, and it is not a disorder. A disorder happens when anxiety is coming up more often, in different situations, and in a more unmanageable way than would be expected and getting in the way of someone’s life. For example, it is very normal to experience anxiety before giving a speech. It would be a problem for my life if I had to give speeches regularly for my job and that gave me such anxiety that I went nights without sleeping, skipped work meetings, had panic attacks, and was at risk of losing my job.
There are seven distinct anxiety disorders in the DSM-5, which psychologists and psychiatrists use to categorize mental health conditions. They are: Separation Anxiety Disorder, Selective Mutism, Specific Phobia, Social Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, Agoraphobia, and Generalized Anxiety Disorder. There are also some disorders that most professionals consider to be very similar to the anxiety disorders, including Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Body Dysmorphic Disorder, Illness Anxiety Disorder, Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder, and Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder, which are in other official categories within the DSM-5.
Treatment
Exposure therapy, a type of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), is the recommended psychology treatment for all of the anxiety and related disorders. Exposure therapy and CBT require specialized training as a therapist to ensure that they are being done correctly. Similarly, a surgeon would need more specialized training than a family doctor.
The reason that anxiety is considered a “specialty” treatment is not because it is uncommon but because its treatment is complex and requires skillful intervention. For example, a poorly qualified therapist might “flood” their patient with anxiety without thoughtfully planning out exposure tasks.
As I discussed in a previous post, a well-intentioned person experiencing “anxiety” might seek out “therapy” and end up receiving an insufficient or even harmful treatment such as relaxation training or energy therapy.
Finding Specialty Providers
I am part of a community of providers who consider themselves to be specialists in the anxiety and OCD-related disorders. These providers are trained in CBT, exposure therapy, Exposure and Response Prevention, and other evidence-supported treatments for the anxiety disorders. They can usually be identified in the following directories:
If you’re unsure if your provider is trained in evidence-based treatment for anxiety disorders, remember that exposure therapy should be included as the main component of treatment.
留言