Find out when stress turns into anxiety. Learn about other conditions that may occur with anxiety and explore signs that you may benefit from rehab for anxiety.
More than 40 million Americans over the age of 18 have chronic anxiety, making anxiety disorders the most common mental illness in the U.S. Rehab for anxiety can help these individuals, yet many cases of the illness go untreated.
In 2020, less than half of all adults with mental illness sought treatment. Many factors keep people from getting help. People with anxiety may not know when their symptoms are serious enough to warrant treatment. After all, nearly everyone will experience anxiety and stress at some point in their lives.
A lack of information about anxiety treatment options worsens the problem. Many of those who live with anxiety disorders wonder, “Can you go to rehab for anxiety?” As previously mentioned, the answer is yes. Read on to learn how you can determine if rehab for anxiety could benefit you or a loved one.
When Does Stress Become Anxiety?
Stress and anxiety share many features. Both can cause a lack of sleep, fatigue, muscle tightness, mood swings and problems concentrating. This can make it difficult for you to know if you’re actually suffering from a mental health condition or simply stressed.
One of the key differences between stress and anxiety is persistence. Typically, stress is finite. It goes away within a few weeks or months. Anxiety is more likely to continue over prolonged periods.
With stress, you can also usually pinpoint a cause or stressor. Pressure at work, a strained relationship, money troubles, a serious illness in the family or grief following a loss are examples of stressors. Usually, stress subsides after the situation resolves or you adapt to change.
If you have anxiety, you may not know what the cause is. You may feel persistent dread or worry and be unsure why. In some cases, anxiety emerges during a period of stress but lingers even after the stressor is no longer a factor.
Should You Try to Take Care of Anxiety Yourself?
Today, there are countless self-help resources available for anxiety management. You can find apps designed to help you relax and read books and articles about stress relief techniques such as meditation and deep breathing.
For mild anxiety, these interventions may help. However, more severe anxiety is unlikely to resolve on its own.
Foregoing anxiety rehab in favor of self-help could lead to other problems. Anxiety can rob you of your quality of life and cause you to isolate yourself from friends and family. Its symptoms can hinder your performance at school or work, interfering with your personal goals.
Untreated anxiety can also lead to health problems, such as high blood pressure, digestive issues, headaches and chronic pain. You’re also at a higher risk for substance misuse disorders and thoughts of self-harm if your anxiety is untreated.
If self-care techniques don’t lead to an improvement of anxiety symptoms within a few weeks, or if your symptoms worsen, you may wish to consider exploring anxiety rehab options.
Could Your Symptoms Be a Sign of Something Else?
As many as 60% of people suffering from generalized anxiety disorder also have clinical depression. Some symptoms of the mental health condition mirror those of anxiety. For example, depression can also cause irritability, sleep disturbances, fatigue and difficulty concentrating.
Depression also causes unique symptoms you may experience alongside signs of anxiety. Often, people with clinical depression feel sad, empty or hopeless. These feelings usually have no identifiable cause.
In addition, depression can take the fun and pleasure out of activities you once enjoyed. If you’ve lost interest in sexual intimacy, hobbies, sports or exercise, you could have depression as well as anxiety. Depression may also lead to an increase or decrease in appetite and make it difficult for you to perform daily living tasks, such as showering or brushing your teeth.
Anxiety can also occur alongside bipolar disorder. People with this mental health condition experience severe mood swings marked by highs called mania and lows called depressive episodes. Shifts between moods may occur only occasionally or many times per year.
It usually isn’t possible to self-diagnose mental health disorders. This is especially true when you’re experiencing the symptoms of more than one condition.
When to Seek Professional Help for Your Anxiety
Anytime anxiety persists and causes ongoing symptoms, professional help is advisable. In fact, the earlier you get help, the lower the negative impact anxiety is likely to have on your life.
To determine whether you might benefit from rehab for anxiety, consider how anxiety affects your habits and day-to-day routine. Are you receiving poor performance reviews at work, or have your grades suffered at school? Are you avoiding certain places, people or situations to try to control anxiety? Are your worries and fears keeping you from activities you once enjoyed or causing you to withdraw from friends and family? Answering yes to any of these questions is a sign that anxiety rehab may be right for you.
Seeking professional help for anxiety is especially important in some situations. Anxiety that occurs with depression can be much harder to deal with on your own. If you have medical conditions due to anxiety, the combination of medical and behavioral health care available at anxiety rehab facilities can help restore both your physical well-being and mental health.
You may also need rehab for anxiety if you’re using drugs or alcohol to cope with symptoms. If you develop suicidal thoughts, seek emergency treatment promptly.
Rehab for Anxiety Puts a Better Life Within Reach
Anxiety can make you feel isolated, but the truth is, you’re not alone. Medical and mental health professionals who understand anxiety are willing and able to assist you. Seeking help at an anxiety rehab can open the doors to a better life.
With treatment, anxiety can become manageable. Rehab for anxiety can help you identify triggers and causes of your symptoms. You then develop coping strategies to overcome them. In some cases, medications can also help control the symptoms.
If you’re considering rehab for anxiety, Restore has treatment options available to fit your lifestyle and your needs. Contact us to learn more about anxiety rehab. Call us and take the first step toward restoring your mental health and improving your quality of life.
