In life, at some point or another, everyone struggles with situational anxiety. Financial strain, emotional trauma, stress at work or school, all those anxiety-inducing what ifs. And we take a deep breath, brace ourselves, and keep moving forward the best we can.
But what if you don’t? What if your anxiety doesn’t subside when your stress levels do? If anxiety is impacting you such that you cannot live your life to the fullest – or that you cannot live even a fraction of a full life – you may want to ask yourself: do I have anxiety?
DO YOU HAVE ANXIETY: AN ANXIETY ASSESSMENT
To begin the process of diagnosing anxiety, the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) suggests answering the following questions and sharing the results with your primary healthcare provider or mental health clinician:
Are you troubled by:
- Excessive worrying, occurring more often than not, that has persisted for a minimum of six months?
- Worrying unreasonably about events, activities, work, school, or your health?
- Your inability to keep your worrying under control?
How many of the following symptoms are interfering with your life?
- Restlessness; feeling on edge and ready to go
- Fatigue; becoming tired easily
- Struggling to concentrate
- Irritability
- Tense muscles
- Trouble falling or staying asleep, or changes in your sleeping habits
- General interference with your daily life
Have you experienced weight gain or loss, or noticeable changes to your eating habits?
Do feelings of sadness, disinterest, worthlessness or guilt infiltrate most of your days?
Are you struggling with alcohol or drugs?
These are some of the key questions to ask yourself if you think you may have anxiety or need anxiety treatment. If you answered yes to any of the questions, or checked off more than three of the symptoms, speak with your primary care or mental health doctor about whether you have anxiety and what anxiety treatment options are available to you.
ANXIETY TREATMENT | KETAMINE FOR ANXIETY
Like many other mental health and mood disorders, anxiety treatment often consists of more than one modality of care. Psychotherapy or counseling are often involved in some capacity, as are medications. Medications range from the usual SSRI or SNRI antidepressants, tricyclic antidepressants, up through benzodiazepines, which, in the long term, can be highly addictive and cause severe physical withdrawals.
Many mental health practitioners are beginning to recommend ketamine for anxiety. Like ketamine for depression, ketamine for anxiety can improve symptoms in a matter of hours. Ketamine infusions improve symptoms in more than 70% of patients suffering from anxiety, depression, PTSD, bipolar disorder and other psychiatric disorders.
CONTACT VITALITAS
If you are suffering from anxiety, depression or a similar mood disorder, contact Vitalitas using the brief form below. One of our expert anesthesiologists will answer any questions and address any concerns you have about ketamine for anxiety or depression, and point you in the right direction based on your anxiety treatment needs.
*Reference: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition. Washington, DC, American Psychiatric Association, 1994.
