Jan 13, 2010 Posted by on Jan 13, 2010 in depression anxiety disorder | 0 comments

Anxiety Disorder Treatment – How Long Does it Take?

There is no â??one size fits allâ?? approach to anxiety disorder treatment. Just as there is no single cause for anxiety disorder, there is no single treatment that suits everyone. For some people, treatment may only take a couple of weeks while for others it may take more than a year. For this reason, the first step in treating this problem is that of devising a treatment plot specifically tailored to the individual seeking help.  How is this done? First of all, the health care provider â?? whether they are the family doctor, a psychologist, a therapist, clinical social workers or a nurse â?? sits down with the person and evaluates where the problem lies. Other causes must be ruled out and then information about the patientâ??s symptoms is gathered â?? what they are and when they started. Then that personâ??s life stressors and physical problems are taken into account as well as their family background and medical history.  What can complicate matters a small is the fact that people often suffer from more than one anxiety disorder or they may also suffer from depression. Anxiety disorder has also been shown to be connected to substance abuse. If this is the case, then these problems also need to be addressed in the treatment plot.  Only after all of this information has been evaluated, will a treatment plot be drawn up. Studies have shown that the best results have been obtained when the treatment combines a number of approaches. The usual treatment options are cognitive-behavioral therapy, medication, relaxation techniques and alternative therapies.  By using a combination of these approaches and changing the plot as the patient responds means that curing anxiety disorder neednâ??t take years. Medication should be used only as a temporary or emergency measure as the drugs used do have side effects. That said, with proper management, drugs can help the healing process by lessening the symptoms and allowing the patient to deal with thinking and behavior readjustment.  According to the American Psychological Association, most patients following a treatment plot tailored to their needs can expect improvement within eight to ten sessions. For some, this may be all it takes; for others it may take a small longer. What is vital is that successful treatment of anxiety disorders is possible and no-one need suffer from them.  

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