Anxiety

If you find that you freqently feel anxious, even in everyday situations, and it’s starting to be more than you can handle, you may be experiencing symptoms of an anxiety disorder. As a psychodynamic psychotherapist and board-certified psychiatrist, Dr. Kleinman can help you better understand your anxiety so you can work through it at a more meaningful level and develop a wiser, more peaceful frame of mind.

What is anxiety?

Anxiety is the experience of having intense, uncontrollable worry and emotional distress that negatively affects your mood, mental health, and quality of life. Some people seek treatment for anxiety after having had uncontrollable symptoms for a few weeks. Others may come for treatment after having regular, recurrent symptoms for many years.

What are the symptoms of anxiety?

Anxiety can include any of the following symptoms:

• Feeling frequently nervous, worried or intensely fearful
• Unexpected irritability or feeling on-edge
• Restlessness, inner tension, difficulty settling down
• Feeling general exhaustion despite tension
• Quick and shallow breathing or breath-holding
• Episodes of sudden racing heartbeat
• Mind going blank
• Increased sweating
• Muscle tension or aches
• Difficulty sleeping

Additionally, anxiety and depression may be present at the same time, but not always. Anxiety can cause some people to turn to substances like alcohol or cannabis to help them feel calmer, and this can lead to substance misuse. While anyone can experience periodic anxiety that gets better on its own, people struggling with ongoing or excessive anxiety symptoms may need treatment to feel better.

What may increase my risk of anxiety?

Anyone may develop anxiety, but factors that can increase your risk include:

• Family history of anxiety
• Ongoing or extreme stress
• Having depression, ADHD, or another mental health condition
• Biological temperament that is acutely aware of changes
• Chronically low self-esteem
• Recurrent conflicts in close relationships
• Being bullied or harassed by family, friends, or coworkers
• Past trauma with a recent re-triggering incident
• Divorce from a spouse or life partner
• Loss of work or income
• Financial difficulty or strain
• Overwhelming medical problems
• Medical syndromes like heart arrhythmias
• Ongoing substance misuse

Anxiety may occur when there are conflicts between friends or family members. It can emerge due to constant worry about the way people view you. It may flare up in certain situations, such as social or public gatherings, or when you feel like you are physically or emotionally trapped. It may also be related to conflicts in how you see yourself and how you feel you are “supposed” to be.

How does Dr. Kleinman diagnose anxiety?

Dr. Kleinman may diagnose anxiety after an extensive discussion of your primary concerns, current symptoms, and general life circumstances. She conducts a full psychiatric evaluation which includes asking about any past symptoms, experiences with psychotherapy, and any past use of psychiatric medication. She also asks about your life history, family history, and lifestyle habits before customizing a personalized treatment plan that’s best suited to your needs.

How does Dr. Kleinman treat anxiety?

Dr. Kleinman offers Psychodynamic psychotherapy with or without medication management to treat anxiety and the worrisome symptoms associated with it. Psychodynamic psychotherapy is a talk therapy that meets once or twice per week. It can help you address anxiety by exploring the underlying forces that may be causing the anxiety in the first place. This includes exploring your sense of self and personal identity, reflecting on your experience of how the world works, and examining your patterns of interacting with and relating to other people. If needed, Dr. Kleinman can offer medication to help reduce symptoms that become too difficult for you to manage on your own.

Dr. Kleinman’s treatment approach can be effective for anxiety that extends beyond standard classifications, including occasional flashbacks from past emotional difficulty, sudden episodes of intense shame or self-hatred, periods of obsessive-like thinking related to social situations, or recurrent low-grade panic attacks.

Dr. Kleinman will tailor your treatment to your personal needs and follow your progress closely to ensure meaningful progress.