Anxiety, OCD, & More

Anxiety is a common mental health issue and some research even dictates that people who have above average intelligence are more likely to experience it.[1] However, when anxiety hinders you from living your life and stops you from achieving your goals — you need to get help.

Anxiety can lead to excessive nervousness, fear, apprehension, sleep deprivation, and worry. It can lead to a host of serious issues including panic attacks, physical pain, and it can even make you gain weight. Experiencing anxiety is stressful and stress is linked to the development of both physical and mental disorders.

On the other hand, Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is similar to anxiety, however, it’s characterized by intrusive thoughts that produce anxiety (obsessions) and repetitive behaviors that are engaged in to reduce anxiety (compulsions), or a combination of both.

Anxiety and OCD are considered clinically relevant when they begin interfering with living your life. There are many different causes and symptoms that cause clinical anxiety and OCD. We provide clients with assessments to differentiate the type of issue (hyper rumination, obsessions, social anxiety, compulsions, panic, somatization, mood issues, etc.).

Although anxiety is a common mental health issue, experiencing daily excessive worry or nervousness indicates that there is an underlying problem. When your mind is anxious, life feels hard; after an anxiety disorder is successfully treated, situations that once caused worry do not feel like such a big deal which makes life feel easier. Usually, anxiety is rooted in a combination of factors like low self-esteem, poor eating/sleeping, lack of cardio-vascular activity, poor social support, poor boundaries, and chemical imbalance. Treatments for anxiety often-times include therapy and sometimes medication intervention. Most medication specialists recommend active therapy along with medication so the roots of the problem can be treated.

Medication without therapy will only treat the symptoms, but not heal the underlying cause. We use a holistic and humanist approach in our work at the Neuro Assessment Center to foster our clients desire to become their best self.

Please continue reading below for more specific information on anxiety, related conditions, and treatment options.

Social Anxiety

Social anxiety is often misunderstood and people who struggle with it oftentimes struggle with severe internet addictions.[2] There are many different treatments for this kind of anxiety including exposure, medication, and CBT. We have treated many cases of social anxiety successfully and holistically. The first step is gathering the courage to reach out. Our services sometimes include life coaching and animal therapy, which helps people slowly transition to a healthy lifestyle.

Panic Attacks

Over 6 million adults experience an anxiety attack during their lifetime.[3] Panic attacks induce a great amount of stress, fear, shortness of breath, feelings of doom, and shame or embarrassment. Once someone experiences a panic attack, they worry about when the next attack will happen and actively try to prevent future attacks by avoiding places, situations, or behaviors they associate with panic attacks. This is no way to live your life, in fact, it’s not living! It’s barely surviving, so please reach out if you are ready to make a change.

Obsessive-Compulsive Issues and OCD

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is characterized by intrusive thoughts that produce anxiety (obsessions), repetitive behaviors that are engaged in to reduce anxiety (compulsions), or a combination of both. While many clients are concerned about germs or leaving their stove on, concerns and repetitive behaviors can involve a wide range of fears and behaviors. People suffering from OCD are unable to control their anxiety-producing thoughts and their need to engage in ritualized behaviors. As a result, OCD can have a tremendous negative impact on peoples’ day-to-day functioning.

While OCD was once considered untreatable, new research has provided clinicians and patients with pharmaceutical and psychological solutions that can significantly improve the quality of life.[4] If you experience OCD, there has never been a better time to be hopeful.

Physical Issues & Somatic Symptomology

This includes hypochondria like symptoms, which can bring unexplainable headaches, cognitive issues, stomachaches, nonstop nausea, gastrointestinal issues, back pain, and much more. Some people think that these issues are harmless, and people are simply just complaining about nonsense. This is not true! These are real symptoms and they cause people great pain![5] At the Neuro Center, we take these issues seriously and have treated these problems successfully with our Neuro Therapy.

Physical illnesses can also include illnesses that are considered Functional Somatic Syndrome (FSS) which includes diagnoses such as fatigue, abdominal or musculoskeletal pain, symptoms unexplained by modern medicine, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), Fibromyalgia syndrome, and Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).[6] These symptoms are not all in your head. They are physical indicators of chronic stress and other psychological problems that can be treated.

Successful Treatments

Psychotherapy Treatments including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) have been proven highly effective countless times and help people regain strength so they can take back their lives.[7] Other, common treatments include Psychodynamic Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), and other mindfulness interventions including mindful meditation. At the Neuro Center, we use a special kind of neuro therapy that treats these conditions with a combination of approaches including holistic and evidence-based interventions to tackle the root of the problem instead of putting a Band-Aid on it.

If issues like anxiety and hyper-rumination are left untreated, they can potentially lead to psychosis[8] and severe internet addiction.[9]

We provide assessments and treatment recommendations. After an assessment, clients are provided with a treatment plan based on a brain region analysis (indicating which treatment modality is most useful, graphs dictating what your level of anxiety is in comparison to your peer group, referrals, support group information, and a prescription for a service animal if needed.

Please click here for more information on assessments, treatment, and explore our website for other useful resources.