WHEN DO ANXIOUS PEOPLE USUALLY COME IN FOR TREATMENT?

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The point at which an anxious person seeks help often depends on the specific anxiety disorder, the person's personality, and what's going on in the environment. Here are some general observations:

1.    A person having a panic attack often seeks treatment in response to the attack, thinking she is either losing her mind or having a heart attack. She will typically rush to the emergency room to have it checked out and treated, without recognizing the problem as an anxiety disorder until it is diagnosed. People with panic attacks don't go long without seeking help.

2.    By contrast, people with obsessive-compulsive disorder may go years without seeking help, feeling ashamed of the problem and keeping it a secret.

3.    People with generalized anxiety disorder often accept their worrying as normal. Sometimes they develop somatic symptoms—body symptoms that are manifestations of anxiety. They might feel tension headaches, upset stomachs or bowels, muscle aches, tightness in their chests, and shallow breathing, all of which may be signs of anxiety. Many people who wouldn't see a doctor for worry will see one for somatic symptoms. Often, when a worrier has a particularly difficult life challenge or dilemma, the somatic symptoms are triggered.

4.    People with specific phobias may not seek treatment until the phobia clearly interferes with functioning in a more profound way. For example, someone with a fear of flying may not come in for help until he knows he must fly somewhere for his job.

5.    People with social phobias can have a very troublesome time getting help, as they are fearful of doing things in front of others that will cause them humiliation.

6.    Whether people seek help for acute stress disorder or posttraumatic stress disorder depends on how disruptive the symptoms are to their functioning. Just the thought of talking or thinking about the trauma again can be extremely unsettling, so people avoid seeking help. Often, PTSD sufferers initially attend treatment at the urging of loved ones—more to satisfy someone else than themselves.

Source: The Anxiety Answer Book by: Laurie A. Helgoe, PhD, Laura R. Wilhelm, PhD, Martin J. Kommor, MD