It is an overwhelming feeling of dread or fear over a period of time; it may be caused by accumulation of stress over a period of time.
Anxiety affects almost 40 million people older than 18 years in the U.S.1 Even though anxiety can be treated, only a third of people suffering from anxiety disorder are treated. It is common for someone suffering from anxiety to also suffer from depression.
One in eight children can suffer from anxiety.1
There are many forms of anxiety. Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is expressed by continuous, excessive and impractical worry about everything. People with GAD worry when there is no concern to worry. Women are two times as likely to have GAD1.
Panic Disorder is a form of anxiety that causes the person to recurring panic attacks. It is an overwhelming feeling of fear and dread resulting from anxiety attack. At the onset it may seem as if one is about to die; it is accompanied by shortness of breath, dizziness and hyperventilation. One can develop agoraphobia from the panic attacks and stop going to places where the panic attack occurred. Many people keep silence about panic attacks from fear of being embarrassed.
Some people may experience social anxiety disorder and have the fear of being judged in social or performance situations. People with social anxiety disorder are unable to function well in their daily life and may have few social or romantic relationships and may have challenges completing school, interviewing and finding a job.
At MMCG: Our treatment is to integrate truth, biblical truth and with empirically based therapeutic techniques for anxiety. This includes talk therapy, biblical meditation, breathing exercises and using the word of God. When necessary the patient will be referred for short-term treatment with medication which is generally a safe way of treating anxiety in combination with counseling and prayer. Medication treatment can be for a short-term or long-term period. Cognitive behavioral therapy can be used to identify, understand and help change a person’s way of thinking and replace those lies with truth from the word of God.
Our purpose for treating anxiety is to align you with the powerful promises in the bible. Do not be afraid, you are not alone many biblical characters experienced anxiety and fear. For example, Peter experienced anxiety while walking on the water and even our Lord Jesus Christ Himself at Gethsemane experienced extreme anxiety where He sweated blood. You are not alone, Jesus understands your fears.
The bible guides us:
“To be anxious for nothing” (Philippians 4:6) and “to let His peace rule in your heart” (Colossians 3:15).
The bible lets us know that “anxiety weighs down the heart” (Proverbs 12:25).
But we can “cast our cares upon the Lord because He cares” (1 Peter 5:7).
The grace of God is abundantly sufficient for us (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).
The Beck Anxiety Inventory – A tool that you can use to measure the level of anxiety to determine if you may need counseling.
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you are experiencing any of these symptoms that will necessitate professional treatment. You are not alone in this struggle. We are here to walk with you to help relieve you from emotional pain. Please call us at 732-770-4331 to start working on relieving you from emotional pain.