Anxiety Disorders

This is the fear of being separated from significant others and includes the belief that something terrible will happen to them once they are separated. Nightmares or physical symptoms when separation occurs or being alone is common and expected.

A holistic approach provides all of the therapeutic resources required to heal an individual physically, psychologically, and spiritually. Comprehensive treatment for people with co-occurring disorders, including anxiety, should include:

• Psychiatric services and ongoing care
• Medical care(including medication, when appropriate)
• Evidence-based therapies
• Case management
• Family programming and education
• Life skills training
• Spiritual care services
• Continuing care planning

The treatment of co-occurring disorders must take place simultaneously to be effective. Headwaters offers a multidisciplinary, medically intensive treatment program. We address physical and mental well-being, as well as spiritual and psychological needs to improve outcome life quality.

Unanticipated panic attacks are intense bouts of fear that come on rapidly. A person with a panic disorder may experience frequent panic attacks that reach their peak within a few minutes. The trigger can be a fearful situation or object and symptoms may include:

• Heart palpitations, including accelerated heart rate or a pounding heartbeat
• Shortness of breath, choking, or smothering
• Feelings of impending disaster
• Sweating
• Trembling (or shaking)
• Feelings of not having any control

Clients worry so much about when the next attack will occur that they avoid specific situations, behaviors, or places they associate with panic attacks.

Extreme fear or aversion of certain things or situations disproportional to the danger posed is referred to as a phobia. People who experience a specific phobia experience intense fear or anxiety in response to certain situations or objects. Some examples include fearing:

• Heights
• Flying
• Animals (such as dogs, snakes, or spiders)
• Blood

Research-based therapies and treatment interventions like those offered at Headwaters have proven effective in treating individuals with phobias. Personalized, integrated, intensive treatment is the key.

Individuals with a phobia may:

• Experience irrational fear of coming into contact with the object
• Avoid the feared object or situation
• Endure unavoidable situations and objects with intense anxiety

Those who have agoraphobia have an extreme fear of two or more of the following situations:

• Being in a crowd or standing in a line
• Taking public transportation
• Enclosed spaces
• Open spaces
• Being alone outside of the home

In extreme cases, clients who suffer from agoraphobia can become housebound as they tend to avoid embarrassing situations, or places where they might be unable to leave if they have a panic attack.