What Are Anxiety Disorders?
Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health disorder in adults, causing excessive fear, worry, or nervousness not appropriate for the situation and interfering with a person’s ability to function. They are the most prevalent mental health disorders in the United States, affecting approximately 19.1% of adults.[1] The DSM-5 identifies several distinct anxiety disorders, including:
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD): Excessive worry about many aspects of daily life, like work, health, finances, and relationships, that are hard to control and may also come with physical symptoms such as muscle tension, fatigue, and difficulty sleeping.
- Panic Disorder: Unexpected, recurrent panic attacks (intense surges of fear that come on quickly in the absence of any danger) along with persistent anxiety about the potential for another panic attack. Panic attacks are also characterized by a rapid heart rate, shortness of breath, dizziness, and a sense of losing control.
- Social Anxiety Disorder: Fear of social gatherings and being judged by others, which may lead to avoidance of social situations and severely affect the ability to work, build relationships, or enjoy life.
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: A trauma-related anxiety with symptoms of intrusive memories, hyper-vigilance, avoidance of reminders of the trauma, and emotional numbing related to a traumatic event that occurred.
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) People diagnosed with OCD have persistent, unwanted intrusive thoughts (obsession) and perform repetitive behaviors (compulsion) to relieve the stress caused by the obsessions.
The Connection Between Anxiety and Substance Abuse
There is a strong connection between anxiety disorders and substance use disorder based on a large body of clinical research. According to the National Institutes of Health’s research, anxiety and substance use disorders co-occur significantly more than chance would suggest, and each disorder increases the risk of developing the other.[2]
This co-occurrence happens in two primary ways:
Self-medication: Many people who have an anxiety disorder, especially those who are undiagnosed or untreated, self-medicate with substances to cope with their symptoms. Alcohol is the most common substance used for this purpose due to the short-term calming effect it has. Opioids, benzodiazepines, and cannabis are also commonly used for self-medicating. Although self-medication may provide short-term relief, it fails to treat the underlying anxiety and, over time, leads to worsening anxiety due to neurochemical changes caused by substance use, the development of rebound anxiety when substances are withdrawn, and the impact of substance use in general.[3]
Substance-induced anxiety: Certain substances may directly induce or worsen existing anxiety symptoms.[4] Stimulant drugs, including cocaine, methamphetamine, and certain prescription medications, can produce elevated heart rates and activate the body’s stress response system, which can either trigger or mimic anxiety and panic attacks. Withdrawal from alcohol and benzodiazepines can also cause extreme levels of anxiety, which can lead to life-threatening situations. Recent research indicates a substantial correlation between the use of high-potency cannabis or taking cannabis at high doses and anxiety and paranoia.[5] Even high doses of caffeine can increase anxiety symptoms among vulnerable people.
Regardless of how they develop, the effects of these two conditions result in a vicious cycle of mutual reinforcement between the two, ultimately worsening each condition over time, making the recovery process for either one extremely challenging without a coordinated treatment approach.
When to Get Help for Anxiety
Anxiety is a normal reaction to stress and uncertainty, and everyone will experience anxiety from time to time. However, there are specific instances in which a person suffering from anxiety will benefit from professional support. These include the following situations:
- Your anxiety feels uncontrollable or out of proportion to the situation
- You are using alcohol, prescription medications, or other substances regularly to manage anxiety symptoms
- Anxiety is causing you to avoid important activities, relationships, or responsibilities
- You have frequent panic attacks
- Anxiety is significantly disrupting your sleep, concentration, or physical health
- You have tried to manage anxiety on your own without lasting success
- Your anxiety and substance use feel locked in a cycle you cannot break
If any of the issues mentioned above resonate with you, please reach out to Meridian Recovery.
How Therapy Can Help Anxiety
Therapy can actually help with reducing anxiety symptoms, not simply manage them. Clinical research that examined multiple evidence-based therapies has shown that therapy leads to long-term reduction in anxiety.[6]
Therapy helps clients recognize their cognitive and behavioral patterns that create their anxiety, as well as allowing them the opportunity to gradually build the skills and self-confidence needed to engage in situations anxiety has caused them to avoid. As part of dual diagnosis treatment, therapy helps to identify ways that your anxiety interacts with substance use in order to end the self-medicating cycle and build a solid recovery foundation.
