4 Signs You Might Benefit From Taking Anti-Anxiety Medication

 

Available for Interviews:  Dr. Colleen Cira

Dr. Colleen Cira, Psy.D., is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist who specializes in Women and Trauma and has worked with hundreds of people struggling with mental health issues.

Talking Points from Dr. Cira on
Anti-Anxiety Medication:

1) You are having a difficult time just doing life.
    • You might be so stressed out at work that it’s hard to think, having panic attacks with regularity where you lose time during your day to deal with them and recover, it may be difficult to get out of bed every day because you are so filled with dread or your worry may be causing problems with your partner, friends or family.

    • If just functioning in a very baseline way has become difficult, medication might help.
2) You’re in therapy, but unable to do the things you need to do to feel better.
    • Research is clear: a combination of medication and therapy is the most effective way to feel better, but oftentimes people want to try therapy first, which is understandable as medicine is no joke.
    • But when you aren’t able to do the things that therapy requires of you—show up consistently, talk about and explore difficult things, make small changes—it might be time for a psychiatric consultation.
3) You’ve tried everything to feel better . . . and you just don’t.
    • You’ve read every self-help book, done a bunch of anxiety workbooks, tried changing up your diet, added exercise to your routine, reduced or eliminated caffeine . . . but you’re still anxious.
    • When you’ve done everything you can think to do and you still feel terrible, that means you need some professional help.
4) You experience a lot of physical discomforts when you’re really anxious.
    • Anxiety (and depression . . . and a host of other mental health conditions) often show up in the body.
    • You might experience muscle tension, abdominal distress, racing heart, drastic body temperature changes, and GI issues. Medication is most effective at reducing the physical symptoms of anxiety.
    • (Please note that medication will not do a THING for your anxious thoughts . . . you need therapy to work on that to make the anxiety go away long-term)

These are some of the ideas I have and scenarios I have encountered when trying to help a client make the decision about medication.  I would be happy to talk further to elaborate on these ideas and discuss others.

 

Interview: Dr. Colleen Cira

Dr. Colleen Cira, Psy.D., received both her Masters and Doctorate from The Illinois School of Professional Psychology and is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist in the State of Illinois.  She’s the Founder and Executive Director of Cira Center for Behavioral Health, PC, a boutique group practice specializing in Women and Trauma with locations in Chicago and Oak Park.

She was named one of the “Top 100 Women in Chicago Making a Difference” by Today’s Chicago Woman.  Dr. Cira is a trauma and anxiety expert, clinical supervisor, writer, speaker, consultant, activist, wife, and Mommy to two little ones.

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