Feeling anxious or worried is a part of life and can serve us well if we need to steer clear of a potentially harmful situation. This type of anxiety should be fleeting and come and go as needed to keep us on a safe path moving forward.
For millions, however, their anxiety has turned the corner into an anxiety disorder, which affects about 40 million adults in the United States. About one-third of adolescents and adults in the US experience an anxiety disorder at some point in their lives.
If you wonder whether you’re experiencing normal anxiety or an anxiety disorder has taken hold, Dr. Neal Taub and the team here at Charlotte Ketamine Center take a look at some key differences.
Humans are equipped with a handy system to confront or get out of a potentially detrimental situation. Called the fight-or-flight response, this physiological reaction involves stress hormones in your body that:
Once the threat clears, your body should settle down and all functions return to normal.
So, whether you face danger or are stressed or worried about something, that’s what’s likely happening in your body. And this response is only meant for the short term.
With any anxiety disorder, your fight-or-flight system malfunctions. You can become stuck in a state of anxiety, or your anxiety might flare over situations that aren’t particularly harmful.
This malfunction can take many forms — anxiety is a catchall term for a number of mental health issues, such as:
However your anxiety manifests, this prolonged or severe state of fight-or-flight can lead to a cascade of issues, often including:
As you can see, any anxiety disorder can affect your life in many ways. You can become a prisoner to your anxiety as it overrides most everything else.
If you crave more equilibrium and less anxiety in your life, there are steps you can take to address your anxiety disorder, including:
We want to add a novel treatment to this more traditional list — ketamine therapy. Ketamine targets and improves neurotransmitter activity in your brain to improve mood regulation and get your fight-or-flight response to stand down.
Ketamine can work quickly, and many patients feel relief from their anxiety after just one treatment.
So, if you’re tired of being held in the grips of anxiety gone haywire, it may be time to explore ketamine therapy. We invite you to call our office in Charlotte, North Carolina, at 704-519-6918. You can also use our online email form to send us a message.
