Determining the cause of anxiety
- Underlying biology – certain medical conditions can be the cause of, or contribute to anxiety.
- Predisposition – upbringing, personality, and temperament can contribute
- Social factors – stress, work-life balance, financial distress, interpersonal conflict
Non-Medication Treatment Options
- Psychotherapy (many variations of psychotherapy exist)
- Biofeedback
- Transcranial magnetic stimulation
- ECT in some cases can be beneficial for anxiety.
- tDCS
Medication Options
- SSRIs such as fluoxetine, sertraline, citalopram, escitalopram.
- SNRIs such as venlafaxine or duloxetine
- Buspirone
- Hydroxyzine
- For temporary, severe anxiety: lorazepam, or clonazepam
- In some cases, individuals benefit from “off-label” use of medications such as gabapentin, clonidine, or tegretol or trileptal.
