Anxiety Disorders

Athletes will continue to work hard, push themselves, and make their bodies do things many of us can only marvel at, but the attention and awareness to mental health in the field of sports gives them a fighting chance with conditions like anxiety and depression.

Our website contains extensive resources for and from both professionals and the public—but do you know where to find them or what we offer? Here are some of the free evidence-based resources located on our website.

These generous people lend us their voices, their stories and experiences, and help us shed light on underreported issues like male body dysmorphia and the traumatic effects on the family and friends of a person who died by suicide. Some even use their incredible talents in sports to reach individuals around the world. 

As the Executive Director of ADAA, I am always thrilled when we realize our work is making a difference and that we are reaching farther and wider. So, when the Hadassah Foundation, a mental health organization in Cameroon, contacted ADAA with a request to access our free member-created, publicly available, evidence-based resources, we not only acquiesced, we collaborated.  

When working with my clients and myself, I’ve found the following three essential strategies to be most effective in easing mid-term election anxiety and stress. 

As the old adage goes, there’s a first time for everything. In the field of psychiatry, we are cautiously celebrating a recent first-time recommendation by the US Preventive Services Task Force calling on primary care providers to screen all adults under the age of 65 for anxiety. Unlike screening for hypertension or diabetes, detecting anxiety can be a lot more challenging, and getting a valid and reliable screening tool is essential.

Across mental healthcare right now, there is an increased demand for services and not enough resources to meet those needs; group therapy is a means by which our mental health system may provide care to people in a timelier manner.

It takes courage to successfully deal with anxiety disorders, but with lots of good information, coaching and support from your therapist and others you can learn to do it. You may not think that you have much courage because you have an anxiety disorder that make you fearful at times. However, courage is not acting without fear. It is acting despite fear. I have seen many, many examples of people with anxiety disorders who learned coping skills, to help them face their fears, and as a result got better and better over time. You can too.

Nutraceuticals and herbal remedies are very popular in the United States and worldwide.  Reasons for their popularity include access without a prescription, and generally fewer side effects compared to prescription drugs.  However, the safety and efficacy products are less well studied and understood compared to FDA approved drugs. With growing use, we have seen more cases of serious side effects, toxic reactions, and interactions with other drugs.  Shopping for nutraceuticals can also be tricky because different commercial preparations may vary in purity and strength.  Finally, these treatments are not generally covered by medical insurance, so the consumer must pay out of pocket.