Occasional anxiety is a normal part of life. You might feel anxious when faced with a problem at work, before taking a test, or making an important decision. Fortunately, these feelings are temporary.

However, for a person with an anxiety disorder, these feelings of worry and fear rarely go away; in fact, they can get worse over time and even interfere with daily activities. There are several different types of anxiety disorders, including generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and social anxiety disorder, but no matter the disorder, the effects are usually far-reaching both personally and professionally.

At Cambridge Biotherapies, we provide Ketamine and TMS treatments that offer relief from a wide range of anxiety disorders.

Ketamine and TMS Can Both Treat Anxiety

Whether it’s an overwhelming fear during social situations, panic attacks that bring life to a halt, or consistent worries that never fade, the stresses and symptoms of a persistent anxiety disorder are hard to escape. Usually, standard anxiety treatments like psychotherapy and medications can make a difference. But for some anxiety disorders, traditional methods may not be effective. That’s when TMS and ketamine may be viable options. While the administration of these therapies differ, both can be fast-acting and highly effective for a variety of anxiety disorders.

When it comes to advanced anxiety treatment in the Boston area, Cambridge Biotherapies is the top provider of TMS therapy and Ketamine therapy.  While the administration of these therapies differ (with Ketamine delivered via IV and TMS initiated with magnetic bursts), both are fast-acting and highly effective for a variety of anxiety disorders.

Types of Anxiety Disorders

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

People with generalized anxiety disorder display excessive anxiety or worry for months, and also face several anxiety-related symptoms.

Generalized anxiety disorder symptoms include:

• Restlessness or feeling wound-up or on edge
• Being easily fatigued
• Difficulty concentrating or having their minds go blank
• Irritability
• Muscle tension
• Difficulty controlling worrisome feelings
• Sleep problems (difficulty falling or staying asleep or restless, unsatisfying sleep

Panic Disorder

People with panic disorder have recurrent and unexpected panic attacks. These attacks are marked by sudden periods of intense fear that may include heart palpitations or pounding, an accelerated heart rate, sweating, trembling or shaking, sensations of shortness of breath/smothering/choking, and feelings of impending doom. 

Panic disorder symptoms include:

• Sudden and repeated attacks of intense fear
• Feelings of being out of control during a panic attack
• Intense worries about when the next attack will happen
• Fear or avoidance of places where panic attacks have occurred in the past

Social Anxiety Disorder

People with social anxiety disorder (sometimes called “social phobia”) have a marked fear of social or performance situations in which they expect to feel embarrassed, judged, rejected, or fearful of offending others.

Social anxiety disorder symptoms include:

• Feeling highly anxious about being with other people and having a hard time talking to them
• Feeling very self-conscious in front of other people and worrying about offending others
• Worrying about feeling humiliated, embarrassed, or rejected by others
• Being very afraid that other people will judge them
• Worrying for days or weeks before an event where other people will be
• Staying away from places where there are other people
• Having a hard time making friends and keeping friends
• Blushing, sweating, or trembling around other people
• Feeling nauseous or sick to your stomach when other people are around

If any of these feelings seem familiar, it’s important to schedule a mental health evaluation with a primary care provider. Sometimes, certain medications or physical health conditions (like an overactive thyroid or low blood sugar) can imitate or worsen an anxiety disorder; a thorough mental health evaluation can help get to the root of your anxiety while also monitoring for other parallel conditions (such as depression or obsessive-compulsive disorder).

Common Anxiety Disorder Risk Factors

Researchers have discovered that certain genetic and environmental factors can increase the likelihood having an anxiety disorder. Specific factors include:

• Shyness  or behavioral inhibition in childhood
• Being female
• Having few economic resources
• Being divorced or widowed
• Exposure to stressful life events in childhood and adulthood
• Anxiety disorders in close biological relatives
• Parental history of mental disorders
• Elevated afternoon cortisol levels in the saliva (specifically for social anxiety disorder)