This week, Bobbi Conner talks with Dr. Christopher Sege about treatment for anxiety disorders in adults. Dr. Sege is a psychologist and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, and Director of Counseling Services at MUSC.
TRANSCRIPT:
Conner: I'm Bobbi Conner for South Carolina Public Radio with Health Focus here at the radio studio for the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health concern in the United States, affecting tens of millions of adults at some point in their lives. Doctor Christopher Sege is here to talk about treatment for anxiety disorders. Doctor Sege is a psychologist and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Director of Counseling Services at MUSC. Doctor Sege, first, give us a brief summary of anxiety disorders in adults.
Dr. Sege: So, in general, anxiety disorders are disorders that involve disrupted operation of a basic kind of defensive response system, or what we often call fight or flight system that we all have as humans. In folks who have anxiety disorders, that system isn't able to regulate itself or respond to situations as effectively as it should be. And as a result, those individuals perceive more danger in situations than what's really there. They experience more intense, anxious emotion than what other people experience. And importantly, they don't view themselves as capable of dealing with that situation as they really are.
Conner: What are some of the symptoms or are difficulties that often come along with having an anxiety disorder.
Dr. Sege: So, symptoms can look different across different people. But in general, we can classify them as physical, or cognitive, or behavioral type symptoms. Physical symptoms are often these physiological symptoms. We talk about increased heart rate, rapid breathing, things like that. It can also be more somatic, as we call it, increased muscle tension or feeling more easily tired out. Cognitive symptoms refer to the changes in thinking that happen, kind of automatically interpreting situations as negative or interpreting myself as unable to handle this. And then there are those behavioral symptoms that come as a result of that. Behavioral symptoms often look like withdrawing from situations or doing things to cope with them in some way that's actually not helpful.
Conner: At what point might therapy be beneficial for an individual who struggles with some of these symptoms?
Dr. Sege: So, we all experience anxiety as humans, but the hallmark of anxiety disorder is when it gets to a point where it's impacting your ability to live the life you want to live, when it's causing you to withdraw from situations that you want to engage in, that's the point to get treatment.
Conner: What sort of treatment is typically used for individuals with an anxiety disorder?
Dr. Sege: The main indicated treatment for anxiety disorders in general is cognitive behavioral therapy. And the aim of that therapy in general, is to change those misperceptions that people have of anxiety producing situations, and also improve the way that fight or flight system reacts in those situations.
Conner: And what's really involved in cognitive behavioral therapy.
Dr. Sege: CBT does involve cognitive interventions and behavioral interventions. Cognitive interventions are giving people skills and strategies for identifying automatic negative thoughts. And when it's possible, maybe changing those thoughts to be more realistic or positive. And then behavioral interventions really involve reengaging people with situations that they maybe have pulled away from and helping them learn to manage the anxiety that comes up and learn that they can actually engage with those situations in a way they didn't think was possible before. Medication can also be a part of treatment for anxiety disorders. It might look different across different disorders. There are some disorders where medication is more commonly used as a frontline treatment and others where it's used as needed. But certainly medication can be helpful in a lot of cases where CBT isn't quite doing the trick on its own.
Conner: Doctor Sege, thanks for talking with us about treatment for anxiety disorders.
Dr. Sege: Thanks for having me.
Conner: From the radio studio for the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, I'm Bobbi Conner for South Carolina Public Radio.
Health Focus transcripts are intended to accurately represent the original audio version of the program; however, some discrepancies or inaccuracies may exist. The audio format serves as the official record of Health Focus programming.
