Do you often feel stirred up, worried, or nervous? Do you feel uncomfortable in your own skin?
Have you ever experienced a feeling like you could “climb the walls” or that you are “crawling out of your skin”? Are you plagued by feelings of panic, fear, and self-doubt?
Do you ever experience any of the following physical symptoms that can be consistently disruptive or come in unexpected waves?
• Muscle tension
• Muscle soreness
• Nail biting
• Headaches
• Abdominal pain
• Shortness of breath
• Heart palpitations
If you answered yes to any combination of these, you might be suffering from a psychiatric disorder that affects over
38 million Americans every year.
The Anxiety Epidemic
Anxiety is a
major public health problem that is reaching epidemic levels in the United States. The loss to our society from these illnesses is staggering in terms of individual pain, family strife, school and relationship failure, lost work productivity, and death.
Anxiety is a Brain Illness
Our work and the research of many others has demonstrated that
anxiety is a brain illness, not the result of a weak will or character problem. In addition to the common symptoms listed in the questions above, anxiety can cause irrational fears or phobias that become a burden. People with “pure anxiety” tend to avoid anything that makes them anxious or uncomfortable, such as places or people that might trigger panic attacks or interpersonal conflict. People with this type tend to predict the worst and look to the future with fear. They may be excessively shy or startle easily, or they may freeze in emotionally charged situations.
Having “untreated” anxiety affects nearly every aspect of a person’s life and has been associated with school underachievement, family conflict, drug abuse, legal difficulties, and poor work performance.
Treatment for Anxiety
The standard treatment for anxiety is anti-anxiety medications such as Xanax. This medication may be helpful for many people, but it can also make many others much worse. Sometimes negative reactions to these types of medications can be extreme, such as hallucinations, violent outbursts, volatile temperaments, psychosis, and suicidal behavior.
Anxiety & SPECT
Shortly after Dr. Daniel Amen began brain SPECT imaging work in 1991, he realized that anxiety is
not just a single or simple disorder. Just as there are many different causes of chest pain, there were different brain SPECT patterns in his anxious patients. Dr. Amen has identified seven different types of anxiety and knowing your type is essential to getting the right help.
How We Can Help
Amen Clinics has pioneered the use of brain SPECT imaging in clinical practice and research shows its use significantly impacts the accuracy of diagnosis and the ability to target effective treatments. SPECT imaging helps personalize treatments specific to what your brain needs, and, when used in combination with our full evaluation and clinical assessment, has demonstrated very high success rates.
At Amen Clinics, we are dedicated to improving the lives of every patient and family we serve through education, the latest advances in neuroimaging, laboratory testing, and individualized treatment plans. We use the least toxic, most effective treatments for our patients, and use a wide variety of interventions from natural supplements, medications, dietary interventions and targeted forms of psychotherapy.
Our Full Evaluation of your biological/psychological/social/spiritual history, coupled with two brain SPECT imaging scans (at rest and at concentration), cognitive testing, and clinical assessment is designed to address your unique needs and offer targeted treatment options. We invite you to call today, 888-288-9834 or
visit us online.
