Anxiety Therapy | Telehealth Psychology
Anxiety is designed at its core to keep us alive and can be very helpful. However, as society has progressed our worries have increased and if you find yourself immobilised by worry, it may be time to fight fear with fear and reach out for support through our telehealth psychology service and take back control.
Image: Common physical symptoms of anxiety
Anxiety is a complex biological response to a threat which involves several systems in your body. These systems include your brain, stress hormones, nervous system, cardiovascular system, digestive system, immune system, respiratory system and others. This threat can be real or perceived.
The severity of your symptoms of anxiety can be proportionate or disproportionate to a threat. If anxiety is based on fact, an anxious response can be the difference between life and death. In less severe circumstances anxiety can also help you make better informed decisions for yourself.
However, if based on feelings rather than facts, an anxious response can lead to you to engage in behaviours which may negatively impact your life. These can include withdrawal, avoidance, procrastination and self-sabotaging behaviours.
It is important to remember your brain is primarily wired for survival. This means your brain is just trying to keep you safe, the best way it knows how, even if this means there are negative consequences for you in the short and long term.
Further, your body is not able to tell what is true or not. It is programmed to believe what your brain is telling it. So if your brain is telling it something is a threat it will respond to it as one. Regardless of whether it is true (based on fact) or false (based on perception).
What is Anxiety?
The primary symptoms of anxiety you may initially notice are cognitive (thought-based), physiological and behavioural. Each of these is related to your fight-or-flight response. This an automatic physiological reaction programmed into your body to keep you safe. It is activated by events that are perceived as threats.
As previously mentioned there are multiple other systems impacted. For ease of explanation I am going to focus on the 3 primary systems which may have brought you to this page today.
How Anxiety Symptoms Can Impact You.
COGNITIVE (MENTAL) SYMPTOMS OF ANXIETY
Unhelpful thoughts and rumination
Concentration and focusing issues
Memory and learning issues
Difficulty problem solving
Slowed thinking and processing
Impaired decision making
Trouble controlling impulsive and emotions
Lack of motivation
PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS OF ANXIETY
Increased heart rate
Increased blood pressure
Increased mental arousal (e.g. racing thoughts)
Increased breathing rate (e.g. shallow, fast breathing)
Increased muscle tension
Increased metabolism
Bowel and digestion issues
Reduced sleeping and eating
BEHAVOURAL SYMPTOMS OF ANXIETY
Withdrawal behaviours
Not attending certain social gatherings
Isolating yourself from family, friends, a partner
No longer engaging in activities you previously enjoyed due to being too anxious or overwhelmed
Not taking opportunities or creating opportunities for you to achieve your goals
Avoidance behaviours
Avoiding specific situations, places or people
Avoiding certain tasks or activities
Not trying new things due to fear of the unknown or what could go wrong
Difficulty keeping up with the demands of every day life, such as school, work and home life
Increased irritability
Increased startle response (e.g. more jumpy than usual, more sensitive to sound with a bigger response)
Lower frustration tolerance
Difficulty staying calm or withing your window of tolerance (cool, calm, connected and collected)
Difficulty sitting still
Impacted
Types of Anxiety.
While everyone experiences anxiety and it is normal to feel anxious at times, there are several types of diagnosable anxiety disorders. If your anxiety is impacting you every day and stopping you from doing things you want to do, a psychologist may work with you to determine if your symptoms align with any of these anxiety disorders.
Generalised anxiety disorder
Social anxiety disorder
Panic disorder
Obsessional-compulsive disorder
Agoraphobia
Specific phobia
Separation anxiety disorder
Selective-mutism
Anxiety disorder due to another medical condition
Substance/medication-induced anxiety
Unspecified anxiety disorder
Working with a qualified psychologist to help manage your symptoms can ensure you get an accurate diagnosis and the best tailored treatment for you. They will also be able to help you manage the overwhelm and avoidance that often accompanies anxiety disorders and impacts you improving your overall well-being. Working on your anxiety during telehealth sessions can frequently allow clients to feel more relaxed but also create an opportunity to engage in evidence-based exposure therapy online.
Why See a Telehealth Psychologist for Anxiety?
Do You Need an Anxiety Disorder to Have Therapy for Anxiety?
The simple answer is no. Many people who come to see a psychologist to work on their anxiety do not meet criteria for a specific anxiety disorder. Anxiety can still be very impactful and debilitating even when not meeting criteria for an anxiety disorder. Anxiety for example can impact, your relationships, capacity to work, school performance, ability to do things you previously enjoyed, sleep, and mood. Engaging in early intervention is important and can prevent symptoms of anxiety from worsening. It can also give you the tools you need to confidently manage symptoms if they return and provide you with a deeper insight into yourself.
If you are experiencing anxiety, you may be eligible for a Medicare rebate. To receive a Medicare rebate, you are required to have a valid Mental Health Care Plan from a General Practitioner (GP). It is generally your GP who will determine your eligibility for a MHCP.
If you are wanting to explore this option for yourself, it is best to call and book an appointment with your GP. As you will require a longer appointment, it is important to inform the admin team why you are booking the appointment. Alternatively, many GP practices have a MHCP option available when booking online. Booking your appointment online can be helpful if you don’t want to discuss why you are booking an appointment with the admin team.
Mental Health Care Plans (MHCP) for Anxiety
Appointment Cost
Initial appointments are 1 hour and $210
Subsequent appointments are $195 (50 mins)
If you have a valid MHCP you will be receive a $96.65 rebate back after your appointment for up to 10 sessions a calendar year.
If you don’t have a MHCP you may also be eligible to claim back a portion of your appointment cost under your private health insurance.
You can read more about the other appointment types we offer and their cost HERE.