Anxiety & Panic Disorder Treatment

Anxiety treatment is the ongoing care of anxiety disorders — patterns of worry, fear, or physical symptoms that interfere with daily life. We treat the most common forms in primary care:

• Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) — persistent, hard-to-control worry across many areas of life
• Panic Disorder — recurring panic attacks plus the fear of having another
• Social Anxiety Disorder — intense fear of being judged or watched in social situations
• Specific Phobias — strong fear tied to a particular trigger

Anxiety is one of the most common — and most treatable — conditions we see. The National Institute of Mental Health reports that more than 30% of U.S. Adults experience an anxiety disorder at some point in their lives. The good news: well-matched treatment helps most patients feel meaningfully better within weeks.

Anxiety shows up in the body as much as in the mind. Patients come to us with combinations of these:

• Racing heart, chest tightness, or a sense of breathlessness
• Persistent dread or a feeling that something bad is about to happen
• Trouble falling or staying asleep, even when exhausted
• Restlessness, muscle tension, jaw clenching, or stomach issues
• Avoidance of places, people, or situations that used to feel ordinary
• Sudden panic attacks that peak within minutes

Anxiety also overlaps with other conditions we manage in-house — thyroid issues, sleep problems, and medication side effects can all mimic or worsen anxiety. That's why a careful primary care evaluation matters before assuming every symptom is psychiatric. We often coordinate care with our thyroid care and sleep disorders programs to rule out medical contributors first.

Your first anxiety visit at Good Health NC takes about 45 minutes. Here's how we use that time:

1. Detailed history — symptom timeline, triggers, family history, current and past medications, substance use, caffeine and sleep patterns
2. Validated screening tools — we use the GAD-7 and PHQ-9 to track severity over time, not just at the first visit
3. Targeted labs when indicated — thyroid panel, vitamin B12, vitamin D, and other markers that can drive anxiety symptoms
4. A clear plan — diagnosis, treatment options, and what to expect in the first 4 to 8 weeks
5. Follow-up scheduling — typically 2 to 4 weeks after starting medication, then every 1 to 3 months as you stabilize

We also keep an open door between visits. If a new medication isn't agreeing with you or symptoms get worse, message us and we'll adjust the plan.

Evidence-based anxiety care usually combines medication and therapy. We handle the medical side and partner with trusted local therapists for the therapy side. SSRIs and SNRIs — first-line medications including sertraline, escitalopram, duloxetine, and venlafaxine. These build up over 4 to 6 weeks and treat both anxiety and any co-occurring depression.

• Buspirone — a non-sedating, non-controlled option for generalized anxiety, used alone or alongside an SSRI
• Beta-blockers — for performance anxiety or the physical symptoms of social anxiety (racing heart, shaky hands)
• Short-term benzodiazepines — used sparingly and with clear stop criteria when panic is severe; we don't treat chronic anxiety with chronic benzodiazepines
• Hydroxyzine — a non-habit-forming option for as-needed relief
• CBT referral — Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is the most evidence-based talk therapy for anxiety. We refer to vetted therapists across the Triangle and coordinate care.
• Lifestyle factors — sleep, caffeine, alcohol, exercise, and breathwork have a real, measurable effect on anxiety. We talk about all of it.

For patients whose depression is driving anxiety, see our depression treatment page. For attention-related worry that turns out to be ADHD-driven, our ADHD testing program may be the better starting point. The American Psychiatric Association's anxiety resource is a solid plain-language reference.

Come see us if any of these are true:

• Worry, fear, or panic is interfering with sleep, work, school, or relationships
• You've had a first panic attack and want to know whether it will happen again
• You're avoiding situations you used to handle without thinking
• An existing medication isn't working, or the side effects aren't worth it
• You've been on a benzodiazepine for months or years and want a safer long-term plan
• You've been told to "just wait" for a specialist and the wait is months out

If symptoms are severe — chest pain, fainting, suicidal thoughts — go to your nearest emergency department or call 911. We pick up care from there as soon as you're stable.

Anxiety treatment works best when your provider has time to listen, knows your full medical picture, and is reachable when something changes. That's the practice we built.

• Real appointment time — never rushed, never templated
• 22 years of clinical experience under our practice lead, including emergency department work where panic and acute anxiety show up daily
• No waitlist for medication management — most new patients are seen within days, not months
• Whole-person care — we treat your thyroid, your sleep, your blood pressure, and your anxiety in the same place
• A team that knows your community — serving Knightdale, Wendell, Zebulon, Rolesville, Wake Forest, Garner, and East Raleigh

Whether this is your first time talking to a provider about anxiety or your fifth, we'd be glad to help you find what actually works.