Conditions We Treat
What Is Anxiety Treatment at Good Health NC?
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 Symptoms We See Most Often
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.
What to Expect at Your Anxiety Visit
Your first anxiety visit at Good Health NC takes about 45 minutes. Here's how we use that time:
- Detailed history — symptom timeline, triggers, family history, current and past medications, substance use, caffeine and sleep patterns
- Validated screening tools — we use the GAD-7 and PHQ-9 to track severity over time, not just at the first visit
- Targeted labs when indicated — thyroid panel, vitamin B12, vitamin D, and other markers that can drive anxiety symptoms
- A clear plan — diagnosis, treatment options, and what to expect in the first 4 to 8 weeks
- 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.
Anxiety Treatment Options We Offer
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.
When to Seek Anxiety Treatment
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.
Why Choose Good Health NC for Anxiety Care
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.
Common Anxiety & Panic Disorder Treatment Questions
Panic disorder can be evaluated and treated by a primary care provider, psychiatrist, psychologist, or licensed therapist. At Good Health NC, our our practice lead has 22 years of experience treating anxiety and panic, including in emergency department settings where panic attacks frequently present. For most patients, primary care is an excellent starting point — we handle medication management in-house and coordinate therapy referrals when CBT is the right next step.
Read full answerYes — and most do, with appropriate treatment. Panic disorder is highly responsive to a combination of medication (typically an SSRI) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Most patients we see report significantly fewer panic attacks within 6 to 12 weeks of starting a well-matched plan, and many become attack-free over time. The key is starting treatment rather than waiting for symptoms to pass on their own.
Read full answerSSRIs and SNRIs — the first-line medications for anxiety — typically take 4 to 6 weeks to reach full effect, with some improvement noticeable in the first 2 to 3 weeks. Buspirone is similar. Beta-blockers and hydroxyzine work within hours when taken as needed. We schedule a follow-up at 2 to 4 weeks after starting any new medication so we can adjust the dose, manage side effects, or switch medications if needed.
Read full answerNot necessarily. For situational anxiety, many patients do a 6-to-12-month course and then taper off. For long-standing or recurrent anxiety, longer-term medication is common and safe. We revisit the plan at every visit so you're not on more medication, for longer, than you actually need.
Read full answerYes. Anxiety and depression overlap in about half of patients we see, and most first-line medications treat both. Treating them together in one place, with one provider who knows your full picture, almost always works better than splitting care across multiple offices. See our [depression treatment](/services/mental-health/depression-treatment) page for more on the depression side.
Read full answer