Professional help at JUVENIS

Generalized anxiety disorder

We worry about physical complaints, medical examinations, exams, or when a close person is unreachable for a long time, and much more – worries shape our everyday life. But when these fears and worries increase, persist over a longer period, become uncontrollable, impair daily life and lead to considerable distress, this is referred to as generalized anxiety disorder.

The content of worries relates to many different areas, such as health, partnership, family, work/profession, finances, etc. They occur mainly in the morning or evening and last for several hours in many affected people. Threatened, menacing events are repeatedly mentally replayed without finding a solution. These worries are often accompanied by various physical symptoms, such as restlessness, states of tension, headaches, sleep disturbances or reduced performance.

JUVENIS consultation room for the treatment of an anxiety disorder

Treatments & Therapies

At the JUVENIS Medical Center, competent psychiatrists and psychologists are at your side in the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder. Our therapy offerings cover the following areas:

Conditions leading to the development of generalized anxiety disorder

Every treatment is preceded by a thorough diagnostic assessment. In addition, an individual explanatory model is created that provides insight into the development of the disorder. This takes into account pre-existing risk factors as well as triggers and maintaining factors of the illness.

1. Examples of pre-existing risk factors

  • A predisposition to anxiety can be inherited.

  • Negative experiences in childhood (death, accident, illness, etc.)

  • Parents or other important caregivers already display anxious behaviour.

  • These factors can lead affected individuals to show low self-confidence in problem-solving already in childhood.

Please contact JUVENIS by phone at +43 1 236 3020, by e-mail at empfang@juvenismed.at or via the contact form, to arrange a consultation or treatment appointment.

2. Examples of factors triggering the illness

  • Stressors such as bereavement, accidents, financial difficulties, illnesses

  • Long-term burdens such as chronic illness, single parenthood, multiple burdens from work, children and household, care-dependent parents, etc.

  • Changes in life circumstances – unemployment, professional change (e.g., also promotion), pregnancy, birth of a child, divorce/separation, etc.

3. Examples of maintaining factors

  • Frequent appraisal of a situation as threatening

  • Attention is increasingly directed at possible threats.

  • Constant attempts to suppress or avoid worries (which prevents worries from being fully thought through and processed)

  • Safety behaviors such as seeking reassurance (from a partner, boss or doctor), checking behaviors (counting money, checking at work to avoid mistakes) lead to short-term relief but maintain the disorder in the long term.

  • Avoidance behavior (situations and activities that could activate worries are avoided) or distraction (through lots of work, sports, TV) also maintains the problem. The patient thus prevents themselves from experiencing whether their worries are actually justified.

Talk therapy for generalized anxiety disorder

As part of a medical examination, physical complaints that cause anxiety must be ruled out, such as heart or thyroid diseases.

Talk therapy for Generalized Anxiety Disorder GAD (ICD 10 F 41.1) with MedR. Dr. med. Jutta Leth

Characteristic of GAD is the suffering from the physical manifestations of anxiety, as well as concentration problems, nervousness, sleep disturbances and multiple fears of illness, death, accidents, etc. The individual symptoms occur in varying combinations as a subthreshold chronic state. Persistent worry, incessant brooding and a state of constant tension are present. Fears of loss of control of all kinds and fear of the fear increasingly characterize the picture, often followed by physical symptoms such as heart palpitations, racing heart, blood pressure fluctuations, globus sensation, the subjective feeling of not being able to breathe properly, nonspecific digestive disorders, muscle tension, tinnitus and unsteady dizziness, etc., as well as catastrophic interpretations of bodily sensations. A progressive inability to switch off and relax develops, coupled with increasing jumpiness and sensitivity to noise.

Patients with anxiety often need structure and process-oriented “guidance” at the beginning of therapy as well as psychoeducational explanation of the therapeutic procedure and inner psychological experience. After clarifying a therapy goal and establishing a therapeutic alliance, the deficits in self-experience are gradually uncovered and the underlying self-pathology compensated for. A central emotion schema in generalized anxiety disorder is an anxious over-responsibility.

Increased tolerance for negative affects, changes in specific negative self-beliefs and identification/modification of defenses against organismic experience gradually lead to an increased willingness for authentic relating to oneself and others. Learning compassionate self-soothing and dialoguing with wounded parts of the self is central, as is the verbalization of emotional content, learning to name and establish a personal relation to the anxiety, anxiety-splitting and learning to distinguish primary and secondary maladaptive emotional reactions ("unfinished business", "empty-chair work" with earlier relevant caregivers, etc.). Symbolization of experiences, activation of positive experiences and existing successful coping strategies lead step by step to more self-control and trust in one's abilities, so that over the course of therapy fear of self-endangering experiences and avoidance behavior can be reduced. A central element in all of this, however, is the quality of the therapeutic relationship.

Unfortunately, no new patients can be accepted at MedR. Dr. Jutta Leth.

MedR. Dr. med. Jutta Leth at JUVENIS

Costs

Treatment Price
1 therapy session (50 minutes) for the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder by Dr. Jutta Leth € 200

In talk therapy for generalized anxiety disorder, a frequency of 1 session per week is usual.

Reimbursement of costs for “clinical-psychological treatment” is not provided by the health insurance. Some private supplementary insurances often cover part of the costs – however, this would have to be clarified by the patient with their supplementary insurance.

There is also the possibility of deducting clinical-psychological treatment as an extraordinary expense on your taxes.

FAQs

Generalized anxiety disorder is a mental illness in which those affected suffer from persistent, excessive worry and anxiety These often relate to various areas of life and are difficult to control.

Typical symptoms include:

  • constant worrying and rumination

  • inner restlessness and tension

  • concentration problems

  • Sleep disorders

  • physical symptoms such as heart palpitations, muscle tension, or stomach problems

The causes are usually manifold and can include:

  • genetic predisposition

  • chronic stress or stressful life events

  • changes in brain metabolism

  • personal and psychological factors

Treatment is individual and can include:

  • psychotherapeutic conversations

  • Behavioral therapy

  • relaxation and stress-management strategies

  • medication support if necessary

The goal is to reduce worries and regain a better quality of life.

At the beginning, a detailed Diagnostics and medical history. Afterwards, an individual therapy plan is created, tailored to your personal situation.

The condition is in many cases well treatable. With the right therapy, symptoms can be significantly reduced or completely overcome.

The duration depends on the individual course. As a rule, treatment takes place over several weeks to months.

Helpful measures are:

  • Regular exercise

  • Relaxation exercises (e.g. breathing techniques)

  • structured daily routine

  • stress reduction

  • open conversations about worries

If your worries permanently affect your everyday life, you constantly feel tense, or physical complaints occur, you should seek support early.

Psychotherapeutic measures are generally low in side effects. In the case of medication therapy, possible side effects are discussed individually.

The costs depend on the scope of therapy and the number of sessions. A therapy session (50 minutes) with MedR. Dr. Jutta Leth costs € 200.

The Exact prices will be provided in a personal consultation..

Depending on the form of therapy, a (partial) coverage of costs by the health insurance be possible.

At JUVENIS you will be cared for by experienced specialists and therapists be cared for. Through individually tailored therapy approaches and empathetic support, a sustainable improvement of your quality of life and a targeted reduction of anxiety aimed for.

We have answered the most frequently asked questions on the topic of Generalized anxiety disorder answered. If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact us via empfang@juvenismed.at or at +43 1 236 3020.

Team

Senior Consultant Dr. Jutta LethUnfortunately, no new patients can be accepted at this time.

MedR. Dr. med.Jutta Leth

Specialist in Psychiatry & Psychotherapeutic Medicine, client-centered psychotherapist
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