Tampa’s Best Anxiety Treatment Center & Hospital

Learn More About Treatment for Anxiety in North Tampa

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a mental disorder characterized by excessive anxiety and fear over everyday events and activities. Although everyone has things they worry about, if you have GAD your worries are extreme. GAD can become so overpowering that you may feel unable to function in your daily life. Often generalized anxiety disorder exists with another disorder which only magnifies the stress and anxiety. You may believe that your life is completely out of control and may not know how to get your life back on track. North Tampa Behavioral Health Hospital can help you to explore the underlying issues of your anxiety and manage challenges you may face. At our psychiatric treatment center, we’re ready to help you recover from generalized anxiety disorder and go on to live a happy, normal life.

How to Convince a Loved One to Seek Treatment for Anxiety

One of the most challenging parts of seeing a friend or loved one suffer is the feelings of helplessness. Many people wonder how they’re supposed to approach the topic, if they’re supposed to say anything, and how best to help their loved one seek the inpatient care they need to recovery from GAD and anxiety. When you’re loved one is struggling and needs to seek the help of an inpatient treatment center, you should absolutely say something.

Remind your loved one that they are loved – no matter what. Do not make any judgments about their feelings; feelings aren’t always rational. Assure them that they are not flawed or broken, that they just need a little help to get through this tough time. Provide loving support while gently guiding them into treatment.

Make appointments for your loved ones with their psychiatrist or general practitioner in order to help reduce some of their anxiety. Sometimes, even trying to seek help can make the feelings of anxiety worse. Offer to go with them to their appointment and take notes so that they are able to best focus upon talking to the doctor.

Don’t push your loved one too hard to open up if he or she is not ready to engage – this can only heighten levels of anxiety and make them feel worse about themselves. Offer to help in any way you’re able to do so. If you do offer, be sure that you’re able to follow through on your promises.

Be their advocate. Take the time and do the research about behavioral health centers that are known to specialize in the treatment of GAD. Use the information to lovingly suggest that they might benefit from some time away from the stresses of everyday life to focus upon recovery.

Why Consider Inpatient Treatment at North Tampa Behavioral Health

Generalized anxiety is a very serious, very real problem that can affect all aspects of your life. People with GAD may have problems at work, school, or have difficulty with their interpersonal relationships. You may be in a constant state of worry, find it difficult to concentrate, or lack energy. Unable to predict when your anxiety will strike, you may decide to stay in for “the day” in order to avoid an anxiety attack. Staying in for “the day” and forgoing the things you once loved may turn into long-term social isolation cutting you off from loved ones. Some people may self-medicate with alcohol or other drugs leading to additional problems.

Facing your fears and alleviating your anxiety are central to generalized anxiety disorder treatment. Coping with stresses and additional problems call for special resources. Research has demonstrated that one of the most effective ways of treating anxiety is through a variety of scientifically-validated, empirically-supported therapies and medication management. Inpatient care allows you to escape the stresses of everyday life and focus upon the one thing that truly matters – recovery.

Our Rehab Program’s Philosophy and Benefits

Many people fear psychiatric treatment centers & hospitals based upon portrayals in movies and television. At North Tampa Behavioral Health Hospital, we understand your fears and understand that change is never easy. Our approach to treatment allows you to feel safe and secure as you learn the skills needed to manage your anxiety. Change is scary but change is vital to reclaiming your life. We are here to help.

At our leading psychiatric treatment center & hospital in Tampa, our fully committed treatment team has been trained to help people with all types of anxiety disorders. We strive to get to know you as an individual and understand your problems throughout the recovery process. You will work directly with your treatment team in order to stabilize your anxiety issues in preparation for long term recovery. North Tampa offers eclectic treatment focusing on your unique life circumstances while providing the utmost dignity and respect.

Our philosophy at our anxiety treatment center is centered upon treating the whole person – mind, body, and spirit. We respect your unique set of life circumstances as we work together to create the best course of treatment for your needs. We want to know you, the real you, so we encourage you to share as much about yourself with us as you can. This way we can help to uncover and treat issues you may not even know exist. Your treatment team is here to offer their full support and understanding from the moment you walk in the door.

Types of Therapy We Use to Treat Anxiety

When you first come to our anxiety treatment center for help, you’ll undergo a complete medical and psychological evaluation to best determine your level of care and help us to gain a better picture of the challenges you face. Our medical evaluation will determine if you are struggling with undiagnosed medical issues that may be contributing to your anxiety levels and allow us to address these. Our psychological evaluation will determine the presence of co-occurring mental disorders and other aspects of your personality that will help us best understand your challenges. These evaluations will allow us to work alongside you to create a treatment plan that meets your individual needs.

Your treatment plan may include anti-anxiety medications or medications to treat co-occurring disorders. Depending upon your situation, medication may only be used during the beginning of your treatment or as part of a long-term approach. You will learn better, more useful coping skills, which may allow you to cut down your medication. You and your treatment team will decide if medication is an appropriate option.

Many of our therapists use cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which identifies negative thoughts you have about yourself and challenges you to replace them with more positive ways of thinking.

North Tampa Behavioral Health Hospital is very proud of the different group therapies we offer as we’ve found that one of the best ways to manage generalized anxiety is through working with others struggling with similar issues. Process groups help you work through your issues related to specific topics. Psycho-educational groups are designed to provide information related to your anxiety, medication, co-occurring disorders, and coping skills. Other groups may be skills-based which will allow you to build the skills needed for continuing care.

As family and loved ones are vital to your recovery, family involvement is strongly encouraged. A family consultation may be used to educate your loved ones about generalized anxiety disorder, allow them the opportunity to discuss the ways that your anxiety has impacted their lives, and mend any broken bond. Additionally, we connect families with community resources in Tampa and elsewhere so that they can continue to work through their struggles.

Continuing Care – What Comes Next?

When you and your treatment team have decided that you are ready to leave our psychiatric treatment center & hospital, we will work together to create a post-discharge plan that addresses your continuing treatment needs. Some people may feel they’d benefit from a structured environment, and may move into to a residential treatment center. Others may benefit from our partial hospitalization program (PHP), or our intensive outpatient program. (IOP). These programs are similar to the treatment offered at our inpatient center, but differ in the number of days and hours you meet each week. If you are discharged to home, we will work with local treatment providers and connect you to available community resources in Tampa.