Anxiety
Management
"Anxiety" covers several distinct conditions — generalized anxiety, panic disorder, social anxiety, phobias — and they don't respond to the same treatment. Getting the specific diagnosis right is what separates a medication that works from a third one that doesn't.
What are anxiety disorders?
Anxiety becomes a disorder when the alarm system stops matching the situation — firing too often, too hard, or over things that don't warrant it, and staying on long after the moment has passed. The result isn't just discomfort. It's a life quietly reorganized around avoidance.
Anxiety disorders are the most common psychiatric conditions in the United States. NIMH estimates that 19.1% of U.S. adults experience an anxiety disorder in a given year and 31.1% will meet criteria at some point in their lives. They are also highly treatable — which makes the number of people managing them without an accurate diagnosis the real problem.
The label matters more than most people expect. Generalized anxiety, panic disorder, social anxiety, and specific phobias are separate conditions with different first-line treatments and different therapy targets. Anxiety can also be the visible layer over something else entirely: an untreated trauma history, undiagnosed ADHD, bipolar disorder, or a medical contributor such as thyroid dysfunction, arrhythmia, sleep apnea, or a stimulant or caffeine load nobody has asked about.
Dr. Farkas brings MD/PhD neuroscience training, NIH research center experience, and board-certified psychiatric practice to that sorting. Her 30–60 minute evaluations are built to establish which condition is actually present before anything is prescribed for it.
NIMH: Anxiety Disorders ↗ · American Psychiatric Association ↗
Conditions treated
Conditions as classified in the DSM-5-TR. This page is educational and is not a diagnostic tool.
How Dr. Farkas treats anxiety disorders
Evidence-based, neurobiologically informed, and built to avoid trading one problem for another. The plan follows your diagnosis — not a protocol template.
What to expect from your first appointment
A new patient evaluation with Dr. Farkas runs 30–60 minutes. It covers your psychiatric and medical history, prior diagnoses, every medication tried and how each one went, and where anxiety is actually costing you something — work, relationships, sleep, the things you've stopped agreeing to.
You'll leave with a specific diagnosis explained in plain terms, a treatment plan you understand and agree with, and a follow-up already scheduled. Telehealth is available throughout South Carolina and New York. In-person appointments are available at the Hilton Head Island, SC office.
Related Conditions
Call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline). Text HOME to 741741 for the Crisis Text Line. Call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room if you are in immediate danger.
Medical disclaimer: This page is for educational purposes and does not constitute medical advice. No doctor–patient relationship is established through website use. Individual results vary; no specific outcome is guaranteed. Telehealth visits are conducted on a HIPAA-compliant platform. Gabriella I. Farkas, MD PhD, is a board-certified psychiatrist licensed in South Carolina and New York.
Ready for a real evaluation
of your anxiety?
30–60 minutes. A specific diagnosis. A treatment plan that doesn't trade one problem for another.
Effective anxiety management pairs accurate diagnosis (GAD, panic, social, health, adjustment) with a medication strategy calibrated to symptom pattern and comorbidity. Dr. Farkas prioritizes non-addictive first-line agents — SSRIs, SNRIs, buspirone, hydroxyzine — over benzodiazepines, and uses GAD-7 to measure response objectively rather than by impression.
Key Takeaways
- Anxiety care starts with an accurate diagnosis, such as GAD, panic, social anxiety, or health anxiety.
- Non-addictive options like SSRIs, SNRIs, buspirone, and hydroxyzine come before benzodiazepines.
- Diagnosis rules out thyroid problems, heart rhythm issues, substances, and medication effects.
- Progress is measured with the GAD-7, and stopping medication is planned with a slow taper.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the safest medication for chronic anxiety?
SSRIs and SNRIs have the strongest long-term safety and efficacy evidence. Buspirone is a non-sedating, non-addictive option for generalized anxiety. Benzodiazepines are effective short-term but carry dependence risk and are avoided as chronic treatment where possible.
How is anxiety diagnosed?
Diagnosis requires structured clinical interview covering symptom pattern, duration, functional impairment, and rule-outs (thyroid dysfunction, cardiac arrhythmia, substance use, medications). Validated tools (GAD-7, PSWQ) supplement clinical assessment.
Can I stop anxiety medication once I feel better?
Discontinuation is planned, not abrupt. Most SSRIs require slow tapering to avoid discontinuation syndrome. Dr. Farkas typically continues for 9–12 months after remission before considering taper, timing to a low-stress period.