Brief Answer:
Anxiety is a bodily illness

Detailed Answer:
Hello, Welcome to HCM
Thanks very much for your question.

I take a different approach than many doctors on here. I am US-trained and believe in a holistic and comprehensive approach to each patient. To this end, I have read ALL your previous questions and answers, and I believe I have a good understanding of your situation. With that said, let me get started.

You have mentioned several health problems in your questions here. You mention a UTI, concerns with your menstrual cycle and hormones, itchiness and achiness, low-grade fever, and prominent headaches. You even mention in one post that you are starting to feel like a hypochondriac. It seems now you are concerned with palpitations and are worried that they might be something serious.

Let me state very clearly that any or all of these medical problems may be true medical problems indeed. I think it is important to rule out medical issues before talking about psychiatric contributions. A simple EKG in the case of your palpitations would tell us if there is anything wrong, and at your age this would be very unlikely to be something serious.

But what is very clear to me is that you have significant anxiety about these problems. I believe this anxiety is likely manifesting as or worsening palpitations and headaches. Anxiety is a bodily illness and can cause pain, palpitations, shortness of breath, sweating, you name it. And so, I think to treat you as a whole person, we need to talk about how to address your anxiety.

I would recommend you ask your prescribing physician to prescribe a safe, long-acting medication for anxiety, a medication that also helps with pain: an SNRI antidepressant. Antidepressants are the mainstay of anxiety treatment, and I think you would benefit from this. I would not be at all surprised if your palpitations went away within two weeks of starting a SNRI antidepressant such as Effexor, Cymbalta, or Pristiq.

Another crucial part of combating anxiety is to participate in cognitive behavioral therapy. This is something I offer on this website. Together we can explore your life story and medical issues, and through a better understanding develop tools to help you feel better.

If you are interested in beginning therapy, or in exploring these issues in more depth, reach out to me at my private link on this website:

XXXX

OR

https://doctor.healthcaremagic.com/Funnel?page=askDoctorDirectly&docId=70684

After asking a direct question, it would be my pleasure to be your dedicated personal physician on this website. My name is Dr. Sheppe, and I am an XXXXXXX doctor working in New York City at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, ranked #1 for Psychiatry in the United States (tinyurl.com/psyrank). For a personalized comprehensive evaluation, treatment recommendations, or individual therapy, ask me at HealthCareMagic at this private link: XXXX

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Brief Answer:
Followup

Detailed Answer:
I'm glad I brought a little brightness into your day!

The basic answer is yes, you can treat anxiety entirely with CBT, and this can be effective. I would be happy to begin this with you and introduce you to its basic concepts, and I believe we would see great improvement together. I must add that all the evidence points to the most effective regimen for anxiety being a COMBINATION of medications and therapy, but if you are strongly opposed to medication we could treat you with therapy alone.

Please do let me know if you'd like to talk more and begin CBT together. I really think I can help you.

XXXX

OR

https://doctor.healthcaremagic.com/Funnel?page=askDoctorDirectly&docId=70684

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