What is Generalized Anxiety (GAD)?  

Anxiety Disorders can lead to depression due to loneliness, isolation, and inability to relax or make social contacts. People may use drugs or alcohol to reduce their Anxiety in social situations or to stop feeling overwhelmingly worried. One of the most prevalent psychological disorders is Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD).

In a March 2021 article in “Brain and Behaviour,” the combined lifetime prevalence of GAD was reported to be 3.7%, the 12-month prevalence to be 1.8%, and the 30-day majority to be 0.8%. Estimates of lifetime prevalence varied greatly between nations, from less than 1% to about 8% of the population.

Based on the American Psychiatric Association, GAD is characterized by difficult-to-control intense Anxiety and worry about several events or activities that persists most days for at least six months. Psychological or pharmaceutical therapies are frequently used as GAD treatments. But not all patients benefit from these treatments, and some may experience adverse side effects.

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is the most researched and frequently applied psychological technique. However, due to the relative shortage of qualified healthcare professionals and the long-term follow-up needed, CBT must be used more widely. Therefore, more research is required to enhance GAD treatment using different psychological techniques that are simpler to implement.

What is Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD)?

One of the most frequently diagnosed disorders is Social Anxiety Disorder, which is widely acknowledged and often a misused term. People with social anxiety disorder have trouble interacting with others, which is crucial for the smooth operation of daily routines.

This persistently inspires research into the causes, mechanisms of maintenance, and therapeutic approaches. Historically, clinical and social neuroscience studies have used protocols testing one participant simultaneously. Testing multiple people simultaneously has recently been argued to be inaccessible with traditional research protocols.

How to find out if I have Social Anxiety or Social Phobia?

If any of the following apply to you for the last six months or more:

1. Avoid social activities like group conversations, eating with company, and parties while worrying about everyday activities like meeting strangers, striking up conversations, talking on the phone, working, or shopping.

2. Always be concerned about doing something you think will make you look foolish, like blushing, sweating, or acting incompetent.

3. It is challenging to perform tasks when others are present – You might feel you are constantly being observed and evaluated.

4. dread receiving criticism, having low self-esteem, or avoiding eye contact

5. frequently experience symptoms such as feeling queasy, sweating, trembling, or a pounding heartbeat (palpitations)

6. experience panic attacks, which are brief periods of intense fear and Anxiety.

How to Treat Anxiety Issues?

Most current treatments for anxiety disorders focus on psychotherapy and medication, both successful. Psychological therapy takes time, and therapists must undergo extensive training. Relapse and non-compliance are still significant problems for patients receiving treatment. Serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are two medications that are currently used to treat Anxiety. Benzodiazepines are best suited for short-term and adjuvant anti-anxiety therapy. However, benzodiazepines are known to cause dependency.

Moreover, numerous studies in the scientific literature confirm that Neurofeedback is effective in treating anxiety disorders because it improves neuroregulation and stability by targeting the brain and the central nervous system.

Among them, changes in behaviour may be impacted by regulating brain activity. People who use Neurofeedback are trained to improve erratically regulated brain wave patterns using computer technology. This type of learning can lead to long-lasting effects in the short-term treatment of about 12 weeks, especially if paired with exposure therapy.

Neurobiology of Anxiety

Neuroendocrine, neurotransmitter, and neuroanatomical disruptions are present in mood and anxiety disorders. The high degree of interconnectivity between neurotransmitter- and neuropeptide-containing circuits in the limbic, brain stem, and higher cortical brain areas make it difficult to pinpoint the most functionally significant differences.

Additionally, environmental experiences and underlying genetic predisposition may primarily alter brain structure or function or neurotransmitter signaling. In a separate article, we discuss the role of these parameters in controlling anxiety symptoms. Let’s talk about a quick practical approach to treating such an issue.   

Neurofeedback Therapy, Alpha wave alteration, and brain training

Behavioral modifications may be impacted by brain activity modification. A person can learn how to alter their physiological activity with the help of biofeedback (BF), a noninvasive psychophysiological treatment method that uses sensors and a biomonitoring system to measure, amplify, and provide feedback information.

This improves performance and health. Biofeedback with a specific focus on the brain to enhance neuroregulation and stabilization is called Neurofeedback.

According to the findings of this  Randomized Clinical Trial published in “Brain and Behaviour” in 2021, Neurofeedback is superior to no treatment in treating Anxiety, but how?

When healthy adults are at rest, the dominant EEG rhythm is alpha, related to a calm, relaxed state.

A systematic review of mindfulness meditation EEG studies was carried out by Tim Lomas et al. High alpha power has been linked to mindfulness; elevated alpha may denote a relaxed state of alertness. It has long been known that physiological arousal is linked to anxiety disorders. Electroencephalography (EEG) can detect anxiety-related arousal, and some evidence suggests that Anxiety correlates with attenuated alpha activity.

In highly anxious people, increasing alpha magnitude can have a calming effect. It is believed that frontal alpha asymmetry is linked to psychopathology and individual variations in emotional response.

The ability to alter frontal alpha asymmetry with the aid of Neurofeedback makes it a potentially helpful intervention strategy for boosting resilience. Recently, it has successfully treated Anxiety and depression by regulating alpha power bands and inducing a healthy alpha asymmetry. This means that we can use Neurofeedback training to ensure that both sides of your frontal lobes are relaxed and able to respond calmly.

Results from that study confirmed the efficacy of alpha-increase neurofeedback training over the parietal lobe, so treating the anxiety trait and depressive symptoms in patients.

Takeaway from this writing

In conclusion, Neurofeedback has the advantages of being noninvasive, having fewer adverse reactions, and being easy, safe, and practical. It can also effectively teach how to control brain wave patterns and achieve long-term results. Most people experienced anxiety issues after the coronavirus epidemic, whether they were healthy individuals or people already experiencing anxiety disorders. We anticipate that Neurofeedback will help people feel less anxious.

Contact us for how watch a demo for Myndlift traditional neurofeedback brain training which is done at home flexibly and covered by most insurances.