There are two primary treatments for individuals with anxiety: Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which involves learning how to lower anxiety and face distressing situations. Medication management with antidepressants, which works well on its own but even better when coupled with CBT.
Full Answer
How do you deal with a scared patient?
Express empathy Empathizing with a patient's fear and normalizing the experience can help them feel calmer. Even if you deal with this medical condition frequently, it may be new and scary for them.
How can I help a patient who is scared of needles?
Empathizing with a patient's fear and normalizing the experience can help them feel calmer. Even if you deal with this medical condition frequently, it may be new and scary for them.
Are You Afraid to go to the hospital?
No one enjoys going to the hospital, but for some patients, visiting the hospital or the doctor brings with it extreme fear. In your health care career, medical professionals that work directly with patients need to understand this fear, know the signs of it and learn to interact with patients experiencing fear.
Why is it important to be aware of a patient's fear?
Media reports surrounding medical mishaps often result in fear among patients. It's important to be aware of a patient's fear to treat the patient effectively. Some of the emotional and physical symptoms of a fear or phobia include:
How do you help a scared patient?
5 Ways to Help Anxious PatientsRecognize anxiety. Anxiety can present differently depending upon the person and the situation. ... Talk to the patient. Establish open communication so that the patient is comfortable asking questions. ... Listen. Listening is one of the most important steps. ... Offer empathy. ... Help patients relax.
How will you calm down a patient having anxiety attacks?
Saying “calm down”: While getting a person to talk is vital, phrases such as “calm down,” “don't worry,” and “try to relax” could make the symptoms worse. Becoming irritated: Remain patient to help a person deal with a panic attack and do not belittle their experience.
How do you help someone with fear and anxiety?
Asking your loved one what you can do to help them. Asking if you can attend a therapy session to learn some skills to better support them. Making time for your own life and interests to sustain your energy. Encouraging your loved one to try another therapist if the first one isn't a good fit.
How do you talk to a scared patient?
Communicating with Fearful Patients: 6 Ways to Ease Patient Anxiety Through Thoughtful InteractionsGet on the Patient's Level. ... Take Time to Listen. ... Provide a Clear Summary of the Patient's Situation and Plan. ... Empathize and Encourage. ... Circle Back to Important Points. ... Allow Time for Questions and Clarification.
What is the 54321 method?
One of the most common grounding techniques is the “54321” exercise. It goes like this: Start with deep breathing. Breathe in for 5 seconds, hold the breath for 5 seconds, and breathe out for 5 seconds.
How do you calm someone down?
7 Tips to Help Calm Someone DownBreathe deeply with them. In the midst of an anxiety attack, it can help to take a deep breath. ... Focus on listening. ... Moderate your own emotional state. ... Offer support. ... Recognize your place. ... Remove yourself if necessary. ... Touch them only if they feel comfortable.
How do you release fear?
4 Steps to Breaking Free from FearFace your fears. If you do not address your fears, they can accumulate with time. ... Acknowledge your fears. ... Communicate with your fears. ... Find a way to release fear. ... Be yourself. ... Invent yourself. ... Love and be loved. ... Flip the anxiety switch off.
What should you not say to anxious people?
10 Things Not To Say to Someone Who Has Anxiety“Calm Down!” ... “It's All in Your Head” ... “It's Really not a Big Deal” ... “Everything Will be Fine” ... “I Know How You Feel” ... “Have a Drink; You'll Feel Better” ... “Other People are Suffering from Much Worse Conditions” ... “You Should Try Meditation/Yoga/Veganism/etc”More items...•
What do you say when someone feels anxious?
“Take Your Time:” 10 Things to Say to Someone Who Has Anxiety“Are You OK?” ... “I'm Always Here if You Need to Talk” ... “Your Fears/Worries/Triggers Are Not Silly” ... “Take Your Time” ... “Let's Sort Through This Together” ... “How Can I Help?” ... “There's a Cup of Tea Waiting for You at Home” ... “This Feeling Will Pass”More items...•
How do you make a patient feel at ease?
Top Tips For Making the Patient Feel At EaseAcknowledge the patient as they enter the room – try not to have your back to them – make a clever remark if they have to wait (Don't you run away)Greet the patient with your smile and cheerful voice.Give direct eye contact.More items...
How can nurses help patients with anxiety?
Nurses can help reduce patient anxiety through many methods including effective communication, active listening, personal visits, medication, music, and aromatherapy. Each nurse develops ways to recognize signs that patients feel anxious or in distress.
How do nurses keep patients calm?
What are some tips that nurses can use to keep patients calm on a daily basis? Hospital routines and activities like repeatedly checking a patient's vital signs can increase their stress. Counteract this by providing reassurance on their physical status. Give feedback when their status is stable or better.
How to help patients through their fears?
By increasing staff awareness, focusing on patient involvement and ensuring patients have social support, it's possible to help patients through their fears, ensuring they get the treatments they require.
How to help patients with fear of medical decisions?
Making sure you keep patients involved in decisions and engage in regular communication can go a long way to alleviating that fear. By letting patients stay involved in medical decisions, you'll give them the feeling they are still in control, something that's important because the loss of control often fuels patient fears.
WHAT CAUSES FEAR OF HOSPITALS/DOCTORS?
In many cases, it goes back to the patient's past.
How to tell if you have a phobia?
It's important to be aware of a patient's fear to treat the patient effectively. Some of the emotional and physical symptoms of a fear or phobia include: 1 Excessive sweating 2 Panic attacks, which may include trembling, running away, shivering, or shaking 3 Feelings of uncontrollable anxiety 4 Rapid shallow breathing 5 Elevated heart rate 6 Avoidance behavior, such as refusing to go to the doctor or hospital 7 Nausea or vomiting
How to approach a fearful patient?
Fearful patients must be treated uniquely, and one of the best ways to approach a fearful patient is from a point of understanding. Being aware of the fear is very important, and once you're aware of the fear, you can address that fear and let patients know that you understand. Don't be afraid to have patients talk about their fear s.
What are the symptoms of a patient's fear of doctors?
Some of the emotional and physical symptoms of a fear or phobia include: Panic attacks, which may include trembling, running away, shivering, or shaking.
What should be the communication between staff and patients?
Communication among staff members and patients should be friendly and direct. Patients should be offered helpful services and amenities during their stays, such as media and entertainment, relaxation, food services and the ability to have visitors.
Why do patients get anxious about going to the doctor?
One reason that patients get anxious about going to the doctor is that they think they are the only ones who react with fear. Or they think their health is in extremely bad shape, and they’re afraid the doctor and staff will judge them.
What to ask a patient about their anxiety?
Ask them where they are from, what they do for work, or whether they have any upcoming travel plans. Avoid sensitive topics such as whether the patient is married or has children, unless the patient brings it up. Some patients might be going through a divorce or struggling with infertility, and these are not issues they will want to discuss to reduce their anxiety levels. If they do bring up a spouse or child, though, then by all means, chat away.
What can a patient do in the waiting room?
Patients sitting in the waiting room can read a book, do a crossword puzzle, or play a game on their smartphones. Keeping their minds off the subject at hand and using a fun activity to distract them is a great way for medical assistants to reduce patient anxiety.
Why do people with heart disease have anxiety?
This anxiety may change their eating habits and daily exercise regimen so they don’t have to face the doctor or end up in the hospital in the future. Anxiety can be a real motivator in not having to end up in the doctor’s office.
Why do medical assistants have cheat sheets?
When patients return, the medical assistant will have a “cheat sheet” handy to ask about their trip to Italy or what their son is doing after high school. This helps the patient feel valued as an individual and reduces their anxiety.
Why do people use medical assistants?
Whether in a doctor’s office or hospital waiting room, the medical assistant helps patients reduce their anxiety. The majority of Americans have some type of anxiety when it comes to visiting the doctor or sitting in a hospital waiting room. Some even put off medical procedures because they experience high levels of anxiety.
How can a medical assistant help with anxiety?
One way a medical assistant can help reduce anxiety in patients is to relate the pain they will feel with something they may have already felt. For instance, relating a needle prick to a mosquito bite is an appropriate way to describe the level of pain they may feel.
What to do when patients come in?
When patients come in, greet them warmly with a smile. Cold, grumpy and overworked front office staff with a desk full of chaotic papers do nothing to calm an anxious patient.
How to calm anxiety in a hospital?
7. Express empathy . Empathizing with a patient's fear and normalizing the experience can help them feel calmer.
How to help a patient with anxiety during an exam?
Ask them questions about their life. Spend a moment getting to know them, so they feel you care. If you see a patient's anxiety increasing during an exam, ask them questions to distract them from their fear.
How to calm down a patient during a visit?
Even within a healing, comfortable environment, some patients will still be worried. When that happens, you can reduce their anxiety by taking steps to make them more comfortable. 1.
How to make an appointment for a patient who is anxious?
1. Engage earnestly. Start the appointment by asking about and sincerely listening to their concerns. If an anxious patient feels heard, they'll be more confident in your medical recommendations. 2. Preview the appointment. Offer an overview of what will happen during the visit, including what you'll do and why.
What to do when someone is anxious?
If you notice someone is anxious, it's OK to ask about it. Anxious people often worry about catastrophic outcomes. If you're aware of what they fear, you can address it. Don't attempt to reassure them by falsely denying that adverse outcomes exist, but instead emphasize the rare nature of certain events and reassure them that you'll work together to manage their health.
How to make a healing atmosphere?
Instead, play short educational wellness videos. Alternatively, you might play quiet, soothing music in the background or install a fish tank. Eliminate or minimize the chaos of the area that contains flyers and coupons so it doesn't look like a giant, messy pharmaceutical advertisement.
How to help patients with anxiety?
Tip 1: You can help reduce or even avoid patients or families’ anxiety by listening to patients. Even asking patients at the onset how they are feeling could keep them from going into relief-behavior mode. Tip 2: Reduce anxiety by introducing yourself and your role and orienting patients and families to whatever is to follow.
How to care for yourself while emotionally supporting others?
WEB332: Empathy 101 for Nurses: How to Care for Yourself While Emotionally Supporting Others#N#(1 contact hour)#N#Nurses are called to care. They apply evidence-based practice, clinical knowledge and critical thinking with compassion and empathy. Join this webinar to learn the difference between empathy and sympathy, and how to recharge and take care of yourself in order to better take care of patients.
How does interprofessional care impact healthcare?
With proper education, development and use of effective protocols, and close monitoring, interprofessional care teams can have a substantial impact on improving patient outcomes and reducing healthcare costs.
Why is there a conflict in healthcare?
Sometimes a conflict arises over how the family member is being cared for or the patient may be anxious about the plan of care. Anxiety can be the basis of most conflicts in healthcare settings. Although not unique to healthcare, anxiety can cause nervousness, fear, apprehension and worry. It’s common for individuals to experience ...
What are some relief behaviors that can occur due to anxiety?
Tip 3: Another relief behavior that can occur due to anxiety is that the individual learns from this emotion. Being calm, answering questions, getting information the patient needs that you may not have, and being reassuring can do much to help the patient and/or his family move from a highly negative emotional level to one in which they can be as comfortable as possible and ready to learn about, and take on the needed healthcare.
Is being admitted to a hospital a run of the mill experience?
Being admitted to a hospital, having surgery (either inpatient or outpatient), or being diagnosed with a chronic disease is not their run of the mill experience.
How to make sure a patient is not anxious?
Give specific directions like “breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth.”. Take some vital signs to make sure the patient isn’t anxious for a medical reason. Dim the lights. Ask family members to step out for a moment to let the patient rest.
How to help a patient with anxiety?
To help minimize anxiety, let your patient know everything that you are doing and why you are doing it. Also, before you enter the patient’s room, make sure you’re prepared. Bring with you any new medication hand-outs and be able to explain the rationale behind administering all of them.
What to do when you get anxious in a report?
If in report you get a particularly anxious patient or family member, then prepare yourself to “practice your patience.” Use this as an opportunity to train yourself to remain calm in stressful situations.
What is the most important skill to learn when dealing with anxious patients?
When dealing with anxious patients, the most important skill to learn is to listen. Most patients just want to know that you are listening to their concerns. People come into their room all day long talking at them and rarely ask them how they’re feeling.
What is the one thing that most people agree on about a hospital?
The one thing that most people can agree on about a hospital is that virtually nobody really wants to be there; patients would rather be at home and healthy. This leads to stress, anxiety, pain, and fear in the hospital setting and unfortunately are all common emotions experienced not only by patients and families, but healthcare workers as well.
How to be empathetic to someone?
Be empathetic. Be aware of your own biases or assumptions. We all have conscious and unconscious beliefs about how people should or should not behave in certain situations. But, the truth is that unless you’ve actually been in that situation yourself, you shouldn’t judge how someone else should feel or act.
Is it scary to be in the hospital?
Patients have every right to be anxious — being in the hospital is scary. But, learning how to manage stress in yourself and others is a unique skill that you’ll carry with you throughout your life, not just on shift.
How to help a doctor with phobia?
Different types of talk therapy and relaxation techniques may also help. While medications can ease short-term anxiety, they don’t address the root of the doctor phobia and most often aren’t needed, physicians say.
Why do doctors fear dental care?
One underlying cause of doctor fear is the increasingly impersonal nature of health care, according to Rosen. But when it comes to dental care, the experience may be too personal.
What does Yusko say about anxiety?
When Yusko treats these patients, he says their anxiety is obvious: “They’ll wring their hands; they’ll cross their arms or legs; or they’ll try to turn their body away from the image or hide their eyes from it. They’ll talk about their heart beating quickly, their hands getting sweaty and feeling dizzy or nauseous.”.
What is the medical name for fear of doctors?
David Yusko, clinical director at the University of Pennsylvania 's Center for the Treatment and Study of Anxiety, treats patients with iatrophobia – the medical name for fear of doctors. He says the phobia probably affects about 3 percent of the population. Such people can be helped by exposure therapy – in which they’re gradually confronted ...
How to cope with future visits?
To cope with future visits, she and Rosen came up with a plan: Pack a bag with items for distraction, find a quiet waiting room corner away from the intrusive TV and read, do needlepoint or check email.
What was Virginia Lounsbury's diagnosis?
She underwent a barrage of treatments and multiple hospitalizations until the life-changing diagnosis – postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, or POTS, a rare genetic condition – came 2.5 years later.
Is needle phobia common?
Needle phobia is also common, Rosen says, above and beyond the distaste most people have when faced with an injection or blood draw. When he talks patients through exaggerated fears, it often turns out they’ve imagined excruciating pain that could last for hours.
What happens when someone you love refuses to get treatment?
When someone you love refuses to get professional treatment for their mental health disorder—such as depression, bipolar disorder, or substance abuse —this can put you, as a family member, in a very uncomfortable and difficult position. You care for the person and can see that he or she needs help, but feel powerless and unable to just stand by.
How to help a woman with a mental illness?
Offer to help with the logistics, which can sometimes feel overwhelming to a person in the midst of a mental health episode. This could include providing phone numbers for the mental health professionals in her area or driving her to an appointment. Help her to understand that going for an evaluation does not mean that she has to agree to the proposed treatment—she can take time to think about it.
What does it mean to distancing yourself from a sick family member?
That, a lot of times, means distancing yourself from the sick family member who refused treatment. Everyone has limits, and when said mentally sick family member has a long history of repeated abusive behavior I say family members have a right to protect themselves from harm.
What are the areas of concern?
Common areas of concern are: alterations in overall appearance. decreased level of energy. fatigue. lack of interest in previously enjoyed people or activities. changes in sleep, appetite, or weight.
How old do you have to be to get a psychotic treatment?
You care for the person and can see that he or she needs help, but feel powerless and unable to just stand by. You cannot force anyone over the age of 18 into treatment, unless they pose a danger to themselves or others or show signs of psychotic thinking (which is not very common).
Why does my loved one refuse to move forward?
If your loved one refuses to move forward, it’s useful to try to understand what is behind his reasons for refusing treatment and then address those issues. A person may refuse to accept mental health treatment for many reasons, including: He may believe it indicates he is a failure.
Can elderly people not participate in treatment?
Other's won't participate, and, if they aren' t a danger to themselves or others, have a right to not participate in treatment. The author mentioned elderly people. Elderly people (probably over the age of 75 or so) didn't grow up with treatment options, and thus, many won' t participate in them.
Why do people go to hospital?
A patient can be hospitalized for various reasons such as a serious illness, a nasty accident, or post-surgery recuperation. No matter the reason, they feel more than just physical symptoms.
How can nurses help with symptoms?
Nurses should help them deal with their symptoms by providing emotional support to them . By meeting their patients’ physiological and emotional needs, they also improve the healing process and help patients feel safe and more empowered with managing their own recovery.
How Can Resiliency Help Nurses Provide Emotional Support to Patients?
This, in turn, increases their ability to perform under pressure and helps them provide the necessary emotional support to their patients.
Why is it important for nurses to welcome patients?
By creating a comfortable place for patients, nurses help them adjust to hospital life more quickly.
Why should nurses share experience and knowledge?
That’s why nurses should share experience and knowledge linked to their patients’ experience in order to get to know them better while showing enthusiasm and empathy and avoiding making discriminatory and judgmental statements, Today explains.
What is the fear of the unfamiliar?
Fearing the unfamiliar is a common feeling among both patients and their families, but one of the many elements of nursing includes mitigating that fear. Nurses are the healthcare professionals who spend the most time with patients and their families during their hospital stay. Doctors may cure, but nurses are responsible for providing care.
How does a nurse help patients?
By creating a comfortable place for patients, nurses help them adjust to hospital life more quickly. As Patient Engagement Hit explains, this affects the overall patient experience, satisfaction, and psychological and emotional state.
How to avoid talking about trauma?
Without training in trauma, many therapists naturally go too far on one side or the other: being too sympathetic and engaged with the client or being too distant and impassive. On the overly sympathetic side , this can lead to therapist avoidance of talking about the trauma. It is hard to hear about horrific things and to see someone you care about in emotional distress. Or the therapist can tolerate hearing about it, but they care so much, they bring it home, resulting in therapist burnout. The flipside is trying to prevent this by being too impassive or stoic. Allowing the client to have any emotion or share any details without any human reaction. This can communicate to the client that their trauma “isn’t that bad” or they’re “overreacting.” The most effective level is in the middle. Channeling your own genuine reactions into what’s most effective for the client to heal – this is a balance of showing genuine compassion and reactions to validate their own experience and emotions, while also communicating that you can handle this. Many clients are afraid to share details of their traumas because they’re afraid of hurting their therapist! Be very careful that your level of disclosure does not communicate this to the client.
What is avoidance in PTSD?
Avoidance is the hallmark of PTSD. In many people with a history of trauma, they develop more of an anxiety reaction as opposed to an avoidance reaction. This means that they are constantly ruminating about the trauma and really want to talk about it. It feels good for them to talk about it and “get it off their chest.”.
What is the metaphor for trauma?
One metaphor is thinking of trauma work as debriding a wound – it’s painful, but needed for healing to happen instead of dealing with the pain of it festering every day. If they have PTSD, they’re already thinking about it daily. Exposure work is talking about it in a way that would help.
Does ruminating on past trauma make it worse?
If someone is already thinking about and ruminating on their traumatic past all the time, without trying to avoid or block it out, doing exposure work of talking about it more will actually make it worse and keep them stuck. So, with rumination, you do the opposite of exposure work.
Can PTSD be talked about?
Confusing ruminating with intrusive thoughts. With clients with PTSD, they do not want to talk about their trauma. Without exception. They may need to know they have to, they may initiate it, but they won’t want to and it will be very difficult for them to share details and/or express emotions initially.
Can you handle talking about trauma?
This good intention can have the negative consequence of communicating to the client that they, or even you, can’t handle talking about the trauma, or that the solution when you’re upset is to avoid. This can be very detrimental to people with PTSD because PTSD is created and maintained by avoidance!
Can a therapist feel overwhelmed?
Though with such intensive work, many therapists can feel overwhelmed or not sure if they’re doing the most helpful thing. Through my experiences, I’ve identified 5 common things that therapists often instinctively do that can derail therapy. Hopefully this information can help in your own practice treating clients with trauma histories.
