Part of treating anxiety with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is recognizing the triggers that cause it.

This is not at all a new strategy. Cognitive behavioral therapy has been practiced by professionals in mental health for several decades now to allow a patient to change their behaviors in order to overcome issues in mental and emotional health from which they have been suffering. This means that it is not only a successful form of therapy for people suffering from anxiety, but can also help people to work through other serious mental health problems and struggles.

When used to help people to combat anxiety issues, cognitive behavioral therapy is broken into two separate parts. The first part looks into the actual sources of the anxiety. This has to do with the psychological elements of the problem, which must be identified. This means that the patient will work with the doctor in order to seek out the various triggers that bring about the anxiety being experienced. This way, steps can be taken in order to counteract the impact of the trigger, taking away its power to cause the anxiety.

The second part of cognitive behavioral therapy has to do with the efforts that are taken to overcome the anxiety. This has to do with taking actions connected to the activities or physical actions that are causing the anxiety to occur. The first stage of cognitive behavioral therapy was a mental one, but the second stage is more physical as it is meant to modify the way a trigger occurs so that activities that would typically cause anxiety will not do so anymore – or will at least only cause a manageable amount of stress.

This is a process that can take some time, as there can be many different triggers for anxiety, and several efforts may need to be made in order to discover the best action for counteracting the triggers and to make those efforts into a regular habit so that they become a natural part of a person’s daily life instead of a conscious labor.

For more information about Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, please visit the website for the National Association of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapists.

Zoloft is one of the most prescribed medications for the treatment of depression, stress disorders and anxiety disorders.

In 2007, Zoloft was prescribed more than any other antidepressant available on the American market, with 29,652,000 prescriptions having been written and filled. Though the actual effect of this form of antidepressant is considered to be comparable to that of the older tricyclic form of antidepressants, these are often a first choice simply because their side effects are different and less dramatic. In fact, some studies are starting to show that drugs of Zoloft’s nature are actually more effective for some kinds of depression than fluoxetine (commonly known as Prozac). Furthermore, it is known to be exceptionally effective in treating anxiety and panic disorders. That being said, cognitive behavioral therapy is still considered to be a superior treatment for obsessive compulsive disorder than Zoloft – but Zoloft in combination with cognitive behavioral therapy is much better than either one on their own.

Actual social phobia (the extreme version of social anxiety disorder) and post-traumatic disorders can see improvements through the use of Zoloft, but only modestly. Other therapies are recommended in conjunction with the drug. Zoloft has also been known to help ease the symptoms of premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) when using sub-therapeutic doses or simply using it intermittently as needed for treatment.

Though a very effective drug, Zoloft does not come without the risk of side effects – some of which are quite common. These side effects are universal throughout the SSRI class of drugs. They include diarrhea, nausea, insomnia, sleepiness, and sexual side effects. Some people also report dry mouth. That being said, unlike many other SSRIs, Zoloft has not been shown to lead to weight gain and any cognition impacts it has are deemed to be mild. As with other forms of antidepressant, in some specific types of cases, there is an increased risk of suicidal thoughts with Zoloft – however, statistics relating to this topic are currently subject to controversy.