Anxiety Disorder Treatment in Waldorf, MD and Maryland
Anxiety is one of the most common and most treatable mental health conditions. At Oasis of Hope, we evaluate it carefully and treat it directly, with medication, therapy, or both, in person in Waldorf or by telepsychiatry anywhere in Maryland.
Insurance plans we accept
What Anxiety is , and what it is not.
Anxiety is the body's normal response to stress or danger. It becomes a disorder when the worry is out of proportion to the situation, hard to control, and present often enough that it interferes with work, school, relationships, or sleep. It is not a character flaw or a lack of willpower, and it is not something you can simply talk yourself out of.
"Anxiety disorder" is an umbrella term. It includes generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, social anxiety, specific phobias, and separation anxiety, among others. The symptoms overlap, but the pattern differs from person to person, which is why an accurate diagnosis matters before any treatment begins.
Anxiety disorders are common, and they respond well to treatment. Most people who get care see real, lasting improvement. The hard part is usually starting, because anxiety itself can make reaching out feel like more than you can manage. You do not have to have it figured out before you call.
What it can look like.
Anxiety shows up in the body and the mind both, and only a comprehensive evaluation can tell whether what you are experiencing is an anxiety disorder; common signs include the following.
- Persistent worry or a sense of dread that is hard to control
- Feeling restless, keyed up, or on edge
- Trouble concentrating, or the mind going blank
- Irritability that is out of character
- Muscle tension, headaches, or unexplained aches
- Sleep problems, trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or restless sleep
- A racing heart, shortness of breath, sweating, or trembling
- Stomach trouble, nausea, or a churning gut
- Avoiding the places, people, or situations that set the anxiety off
- Sudden, intense waves of fear that peak within minutes (panic attacks)
How we treat Anxiety at Oasis of Hope.
Care begins with a comprehensive psychiatric evaluation. In a 60 to 90 minute first visit, we take your full history, talk through what brings you in, and use validated screening tools such as the GAD-7 to measure the anxiety accurately. A diagnosis is made only after this evaluation, because the right treatment depends on which kind of anxiety you have and what else may be going on alongside it.
For many people, the most effective plan combines medication management with psychotherapy. Charlotte Ayuk-Nkem, APRN, CRNP-PMH, a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, prescribes and adjusts medication where it helps, finding the right medication at the right dose, then refining it over follow-up visits as your needs change. Medication is a tool for lowering the biological intensity of anxiety so the rest of the work has room to happen.
On the therapy side, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) has strong evidence for anxiety; it helps you recognize and shift the thought patterns that feed worry and avoidance. Through psychotherapy we also draw on supportive and interpersonal approaches, matching the method to you rather than fitting you to a method. Some people do well with therapy alone, some with medication alone, and many with both, the mix is decided with you.
We treat patients ages 6 and up, including children, adolescents, adults, and older adults. Care is available in person at our Waldorf office or by secure telepsychiatry across Maryland, with the same depth either way.
Starting care is one phone call.
Your first visit is the comprehensive evaluation, an unhurried conversation, not a test. We listen, ask about your history and what you are experiencing now, and end the visit with an initial diagnosis where one is warranted and a plan you understand and agree with. From there, treatment might be medication, therapy, or a combination, scheduled to fit your life.
You can be seen in person at our Waldorf, MD office or by telepsychiatry anywhere in Maryland. We accept 13 insurance plans, including Medicaid and Medicare, and we verify your coverage before your first visit, call 301-710-4218 with any questions.
If you or someone you love is in immediate crisis, call or text 988 (the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline) or call 911. Oasis of Hope is not an emergency service.
More conditions we treat
Anxiety questions
Common questions about anxiety disorders and how we treat it at Oasis of Hope.
Still have a question? Reach out, we'll answer honestly.
Your first step is a single phone call.
Book a consultation online or call us directly. We answer Monday through Saturday, 8:30am–6pm.