All Services > Our Specialties > Women's Psychiatry
Mood Disorders Anxiety Disorders Stress and Anxiety resulting from Life Transitions Adult ADHD
Using a personalized and collaborative approach we implement evidence-based medication and progressive psychotherapeutic treatment modalities to address depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, and ADHD in adults.
MOOD AND ANXIETY DISORDERS
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
• Adult ADD and ADHD
Depression
Depression is not a weakness or a label being applied to everyday sadness. It is a very common, often debilitating condition that affects an estimated 25 million adults in the United States per year. It can occur in anyone at any age. When untreated, it can impair work performance, change relationships, and dramatically reduce the quality of life.
Symptoms of depression can include the following:
• Feeling persistently sad or “empty”
• Feeling hopeless, irritable, anxious, or angry
• Loss of interest in work, family, or once-pleasurable activities, including sex
• Low self-esteem or excessive guilt
• Feeling very tired
• Difficulty making decisions
• Not being able to concentrate or remember details
• Not being able to sleep, or sleeping too much overeating, or not wanting to eat at all
• Thoughts of suicide or wanting to “escape”
• Aches or pains, headaches, cramps, or digestive problems
• Inability to meet the responsibilities of work, caring for family, or other important activities
Our doctors provide a choice of highly effective, individualized treatments for depression and mood disorders. We offer various types of therapy and offer expertise in the use of medication. When performed in a person-centered, thoughtful manner, these treatments are proven to be life-changing interventions for what can feel like a hopeless situation.
You do not have to suffer silently- there is help available.
Anxiety
Anxiety is a normal reaction to stress and can be beneficial in some situations. It can alert us to dangers and help us prepare and pay attention.
Anxiety disorders differ from normal feelings of nervousness or anxiousness and involve excessive fear or anxiety. Anxiety disorders are the most common of mental disorders and affect more than 25 million Americans. But anxiety disorders are treatable and a number of effective treatments are available. Treatment helps most people lead normal productive lives.
The high level of stress and rapid pace of life in the Washington, D.C. area can often uncover or worsen stress and anxiety. People seeking help for anxiety have often tried to manage on their own, but their anxiety has not improved and has led to persistent discomfort and disturbances in their life and routine.
Some people with anxiety experience constant worry, often about relationships, health, family, money, or work. This worry goes on every day, possibly all day.
In others, anxiety appears in the form of irritability or anger. It disrupts social activities and interferes with work, school, or family relationships.
Anxiety can also manifest as rumination, in which the same thoughts repeat themselves in the mind. Sometimes, anxiety can escalate and lead to anxiety “attacks” or panic.
Physical symptoms of anxiety can include the following:
• muscle tension
• fatigue
• restlessness
• difficulty sleeping
• irritability
• edginess
• poor concentration
• “shaking”
• nausea
• headaches
The good news is that anxiety responds very well to treatment.
The roots of anxiety can quickly be identified, understood, and changed. Several evidence-based therapies, including Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Panic-Focused Psychodynamic Therapy (PFPP) are specifically designed to alleviate anxiety.
Medication, when necessary, is highly effective in reducing the physical and psychological burdens of anxiety. It can also lead to the total resolution of panic attacks.
Our doctors and therapists effectively treat many people suffering from stress, anxiety, and panic. By understanding your unique story and the way anxiety is impacting your life, we will offer you a tailored treatment plan. We will work together to help you get your life back.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is an anxiety disorder in which people have recurring, unwanted thoughts, ideas, or sensations (obsessions) that make them feel driven to do something repetitively (compulsions). Repetitive behaviors, such as hand washing, checking on things, or cleaning, can significantly interfere with a person’s daily activities and social interactions.
Many people have focused thoughts or repeated behaviors. But these do not disrupt daily life and may add structure or make tasks easier. For people with OCD, thoughts are persistent and unwanted routines and behaviors are rigid, and not doing them causes great distress. Many people with OCD know or suspect their obsessions are not true; others may think they could be true (known as poor insight). Even if they know their obsessions are not true, people with OCD have a hard time keeping their focus off the obsessions or stopping the compulsive actions.
Adult ADD and ADHD
Attention-deficit disorder (ADD) and Attention-deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) were initially described as neurobehavioral conditions affecting only adolescents. It is now widely recognized that many people go through life with these conditions. Sometimes a person may be coping with ADD for much of their life without consequences, and then it hits them when they are challenged in a higher level of school, or at a more demanding job. Adult ADD affects the executive function of the brain–the brain functions that activate, organize, and manage other functions. They cause problems with attention, impulsivity, and overactivity. A diagnosis depends on the specific syndromes (inattentive, hyperactive-impulsive, and combined). Predominant symptoms include having difficulty focusing attention on a task, being easily distracted or bored, struggling to follow instructions, fidgeting, and impatience.