If you feel that you are struggling with anxiety, you don’t have to struggle alone. You can call The National Mental Health Hotline at 866-903-3787 to speak to a professional about anxiety symptoms and get help with mental health resources.
Are you struggling with daily anxiety? Do you freeze in certain situations or become easily overwhelmed? Are your anxious, intrusive thoughts starting to take a toll on your work and family life? You may have an anxiety disorder and need professional treatment. Perhaps you’re walking through a stressful time in your life and need to talk to someone who understands and listens to you.
If you’re in the United States, you can find help and hope. Mental Health Hotline is a hub for several free, reputable anxiety crisis hotline centers, available 24 hours a day for people just like you. If you or a loved one is suffering from an anxiety disorder, you deserve to live a happy life. Call 866-903-3787 today.
Resources
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- Crisis Text Line: Text and Online Chat
The Crisis Text Line is a volunteer based service that provides 24/7 free support, with an online chat at crisistextline.org as well as a textable number at 741741 - SAMHSA National Helpline
SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) provides a free 24-hour service in English and Spanish for any mental health or substance abuse related needs. Text: 435748, Call: 1-800-662-4357 or TTY 1-800-487-4889 - NAMI Helpline
The NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) provides a volunteer helpline answering questions and offering support for all Mental Illness topics. Text: 62640 or Call (800)950-6264 - Mental Health Hotline is a free, 24-hour service established to provide resources for those seeking help and connect them with appropriate and local care.
- Crisis Text Line: Text and Online Chat
What is An Anxiety Hotline?
An anxiety hotline connects people experiencing situational anxiety or with a diagnosed anxiety disorder to find help in their area. Counselors serve many roles, talking with you and listening to your situation to find the best fit for your needs. Additionally, counselors can help you with the following:
- Supporting you in a crisis
- Helping you find free resources in your area
- Looking at different anxiety disorder treatment providers
- Answering questions about your insurance coverage
If you’re reading this page, you’ve made the right decision to care for yourself, and you’re in the right place. Help is available for you today, and there are many options to help you in the future.
Anxiety Disorders are More Common Than You Think — You’re Not Alone
When you call a hotline for anxiety, you may feel like you’re isolated or that you’re the only one feeling these intrusive thoughts. You aren’t alone — in fact, anxiety disorders are the most common type of mental illness in the U.S., affecting almost 20% of adults, or 19 million people.
Some other statistics to consider, presented by the Anxiety & Depression Association of America:
- Anxiety disorders are very treatable, but only 36% of people get therapy
- Panic disorder affects 6 million adults
- 9% of adults have specific phobias
- More than 15 million adults suffer from social anxiety disorder
Everyone experiences stress. There’s a difference between anxiety and stress, though: Stress is a direct, physiological, and emotional response to a threat in a specific situation. Anxiety is a response to stress. So, chronic stress can lead to developing generalized anxiety disorder or one of the more specific situational anxiety disorders.
What Causes Anxiety?
Everyone gets into a situation when they feel anxious. One person may fear public speaking, while another may hesitate about asking someone out on a date or have texting anxiety in relationships. Your childhood experience, trauma in your life, and your personality in general may make you anxious about certain situations or feel panicky when in a triggering situation.
However, a medical difference exists between an anxious situation and an anxiety disorder. Medical experts believe that both genetics and environment — nature and nurture — contribute to developing a diagnosable anxiety disorder.
Information About Anxiety Disorders
Anxiety Disorders are more than just feeling nervous. Left untreated, an anxiety disorder affects all aspects of your life, making it harder to go to school or work, difficult to form relationships with other people, or even leave your house to enjoy activities you used to love.
Symptoms of situational anxiety or an anxiety disorder include some of the following:
- Feeling like you’re in danger or threatened
- Intrusive, frightening thoughts that come out of nowhere
- Shutting down or disengaging in situations where you feel threatened
- Inability to sit still or feeling restless and agitated
- Feeling a cold sweat, shaking, or having an elevated heart rate
- Changes in your appetite, such as being unable to eat
- Suddenly feeling hot or cold
You don’t have to feel all of these at once to experience anxiety, but many people may present more than one symptom at once. Even mild anxiety can seriously impact your life. For those with a severe anxiety disorder, feeling completely out of control is very common.
Anxiety disorders are separated into three categories in The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V), the manual that health providers use to diagnose mental illnesses:
- Anxiety Disorders (separation anxiety disorder, selective mutism, specific phobia, social phobia, panic disorder, agoraphobia, and generalized anxiety disorder).
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders (obsessive-compulsive disorder, body dysmorphic disorder, hoarding disorder, trichotillomania, and excoriation disorder).
- Trauma and Stressor-Related Disorders (reactive attachment disorder, disinhibited social engagement disorder, PTSD, acute stress disorder, and adjustment disorder).
Anxiety Can Be Treated
You don’t have to let anxiety control your life — there are countless resources available that can help get to the root of your concerns. Here are some of the treatments that can help you lead an anxiety-free life:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: A professional therapist may use this technique to help change your perception of situations that trigger anxiety.
- Mindfulness practices: Practices such as meditation can help you focus on the moment so you don’t get caught up in the “what-ifs”.
- Exercise: Increasing your physical activity through yoga, walking, or other activities helps you focus your mind and naturally boosts your mood.
- Make dietary modifications: Foods such as refined sugar and caffeine are shown to exacerbate anxiety disorders and symptoms.
- Support groups: Talking to others can help you feel less alone and provide a network of like-minded friends.
If you are looking for a free anxiety hotline or feel like you’re currently in a crisis, we have professional counselors who are available 24 hours a day to talk, text, or chat online.