Jennifer Hartstein, PsyD., St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital
Question: How do I know when my family member with an anxiety disorder needs professional or emergency help?
Answer: If your family member is not functioning in the way you know them to be able to function -- if they're really having a hard time leaving the house, if they're having a hard time facing day-to-day situations in a way that would make sense to what their previous functioning is -- you may want to look for professional help. And you may want to try and find opportunities to get them somebody to talk to -- be it a clergyman, a therapist, some sort of counselor -- where they can really find some support. Cognitive behavioral therapy is really the most effective therapeutic intervention, along with different kinds of medications specifically aimed at anxiety.
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