Anxiety, simplified

Book and glasses

I thought it would be good to return to a more “bread and butter” informational psychiatry post for once.  Consider this a drastic reductionism of a complex field. Following the prior post about avoiding benzodiazepines, many have asked — What else can I do to feel less anxious besides take benzodiazepines? The short answer is other (safer) medications, and/or psychotherapy. Like any other blog post, this isn’t a substitution for medical advice, since there can be causes of anxiety that require medical intervention, such as hyperthyroidism. Make sure you get evaluated properly before trying to chalk your anxiety up to

Why I hate Xanax

Macro shot of white pills with one blue pill

A lot of people like Xanax. It’s given out like candy. People get it from their friends, from their primary care doctors, even from their psychiatrist. I hate it. I might go so far as to say it’s evil, though really it’s just bringing out the worst aspects of our nature. In my professional opinion, it’s bad for you. But no one wants to hear that. Yes, it feels good when you take it. People take it for anxiety. They feel less anxious (usually) after taking it. Must be working, logic would dictate. Unfortunately this is short-sighted, in the same