Anxiety: Seeing and Treating the Whole Picture
Anxiety is the most common psychiatric condition in adults, yet it remains widely undertreated. Not because effective treatments don't exist, but because anxiety is frequently minimized, misattributed, or addressed only at the surface level.
Many adults with anxiety have spent years managing symptoms through sheer effort: staying busy, avoiding triggers, or pushing through. Others have tried medication with limited success, often because the underlying contributors — sleep, nutrition, hormonal factors, unaddressed trauma — were never evaluated alongside the diagnosis.
At Sora Psychiatry, anxiety treatment begins with a thorough assessment of what is driving your symptoms. The goal is not simply symptom suppression, but a meaningful reduction in anxiety that allows you to engage fully in your life.
Who Is a Good Fit for Sora Psychiatry?
We work best with adults who:
Are seeking a thorough evaluation rather than a quick diagnosis
Want to understand why they're struggling, not just get a prescription
Are open to a treatment plan that may include lifestyle and supplement components alongside (or instead of) medication
Are comfortable with telehealth and self-pay practice
We do not currently work with children or adolescents or adults over 65 years of age. If you are in crisis or need urgent psychiatric support, please contact your nearest emergency services.
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Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) involves persistent, excessive worry that is difficult to control and causes meaningful impairment in daily functioning. Stress is typically tied to identifiable external circumstances and resolves when those circumstances change. When worry is chronic, pervasive, and out of proportion to the situation — and when it is accompanied by physical symptoms and sleep disturbance — a clinical evaluation is appropriate.
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Not necessarily. The appropriate treatment depends on the severity of your symptoms, the degree of functional impairment, and your personal preferences. Mild to moderate anxiety often responds well to therapy, lifestyle modification, and targeted supplement support. Moderate to severe anxiety, or anxiety that has not responded to these approaches, frequently benefits from medication. We will discuss all options and make a recommendation based on your individual presentation.
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Partial or inadequate response to medication is common and often reflects undertreated contributing factors rather than a failure of medication itself. A reassessment of your diagnosis, your current regimen, sleep quality, lifestyle factors, and supplement status can frequently identify avenues that have not yet been explored.
How We Treat Anxiety
Medication
Medication is appropriate for many patients with anxiety and can significantly reduce symptom burden, particularly when anxiety is moderate to severe or is interfering with daily functioning. We prescribe and manage a range of evidence-based medications including SSRIs, SNRIs, and non-habit-forming adjunctive agents.
We do not routinely prescribe benzodiazepines for ongoing anxiety management given their dependence potential and limited long-term efficacy. When short-term use is clinically appropriate, this is discussed transparently as part of a broader treatment plan.
Supplements and Nutrition
Several supplements have meaningful evidence supporting their use in anxiety, and can be valuable as standalone interventions for milder presentations or as adjuncts to medication:
Magnesium — one of the most well-supported supplements for anxiety; plays a direct role in regulating the stress response and is commonly deficient in adults with high stress loads
Omega-3 fatty acids — anti-inflammatory properties with data supporting reduction in anxiety symptoms, particularly in combination with other treatments
Ashwagandha — an adaptogenic herb with growing evidence for reducing cortisol and perceived stress in adults with generalized anxiety
L-theanine — an amino acid found in green tea that promotes relaxed alertness without sedation; well-tolerated and useful for situational or performance anxiety
B vitamins — particularly B6 and B12; deficiencies are associated with mood dysregulation and heightened anxiety
We review your current supplement use, dietary patterns, and relevant labs before making recommendations.
Lifestyle Factors
The relationship between lifestyle and anxiety is bidirectional: anxiety disrupts sleep, exercise, and eating habits, and those disruptions in turn worsen anxiety. Addressing lifestyle factors is not ancillary to treatment — for many patients, it is treatment.
Sleep — anxiety and sleep disorders are deeply intertwined; improving sleep quality often produces measurable reductions in daytime anxiety
Exercise — consistent aerobic exercise has comparable efficacy to medication for mild to moderate anxiety in several studies; the mechanism involves regulation of the HPA axis and endocannabinoid system
Caffeine and stimulants — frequently overlooked as a contributing factor; even moderate caffeine intake can significantly worsen anxiety in susceptible individuals
Gut health — emerging evidence supports a bidirectional gut-brain axis; dysbiosis and gastrointestinal symptoms are common in anxiety and worth addressing
Stress physiology — understanding how your nervous system responds to stress, and building concrete practices that support parasympathetic tone, is a meaningful part of long-term management
Therapy Referrals
Psychotherapy — particularly cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) — has the strongest evidence base of any intervention for anxiety disorders. For many patients, a combination of therapy and psychiatric management produces the best outcomes. We maintain referral relationships with therapists who specialize in anxiety, OCD, and trauma, and will help identify the right fit based on your presentation and preferences.
Ready to Get to the Root of It?
If anxiety has been a persistent presence in your life — whether newly recognized or long-standing — a thorough evaluation is a meaningful first step. Dr. Yu takes the time to understand your full picture and develop a treatment plan designed to produce lasting change, not just short-term relief.