Anxiety disorders comprise a significant portion of my work in that anxiety and panic are often co-occurring with other disorders (PTSD, Depression, Bipolar Disorder) or are severe enough to diagnose as “stand-alone” disorders such as Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, Specific Phobia, or Social Anxiety Disorder. The underlying element to all such difficulties is “excessive fear, anxiety, and the related behavioral disturbance” (DMS-5).

Anxiety Treatment

Understanding the relationship of the anxiety to the life experiences of the patient or the overarching diagnosis is paramount to determining effective intervention. I work with my patients using evidence based protocols to manage their anxiety, social distress, and fear either as an independent treatment or as an integral aspect of the overall treatment.

Dr. Randa is active in working with patients who experience intense anxiety related to obsessive bad thoughts. Often misdiagnosed as Obsessive Compulsive Behavior, obsessive bad thoughts lack the compulsive aspect of OCD. Obsessive bad thoughts are specific, they are “thinking the most inappropriate things at the most inappropriate times” (Lee Baer, PhD.) and usually consist of thoughts related to aggression, inappropriate sexual thoughts, or blasphemous religious thoughts. In our climate of political correctness, is can be difficult to broach this topic, of having significantly inappropriate thoughts, leading to further anxiety that “something is really wrong with me” and the resultant experience of shame.