Traditionally, the options for managing worries, fears and anxiety have been psychological methods and/or medication. Although anxiety medication was very popular in the 1970s and early 1980s, more recently psychological methods have been gaining popularity. Tranquillizers are not necessarily a bad thing as long as they are used under the advice of a doctor. In fact, tranquillizers might be invaluable for helping someone through a crisis; but their long-term use is generally considered to be unhelpful.

There are several strong arguments for adopting a psychological rather than a pharmacological or drug-based approach: first, there is evidence that drugs promote dependency while being no more effective than psychological management;

secondly, drugs can provide a means of subtle avoidance for the user who can then become psychologically dependent on medication;

thirdly, there is also the possibility that tranquillizers will simply mask symptoms of worry, fear and anxiety but will not address the root of the problem, which may then remain a source of vulnerability to stress;

finally, anxiety medication can give rise to unpleasant side-effects which might even worsen the anxieties of someone who is very sensitive to bodily changes.

On the positive side, there is increasing evidence that those suffering from anxiety-related difficulties can benefit from self-help-as long as the self-help program is organized in away that helps sufferers to pace themselves realistically and as long as the techniques in that program are very well rehearsed.

I have posted several articles on this blog that present a recovery program in the form of
a range of coping strategies which can help modify the physical, psychological and behavioral symptoms associated with problem anxiety. Anyone planning to reduce her or his use of tranquillizers and other anxiety medications should anticipate having to invest time in learning and practicing the self-help strategies.

Reducing Your Dependency on Anxiety Medications