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(719) 800-9371 Verify InsuranceDrift Behavioral Health treats adults with anxiety at our office on North Academy Boulevard in Colorado Springs. Virtual care reaches anywhere in Colorado. Adults call us about panic attacks, constant worry, and nights without sleep. Our anxiety treatment in Colorado Springs begins with a psychiatric evaluation. From there, you start in partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient care, or virtual sessions, based on your symptoms. A therapist and a psychiatric provider share one plan for you.
Anxiety disorders are among the most common mental health conditions in the US. According to the CDC, in 2022, about 18.2% of adults in the United States reported experiencing symptoms within the past two weeks, and the World Health Organization estimates that 4% of the global population suffers from anxiety disorders. They go beyond everyday stress and can seriously impact your ability to function. With the right diagnosis and treatment, most people see real improvement.
Anxiety is your body's response to stress, often showing up as worry or fear. It affects how you think, feel, and respond to pressure. Everyone feels anxious sometimes, but a disorder brings ongoing fear that doesn't go away. Some people have anxiety attacks, which are sudden, intense episodes of fear that can feel overwhelming. Occasional worry is part of life. An anxiety disorder is more persistent and more disruptive.
Anxiety can have many causes. Genetics, brain chemistry, past trauma, chronic stress, and certain medical conditions can all play a role. Sometimes there is no clear reason why it starts. For some people, it begins in childhood; for others, it develops later in life.
Anxiety often occurs alongside depression, ADHD, trauma, or OCD. Substance use can be part of the picture too. Each condition can feed the others, so a person with panic attacks may also sleep poorly and feel low. Our team treats anxiety and any co-occurring condition in one coordinated plan. You see one care team, and your therapist and psychiatric provider work from the same plan.
Anxiety looks different from one person to the next. Some feel it most in the body, while others notice it in their thoughts or mood. Anxiety treatment in Colorado Springs works best when it matches how anxiety affects your day. Physical symptoms may include:
Racing heart
Sweating
Shortness of breath
Headaches or dizziness
Upset stomach or nausea
Emotional and cognitive symptoms may include:
Excessive worry or fear
Irritability or feeling on edge
Trouble concentrating
Feeling overwhelmed
Difficulty sleeping
Symptoms that last for weeks or disrupt work and sleep are worth a professional evaluation.
There are several types of anxiety disorders. Each has its own challenges, and each responds to the right care.
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) involves persistent, hard-to-control worry about many parts of daily life.
Social anxiety causes intense fear in social settings or when others may be watching.
Panic disorder leads to unexpected panic attacks and a lasting fear of the next one.
Phobias involve an extreme fear of specific objects, places, or situations.
Anxiety treatment in Colorado Springs at Drift pairs psychiatric care with skills-based therapy. Your psychiatric provider handles diagnosis and any medication. Your therapist works with you to determine the most appropriate therapies. We also include holistic care options to fit your specific needs.
Diagnosis starts with a full mental health evaluation, usually led by a psychiatric nurse practitioner. You discuss your symptoms, daily habits, and medical history. The provider tracks your symptoms formally and completes a mental status exam. Your provider then compares your answers with the DSM-5 criteria for anxiety disorders, which helps keep the diagnosis accurate. The evaluation also covers which medications you have tried and any allergies. From there, your team writes a care plan that fits your needs.
Medication can ease symptoms, especially alongside therapy. Common options include SSRIs such as sertraline (Zoloft) and fluoxetine (Prozac), and SNRIs such as venlafaxine (Effexor). Anxiety medication management in Colorado Springs starts with a psychiatric evaluation, where your provider asks what you have tried before. Your provider explains benefits and side effects before you start anything. Regular check-ins show whether the regimen is working, and changes happen only with your provider.
Alongside therapy and medication, Drift offers mindfulness, yoga, and art and music therapy. These practices help your body settle when your thoughts race. You can use them between sessions, on a hard evening or before a stressful day. Grounding and stress management skills also come up in individual and group sessions. You leave with habits you can repeat on your own.
Anxiety therapy in Colorado Springs at Drift starts with two methods. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is time-limited and goal-driven. You and your therapist trace a fear, such as dread before a presentation, to the thought driving it. Then you test the thought against what happens. Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) adds mindfulness and distress tolerance for the moments when your body gets ahead of your thinking. It also teaches you to accept a feeling you can't change while you work on what you can.
In individual sessions, you work through your own triggers, and your therapist adapts the plan as you progress. Group therapy puts you in a small, clinician-led group with a set framework. You practice skills in real time and get feedback from people facing similar symptoms. Family therapy brings in key family members, in sessions of 50 to 60 minutes. Your family also gets written materials and exercises to try between visits.
At Drift Behavioral Health, a week of anxiety care starts with your intake assessment. It sets your level of care and your first schedule. Your plan targets the symptoms costing you the most. Think panic in the car, a racing mind at 2 a.m., or dread before work. Your team adjusts the emphasis of each week to match what you bring in. The day stays steady, so you always know what comes next. Here is how each level fills your week:
Partial hospitalization program (PHP): Each PHP day follows the same rhythm. You check in with a staff member. Most of the day is group therapy on emotion regulation, communication, and distress tolerance. Individual therapy or psychiatric time happens inside the same block, and a short break splits the day.
Intensive outpatient program (IOP): Every session combines group therapy, an individual check-in, and skills work. You leave with a tool to try that day. If you take medication, your psychiatric provider reviews and adjusts it as the program progresses.
Virtual mental health treatment: The same sessions online, with extra case management.
A day ends with a plan to use in between sessions. Your clinician helps you choose what to practice at home and what to watch for. You also decide what to bring back the next day. Groups also explain what is happening in your body and why certain skills calm it. One week may center on panic in public places, and the next on sleep or a hard conversation at work.
If driving to our office is not possible, virtual mental health treatment brings the programs to you. You join from home, and therapy, psychiatric services, and groups all happen on screen. You work with the same care team throughout. Anxiety medication management in Colorado Springs also works on screen, with the same check-ins you would have in person. Skipping the commute removes one reason to miss a session.
Real Google reviews from clients who started where you are now, in their own words.
Partial hospitalization suits you when your days feel unmanageable without daily support. It also fits if you're stepping down from a higher level of care or working through this mostly on your own. Expect 5 to 6 days a week for about 5 hours a day, and you go home each night. An intensive outpatient program suits you if you already handle most of your week but need steady clinical support. Sessions run 3 to 5 days a week for 3 to 4 hours, in morning, afternoon, or evening slots.
Virtual care fits if you live outside Colorado Springs or panic makes leaving the house the hardest part. It keeps the same hours as in-person care, with daytime and evening options. Your intake assessment weighs your diagnosis against how much help you have at home. The assessment sets your starting level, and admissions can walk you through it before you book.
We help you understand out-of-network coverage, deductibles, and payment options. Our priority is access and clarity.
Medicaid and Medicare are not accepted. Self-pay options are available.
If you drink to cope with anxiety, the relief lasts a few hours. Alcohol withdrawal begins within 6 to 12 hours of your last drink and can bring heightened anxiety of its own. The next morning's worry feels bigger, so the next drink feels more necessary. The loop can grow into alcohol use disorder, and anxiety helps keep it going. Our dual diagnosis care treats both at once. Your mental health care, addiction counseling, and psychiatric services follow one plan.
The same loop can form with prescribed medication. Benzodiazepines relieve anxiety quickly, but your body adapts, and the original dose stops working. Stopping suddenly brings back restlessness, insomnia, and heightened anxiety, which sends many people back to the pill. If you take a benzodiazepine, talk with your provider before you change a dose. When medical detox has to come first, we arrange placement with a local partner, and you continue with us afterward.
You start with a call to admissions to talk through what is going on. The team checks your insurance benefits, so you know what to expect. Then you meet a provider for a full evaluation of your symptoms, history, and goals. Together you settle on a level of care and a plan, and your first sessions follow from there.
If your teen is the one struggling, Drift runs a separate adolescent program with its own levels of care. Teen anxiety can look different from adult anxiety. Our post on signs of anxiety in teens covers what to watch for and how to start the conversation.
