Create a short response to this students discussion board post:

1. There are multiple treatment options for anxiety disorders. What treatment or combination of treatment options do you feel is best suited for the treatment of anxiety?
   1. There are variations, and there is not a cookie-cutter one-size fit for everyone. It depends on the severity and how it impacts a person's life and others. I am a disabled veteran diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. What has worked for me was cognitive behavioral therapy(CBT) and medication. While medication is not the end-all or solve-all, it can help. So, a combination of therapy and medication is key. Communication helps too, because not all medications are good for you, and similarly, not all types of counseling are good either. I was on a med called Buspar, but I got dizzy with it, and I had to communicate this with my physician and we spend almost a year finding one that did not have a bad set of side effects. A lot of medication for mental issues has a potential side effect of weight gain, and I was adamant on not having a medication that could be addictive, or cause weight gain. As for therapy, for me, to be able to cognitively work through issues helps me the most. Yet, it was a process of finding an experienced professional whom I was comfortable with. I believe that a person has to feel safe and comfortable talking with someone, and the human factor is critical in finding success in a therapy session. Yet, in some cases, anxiety could cause issues where a patient would have to be hospitalized. But the best treatment in my opinion is therapy and medication.
2. Explain your thoughts on how the "What is an Anxiety Disorder" by Dr. Jen Gunter video found in the Module 2 lesson relates to the field of Abnormal Psychology.
   1. I liked how Dr. Gunter mentioned that everyone faces anxiety. But how it ties to abnormal psychology is that she mentioned that 16% of people surveyed either have or had an anxiety disorder. Social anxiety, and panic disorder to name a few, and these issues would be classified in the spectrum of abnormal psychology. I tend to think that while mental illness is not much of a stigma as it once had, there is still a lot of work to be done to deal with it.
3. What did you learn that surprised you or was new to you?
   1. I must admit, I was not surprised by this lesson. I am very familiar with this process. I once could not even function to do daily routines. I went through PTSD after I got out of the Air Force, and when that was resolved, I still had other forms of anxiety. But now, with my CBT, I can function. My goal is to work at the VHA to help veterans overcome this indirectly. My position will be more in job or life skills, in human resources, ideally. My long-term goal is to work in vocational rehabilitation. The key too is people can go through situational disorders. A loss of a loved one would be extremely difficult to navigate. During that time, their grief and anxiety inhibit their ability to function and can shift into abnormal behavior. I would like to see employers or people see mental illness more openly, but we still have a way to do that.