Condition · Texas
Anxiety Treatment in Texas
Anxiety becomes a disorder when worry or fear is persistent, hard to control, and starts changing what you do. It is one of the most treatable conditions in psychiatry. Lyte Psychiatry identifies which anxiety disorder fits and treats it with therapy, medication, or both.
Clinically reviewed by Dr. Akinwande Akintola, MD · Last reviewed July 2026 · Next review January 2027
Understanding anxiety
Anxiety is an umbrella. Generalised anxiety, panic disorder, social anxiety, agoraphobia, specific phobias, and health anxiety all sit underneath it, and they respond to different treatment emphases. Naming the specific pattern is what turns a vague plan into a targeted one.
The most reliable marker is avoidance. Worry that stays in your head is uncomfortable; worry that shrinks your world, stops you driving certain routes, declining meetings, avoiding phone calls, is the point at which treatment reliably helps.
Physical symptoms matter clinically. Chest tightness, palpitations, breathlessness, and gut symptoms are genuine anxiety features, but a first presentation still deserves a review of thyroid function, caffeine and stimulant intake, and any cardiac history before it is treated as anxiety alone.
Symptoms and when to seek an evaluation
- Worry that is hard to switch off, most days
- Restlessness, muscle tension, or a permanently clenched jaw
- Racing heart, breathlessness, or chest tightness without a medical cause
- Trouble falling asleep because the mind will not stop
- Avoiding places, tasks, or conversations that trigger the anxiety
- Irritability and difficulty concentrating
Seek an evaluation when these symptoms have lasted for weeks, are getting worse, or are affecting your work, sleep, or relationships. If you are thinking about harming yourself, call or text 988 now.
What your first visit involves
- Identifying which specific anxiety disorder the pattern fits, rather than treating anxiety generically
- Mapping avoidance: what has already been given up because of the symptoms
- Medical and stimulant review, including caffeine, thyroid, and prescribed stimulants
- Screening for co-occurring depression, trauma, and alcohol use
First appointments run longer than follow-ups so there is time to take a full history. You leave with a working diagnosis, a plan, and a follow-up date rather than a prescription and no explanation.
Therapy, psychiatry, and combined care
- Cognitive behavioural therapy, the first-line treatment for most anxiety disorders
- SSRI or SNRI medication when symptoms are moderate to severe or therapy alone stalls
- Combined therapy and medication under one chart
- Exposure-based work for avoidance, matched to the specific disorder
- Sleep, caffeine, and activity changes built into the plan
Therapy and psychiatry are delivered in-house by clinicians licensed in Texas and share one chart, so a prescriber and a therapist working with you are looking at the same notes. Many people do best with both.
What we do not treat here
- Long-term benzodiazepine treatment is not Lyte's standard approach to chronic anxiety
- Lyte does not provide inpatient, residential, or crisis stabilisation care
- Cardiac or thyroid workup is coordinated with your primary care provider, not performed at Lyte
Care options at Lyte
Clinicians who provide this care
Insurance and cost
Lyte is in network with several Texas plans, and coverage depends on your specific plan and benefits. We verify your benefits before the first visit so you know your expected cost in advance. See which plans we accept.
Frequently asked questions
When does anxiety need treatment?
When it is persistent, hard to control, and has started changing your behaviour. Avoidance is the clearest signal: if you are turning down work, driving further to avoid a road, or skipping social plans, treatment is likely to help.
Is therapy or medication better for anxiety?
Cognitive behavioural therapy is first-line for most anxiety disorders and has durable effects after it ends. Medication is added when symptoms are severe enough to block therapy work or when progress stalls. Many people use both.
Does Lyte prescribe Xanax for anxiety?
Long-term benzodiazepine use is not our standard approach for chronic anxiety because tolerance and rebound anxiety tend to make the underlying problem worse. Your prescriber will explain the plan they do recommend and why.
Can anxiety cause physical symptoms?
Yes. Palpitations, chest tightness, breathlessness, dizziness, and gut symptoms are common. That said, a first presentation should still have thyroid function, caffeine intake, and any cardiac history reviewed before symptoms are attributed to anxiety.
Sources
Related conditions
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder: worry that spreads across everythingGAD is the specific diagnosis when anxiety is diffuse and chronic rather than tied to one trigger.
- Panic Disorder: sudden attacks that peak in minutesPanic disorder is treated by targeting fear of the attacks themselves, which is a different technique.
- Social Anxiety Disorder: fear of being judged by other peopleSocial anxiety is trigger-specific and responds to graded social exposure.
- Depression: low mood alongside the worryAnxiety and depression co-occur frequently enough that both are screened at intake.
- Insomnia: a mind that will not switch off at nightSleep-onset insomnia is often the first anxiety symptom to appear and the last to resolve.
Anxiety care in your city
This page is for general education and is not medical advice or a substitute for care from your own clinician. If you are in crisis, call or text 988 (the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline), and for a medical emergency call 911.
Book an anxiety evaluation or therapy intake
Lyte Psychiatry sees patients by secure telehealth across Texas and in person at our Pantego clinic in the Dallas–Fort Worth area.
Book an appointment