Crippling Anxiety: What It Is, Symptoms, & Treatment

What Is Crippling Anxiety?

Crippling anxiety refers to a state of severe anxiety that interferes with normal functioning. It may also be a sign someone has a type of anxiety disorder. Crippling anxiety differs from typical anxiety because the symptoms are more intense and disruptive. An example of typical, situational anxiety might look like getting nervous before a test. Crippling anxiety, on the other hand, might look like losing sleep for months over fears that something terrible might happen.

As a note, while the term “crippling” is often used to describe this type of severe anxiety, more inclusive terms for this type of anxiety include: overwhelming, debilitating, intense, extreme, or paralyzing anxiety. We will use these terms as alternatives throughout this article.

Crippling anxiety may occur as a symptom of the following disorders:

• Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD): GAD is characterized by excessive worry lasting at least six months and getting in the way of daily functioning. This crippling anxiety may include symptoms such as restlessness, being easily fatigued, trouble concentrating, irritability, muscle tension, and disturbance in sleep.¹
• Panic disorder: Those struggling with panic disorder experience frequent panic attacks (an abrupt surge of crippling anxiety) with intense physical symptoms such as nausea or chest pain, as well as persistent fear, or crippling anxiety, of future panic attacks and/or avoidance of situations in order to prevent future attacks.¹
• Specific phobias: Individuals with specific phobias experience crippling anxiety about a specific trigger or situation, such as a fear of flying. The intense fear is disproportionate to the actual threat and lasts for at least 6 months.¹
• Social anxiety disorder (SAD): SAD involves crippling anxiety about social situations and fears of being negatively judged by others. This typically leads to avoidance of specific social situations or endurance of them with intense fear.¹
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD): OCD is characterized by the presence of obsessions, compulsions, or both. Most individuals experience distress or anxiety about their obsessions, and compulsions are often aimed at reducing such crippling anxiety.¹
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): PTSD involves a variety of symptoms that begin in response to frightening, stressful, or traumatic experiences. These symptoms include intrusive thoughts, such as flashbacks or nightmares that cause crippling anxiety, as well as avoidance, hypervigilence, and negative changes in thinking and mood. Individuals with PTSD are at higher risk for anxiety, depression, and substance use.²

Symptoms of Crippling Anxiety

Symptoms of crippling anxiety vary depending on the individual and/or their type of anxiety disorder, if any. The symptoms are worse than typical symptoms of anxiety in severity and duration and, as a result, are more disruptive to someone’s daily functioning.

Symptoms of crippling anxiety may include:

• Dizziness
• Irritability
• Suicidal ideation
• Difficulty breathing
• Difficulty sleeping
• Muscle tension
• Restlessness
• Face tingling or numbness
• Feeling on edge

What Causes Debilitating Anxiety?

Anxiety disorders are influenced by both genetic and environmental factors.³ They are quite common, with about 31.1% of U.S. adults experiencing any anxiety disorder at some point in their lives, with a higher prevalence for females than for males.⁴ It is estimated that 31.9% of adolescents have an anxiety disorder, also with a higher prevalence for females than for males.⁴

How a person’s anxiety symptoms become overwhelming can be difficult to pinpoint, as a myriad of factors may contribute. For example, an individual may have a genetic predisposition, experience a life stressor, and/or engage in habits that exacerbate their anxiety, such as poor nutrition, lack of sleep, avoidance, or substance use.

Causes of crippling anxiety may include:

• A major life transition, like a career change or divorce
• A recent death
• The loss of a job or housing, or other financial stressors
• Medical issues for self or loved ones
• Experiencing a traumatic event such as a car accident
• Living through a global pandemic, like Covid-19

Treatment for Debilitating Anxiety

Crippling, or overwhelming anxiety can be treated with psychotherapy and medication. Treatment may include typical treatments for anxiety, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Exposure Therapy. The most effective treatment will depend on the individual’s specific symptoms, and the length of treatment will vary by severity of symptoms and modality. Natural remedies for anxiety may also be used to bolster treatment.

Therapy

There are several options for anxiety therapy, including online therapy for anxiety, which can be particularly appealing for those who find getting to a therapist’s office overwhelming and anxiety-inducing in and of itself.

If you are already experiencing anxiety and overwhelm, finding the right therapist can feel like another daunting task that only adds to your stress. But remember that help is available, and you do not have to struggle with extreme anxiety alone. The mere act of noticing that you are experiencing debilitating anxiety and that you need help is a huge step toward finding relief. Be patient with yourself in this process of finding help, and remember that it may take a few tries to find a therapist or approach that is the right fit for you, and that is normal and okay.

Therapy options for crippling anxiety may include:

• Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT): CBT treats crippling anxiety by changing thoughts and behaviors that perpetuate the anxiety you are experiencing.
• Exposure therapy: Exposure therapy treats crippling anxiety in OCD by helping individuals learn to tolerate the discomfort of their obsessions without engaging in compulsions.⁵
• Eye movement desensitization reprocessing (EMDR): EMDR was initially developed to address symptoms of PTSD. By changing how a traumatic memory is stored in the brain, EMDR reduces unwanted symptoms like crippling anxiety.⁶
• Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT): DBT teaches individuals to identify and work with difficult emotions like crippling anxiety through mindfulness, emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness.

Medication

Treatment for debilitating anxiety may or may not include medication. Anxiety medications work by reducing unwanted symptoms of anxiety. SSRIs like Zoloft and Lexapro and SNRIs like Effexor are often used; Benzodiazepines, such as Klonopin and Xanax, are another common type of anti-anxiety medication.

If you are experiencing anxiety symptoms that are impacting your quality of life and you are interested in exploring medication options, making an appointment with a psychiatrist to learn about anxiety medications is a good first step. Online psychiatry options are also available for those who are unable or prefer not to go in person to the office.

11 Tips for Coping With Crippling Anxiety

When you are experiencing debilitating anxiety, it can feel like the painful symptoms will never end. However, coping with and recovering from severe anxiety is possible. In addition to therapy and medication, there are emotional self-care practices you can engage in to increase your resilience to difficult emotions, such as mindfulness, gratitude, and social connection.

Breathing, following journaling prompts for anxiety, and tapping are additional ways you can work to calm anxiety on your own. As you explore what works for you, remember that everyone is unique, and your “at-home practice” for managing anxiety may look completely different from that of a friend or family member. Managing anxiety is about finding what works for you.

Here are eleven tips for coping with crippling anxiety:

1. Get some distance: Try to get some distance from your anxiety by noticing and labeling it. For example, you can say, “Anxiety is here right now,” rather than “I’m anxious.” You can also label your anxious thoughts, e.g. “I’m having the thought that something bad could happen” rather than “Something bad could happen.” In DBT, we use mindfulness in this way to see our emotions and thoughts as temporary rather than letting them overtake us.
2. Use cold temperature: DBT also teaches a skill called temperature, intense exercise, paced breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, or TIPP, which you can use for crippling anxiety. Start by filling up a bowl of cold water (keep above 50°F). Then hold your breath and put your face in the water for 30 seconds (you can set a timer to help you keep track). This activates the “dive response, ” slowing your heart rate and helping you regulate your emotions. If you still feel anxious, try repeating it.
3. Exercise: Moving your body can help reduce anxiety symptoms and release endorphins. Examples include yoga for anxiety, running, pilates, dancing, or cycling.
4. Go for a mindful walk: Taking a mindful walk can help you get out of your head. As you walk, try putting your attention on the soles of your feet as you take each step, or try counting everything green that you see as a way to ground yourself in the present moment.
5. Calm down by multitasking: Try mindfully multitasking to soothe yourself. You might listen to music while taking a shower, put on a podcast while you clean your room, or have a comforting television show in the background while cooking a meal.
6. Practice meditation: Explore various ways to practice meditation for anxiety, such as breathwork or progressive muscle relaxation.
7. Get adequate sleep: Lack of sleep can be a symptom of anxiety and can also worsen symptoms. When we understand the mental health impacts of sleep, it becomes clear that sleep is a huge priority in managing a condition like crippling anxiety. You can try many tips for anxiety at night, such as creating an evening routine.
8. Take a break from worrying: Try watching a favorite episode of a TV show that makes you laugh, or a calming YouTube video (e.g., makeup tutorials, ASMR) to distract yourself and break up the cycle of worry thoughts.
9. Worry on purpose: It sounds counterintuitive, but try setting a 5-minute timer and letting yourself do nothing but worry. Worrying on purpose often helps our anxiety feel seen and heard by us, lowering the intensity.
10. Determine what your anxiety is telling you ?: Another way to validate your anxiety and lower its intensity is to ask yourself- what is it trying to communicate to me? And then really listen to the answer. Maybe panicking about work performance is the anxiety trying to tell you- I really want to do a good job.
11. Find inspiration on social media: Sometimes, it can be beneficial to follow an inspiring mental well-being-focused account on social media that helps you reframe how you think about anxiety and find some relief and feel that you are not alone.

In My Experience

In my experience as a therapist, our thoughts and feelings about debilitating anxiety are often the most challenging parts of dealing with it. We have thoughts that the anxiety will never end (which causes more anxiety). Then, when it finally does, we dread its return and begin to panic about feeling it again in the future (which again causes more anxiety). When we experience overwhelming anxiety, we may also have judgmental thoughts about ourselves as being weak, or too sensitive, and we may wish that we could be different (which causes sadness and shame). We may be afraid to tell others about our anxiety because we don’t want to be perceived as weak or sensitive, as well.

These ways of thinking about extreme anxiety can lead to more isolation and more suffering. Rather than struggling alone, the best way to manage anxiety is to reach out. Reach out for therapy, reach out for medication if it feels right for you, and reach out to your community for support. You are not alone (remember, 33.1% of adults struggle with anxiety). It may take some time to figure out what works for you in managing overwhelming anxiety, but there are so many options, and relief is possible.