Anxiety Treatment Center

Learn more about anxiety treatment at San Juan Capestrano Hospital in Puerto Rico

The presence of overwhelming feelings of worry, apprehension, or trepidation can consume a person’s whole life. When these emotions are present on a regular basis and adverse effects are experienced as a result, an anxiety disorder is likely the cause. San Juan Capestrano Hospital understands how impactful anxiety can be and provides beneficial care options for individuals who wish to heal from anxiety disorders. Without treatment, anxiety symptoms, of which can range in severity, can cause destruction in a person’s social, familial, academic, and occupational life. Those who experience anxiety over a long period of time often experience worsening symptoms and could develop another mental illness as well. What is important to know, however, is that treatment that helps individuals cope with anxious feelings is available and accessible to people of all ages. Let San Juan Capestrano Hospital be your provider of choice in helping you regain control of your life and realize freedom from the crippling symptoms of an anxiety disorder.

Since its inception in 1988, San Juan Capestrano Hospital, a 172-bed short-stay hospital, has been the foremost provider of mental health treatment on the main island of Puerto Rico. With services available for the care of several mental health conditions and chemical dependency concerns, adolescents, adults, and senior adults can receive superior treatment for these issues in a safe environment that is conducive to true healing and recovery. Our caring and compassionate staff, which is comprised of numerous qualified mental health professionals, addiction specialists, and experienced medical personnel, facilitates services within each program with the understanding that each patient has unique needs and strengths. We pride ourselves in being able to offer the highest quality of individualized care that allows each patient to return to his or her respective community with an improved sense of emotional and physical wellbeing. If you, a friend, or loved one is struggling with symptoms synonymous with a mental illness, such as anxiety, or a co-occurring substance abuse problem, look no further that San Juan Capestrano Hospital. Our comprehensive and invaluable treatment is the solution to even the most plaguing of mental health concerns.

Helping a loved one get treatment for anxiety

Those who are battling an anxiety disorder often need help from the people closest to them when it comes to seeking treatment that cares for symptoms of anxiety. In many cases, an anxiety disorder can prevent a person from getting treatment as the possibility of confronting the causes of anxiety can exacerbate already-present feelings of worry. As a friend or family member, there are a number of things you can do to help your loved one once he or she has committed to seeking treatment:

• Accompany your loved one to his or her initial assessment with a mental health professional. There is a great deal of value in being supportive of your loved one. In fact, those with strong support networks are often more successful when it comes to achieving their treatment goals.
• Be an advocate for your loved one. By attending your loved one’s assessment, you may be asked to provide additional feedback or information about what your loved one has been going through. As long as your loved one gives consent that you can share information, the details you know about your loved one’s anxiety can offer insight into the severity of your loved one’s symptoms.
• Be part of your loved one’s care. Support from friends and family members during the therapeutic process can help those in treatment adhere to treatment recommendations if they feel the people in their lives are going to be active participants in the healing process.
• Be patient. It is important to remember that the symptoms of anxiety did not manifest overnight, nor will they dissipate with great haste. Healing and recovery can take a while, as learning and adapting new skills for coping does not happen over the course of just a few days.

By following through on the aforementioned suggestions, you can help your loved one in insurmountable ways. The obstacles faced by those with overwhelming anxiety can be vast and through your unyielding support, you can play an integral role in helping your loved one avoid future consequences that can be caused by untreated anxiety.

Why consider treatment for anxiety at San Juan Capestrano Hospital in Puerto Rico

Regardless of how old or young a person is, the symptoms of an anxiety disorder can be quite distressing. More severe forms of anxiety can prevent an individual from leaving his or her home, interacting with others, and completing mundane daily tasks. Furthermore, if intense anxious feelings remain for a long period of time, there is an increased risk that a person will begin to abuse substances as a means of coping with such turmoil. Even more concerning for sufferers of anxiety is the elevated risk for self-harming behaviors, ideations of suicide, or attempts at suicide that can occur when this type of mental health concern is without proper care. Luckily, there are effective treatment options in existence.

When an individual requires more intensive care for an anxiety disorder, inpatient treatment can be life-saving. A treatment option that allows a person to focus strictly on healing in a safe and secure environment, inpatient care includes several therapeutic interventions that have proven effectiveness in alleviating symptoms of anxiety. Mental health professionals, including psychiatrists who can prescribe and monitor medications, are available 24 hours a day to help sufferers learn, develop, and refine coping skills so that future stressors can be managed well. It is in inpatient care, as opposed to other types of programs, that an individual can make great strides in a short amount of time before embarking on the road towards lasting recovery.

Types of anxiety treatment offered at San Juan Capestrano Hospital in Puerto Rico

At San Juan Capestrano Hospital, we wholeheartedly ascribe to the notion that each patient should have individualized treatment that meets his or her every need. Because of this belief, we afford each patient who entrusts us with his or her care with individually tailored plans for treatment that are distinct to the adolescents, adults, and senior adults who come to San Juan Capestrano Hospital for mental health services. These plans detail the specific courses of treatment that patients will engage in and include aftercare recommendations, as formulated by our staff, so that every patient experiences a full continuum of care. The planning of treatment begins during the time of assessment and can be altered should additional concerns arise during the course of treatment at our hospital.

In order to meet the varying needs of people suffering from mental health disorders and/or substance use concerns, San Juan Capestrano Hospital is pleased to provide different levels of care and specialized programming options. Our hospital features separate adult and adolescent inpatient programs that treat a myriad of mental health conditions, such as anxiety disorders, and chemical dependency concerns, as well as adult substance abuse services that are designed to care for even the most serious and long-standing of addictions. The level of care most appropriate for a patient is decided upon during the initial psychiatric evaluation, wherein a patient’s needs are assessed, a physical examination is conducted, and a mental status assessment is administered in order to determine which program will produce the most favorable treatment outcomes for a given patient.

Once admitted to one of our programs, patients have the ability to partake in a number of treatment methods. These methods are rooted in evidence-based principles and techniques, including cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavioral therapy, and the 12-step model. The following methods for care are the ones primarily used at San Juan Capestrano Hospital and are implemented so that patients can find relief from concerns, such as those that can result from the presence of an anxiety disorder:

Medical detoxification: For those that are battling a chemical dependency problem or polysubstance use concerns in addition to an anxiety disorder, San Juan Capestrano Hospital offers medically supervised detoxification services that are aimed to help adults, ages 18 and older, withdraw from substances in the most effective and safest manner possible. These services are monitored by medical professionals who have experience in making withdrawal comfortable so that patients can partake in therapeutic interventions with addiction specialists who can help springboard them towards lasting healing and recovery from addiction.

Medication management: For some individuals, psychotropic medications can be of great assistance in alleviating the symptoms of many mental illnesses, such as anxiety disorders. When this is the case, our qualified psychiatrists determine each patient’s need for medication, can prescribe medication(s), and will monitor any pharmaceutical interventions that become part of a patient’s treatment plan. These services are in place so that every patient has the ability to receive medication if it is deemed necessary for a patient’s care.

Individual therapy: All patients who take part in our inpatient programming engage in individual therapy sessions four times per week. Individual therapy is a treatment method used so that a patient can process emotions and thoughts on a one-on-one basis with a member of our staff. For example, if a patient is struggling with anxiety symptoms, he or she can discuss his or her progress in overcoming ongoing feelings of worry, apprehension, and/or fear.

Group therapy: San Juan Capestrano Hospital offers a number of group therapy opportunities that allow patients to find support in one another and hone skills that have been learned. Such sessions can be especially beneficial for individuals who are struggling with an anxiety disorder as they can provide them with the sense of comfort that comes with knowing that they are not alone in their struggles. Some of the topics covered in these groups include techniques for managing stress, improving communication, learning and adapting healthy coping methods, bettering self-esteem, dealing with grief and loss, and persevering through trauma. These groups are offered several times per week to maximize the benefits of treatment offered in a group setting.    

Family therapy: Family therapy is offered as a method of treatment during inpatient programming so that our patients can receive ample support from the people who care for them most. During family therapy sessions, patients and their loved ones can work through conflicts and improve communication so as to heal and better familial relationships through the implementation of skills that can service a family unit well for a lifetime.

We also include a number of other therapeutic interventions as a way to wholly treat the individuals who come to our hospital for care. Especially for those who are battling the debilitating symptoms of an anxiety disorder and require additional support and/or resources, we supply the following interventions and group topics as part of our treatment; these interventions have proven effectiveness in helping our patients learn to manage stress and turmoil while gaining the tools needed to successfully manage debilitating symptoms and other concerns:   

• Canine therapy
• Anger management
• Medical issues management
• Crisis management
• Pilates
• Marijuana Anonymous
• Alcoholics Anonymous
• Occupational therapy
• Infection control
• Relaxation techniques
• Psychoeducation
• Recreational therapy

Continuing care and levels of treatment for anxiety

We strive to provide the most comprehensive services that embody the highest quality of care possible. To fulfill this goal, we begin discharge planning at the time of admissions and feature a number of continuing care options at varying levels of treatment so that each and every one of our patient’s needs can be treated once a higher level of care is no longer required.

San Juan Capestrano Hospital offers partial hospitalization programs for both adolescents and adults. The adolescent program is catered to youth between the ages of 13 and 17 years old who are struggling with mental health concerns, such as an anxiety disorder. While in this program, young people partake in a number of therapies and are able to return home at the end of the day to be with their loved ones. The adult program is similarly structured and also treats a myriad of mental health conditions with group therapy being the primary method for care.

Our hospital also features an adult substance abuse intensive outpatient program for those aged 18 and older. This program is designed to continue the recovery process and help patients maintain sobriety after completing inpatient services. The groups available in this program are facilitated in stages so that patients can then practice the tools and skills learned in this program while living in their respective communities.

Lastly, San Juan Capestrano Hospital provides outpatient services at eleven different locations on the island, including San Juan, Hatillo, Mayagüez, Caguas, Humanao, Manatí, Condado, Carolina, Ponce, Bayamón, and Guaynabo. Outpatient care allows patients to process feelings and thoughts with a mental health professional on a weekly basis.

Whatever your mental healthcare needs, the staff at San Juan Capestrano Hospital is devoted to helping you or a loved one overcome mental health issues or substance abuse concerns. We will put forth every effort to ensure that healing and lasting recovery from an anxiety disorder are achievable for each person who comes to us for care.