Anxiety Isn’t Just in Your Head—It’s in Your Body, Your Story, and Your Nervous System

Anxiety isn’t weakness. It’s your body’s way of trying to protect you—even if it doesn’t always feel helpful. At Sea to Summit Psychiatry, we believe anxiety isn’t something to be “cured,” but rather understood, worked with, and gently unwound from the inside out.

Understanding the Roots of Anxiety

So often, anxiety is talked about as if it’s only about thoughts—racing, spiraling, irrational worries. But anxiety goes deeper: it lives in the nervous system, in past experiences, in unmet needs, and in the internalized messages you carry.

Sometimes anxiety comes from obvious sources—trauma, loss, chronic stress. Other times, it’s more subtle: a mismatch between your life and your values, or a lifetime of people-pleasing that’s finally catching up to you.

This is the lens we use at Sea to Summit Psychiatry. We don’t just treat symptoms—we help you understand why your system is anxious in the first place, and how to shift it sustainably.

Anxiety vs ADHD: Which One Is It?

Anxiety and ADHD often overlap, and it’s common to misdiagnose one for the other. Both can cause restlessness, racing thoughts, difficulty concentrating, and overwhelm. But the root causes—and best treatments—can differ.

Here’s a quick comparison:

  
      Symptom
      Anxiety
      ADHD
    
      Worry
      Excessive, often future or past-oriented
      Occasional, usually tied to inattention
    
      Focus
      Impaired by intrusive thoughts
      Impaired by distractibility
    
      Energy
      Can be tense and hypervigilant
      Can be hyper or sluggish (variable)
    
      Triggers
      Often situational or stress-based
      Often present regardless of situation

At Sea to Summit Psychiatry, we help clarify anxiety vs ADHD through compassionate evaluation and personalized care—not a one-size-fits-all checklist.

OCD vs Anxiety: What’s the Difference?

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a specific type of anxiety disorder—but it has a unique pattern that sets it apart: a counterproductive cycle between obsessions and compulsions.

Obsessions are intrusive, distressing thoughts or fears (e.g., "What if my hands are contaminated?").
Compulsions are actions or mental rituals done to try to relieve the fear (e.g., washing hands repeatedly, or mentally reassuring yourself by going over the fear again and again).

At first, the compulsion brings brief relief. But it never fully satisfies the obsession—and before long, the fear creeps back in, pulling you into the cycle again.

Over time, compulsions can actually make obsessions feel stronger, not weaker.

While anxiety alone often involves general worry about future events, OCD tends to be more rigid, repetitive, and rule-bound, with the mind or body trying to "fix" the fear through specific actions.

Examples:

Anxiety: “What if I mess up at work?”
OCD: “If I don’t reread this email exactly three times, something bad will happen.”

If you’re unsure whether you’re experiencing anxiety, OCD, or both, you're not alone. At Sea to Summit Psychiatry, we help you untangle these patterns—and create a plan for real, sustainable healing.

Medication Options: From Wellbutrin to Gabapentin

There’s no shame in using medication to support your mental health. That said, not all medications work the same way for anxiety—and some are surprisingly misunderstood.

Gabapentin for Anxiety

Originally used for seizures and nerve pain, gabapentin is sometimes prescribed off-label for anxiety. It may be helpful for generalized anxiety, especially when traditional options aren’t tolerated. It works by calming nerve activity—but isn’t the right fit for everyone.

Wellbutrin for Anxiety

You might wonder: Does Wellbutrin help with anxiety?
The answer is: it depends. Wellbutrin (bupropion) is an energizing antidepressant that can sometimes worsen anxiety in sensitive individuals—but for others, it helps reduce the emotional flatness of traditional SSRIs and supports focus, energy, and motivation. It’s especially useful when anxiety and ADHD co-occur.

As always, we tailor medications to your specific needs, preferences, and biochemistry—never one-size-fits-all.

Non-Prescription Drugs for Anxiety

We also support patients who prefer non-prescription drugs for anxiety, including:

L-theanine
Magnesium glycinate
Ashwagandha
CBD (with guidance as it can have medication interactions)
Mindfulness and nervous system regulation tools
Lavender essential oil

We’ll work with your preferences—whether you want medication, supplements, or therapy-only care.

Anxiety Treatment Centers vs. Personalized Psychiatry

There are many anxiety treatment centers out there—some inpatient, some outpatient—but they could be impersonal or focused on short-term stabilization.

At Sea to Summit Psychiatry, we do things differently. We offer:

Trauma-aware psychiatric care
Medication support when needed
Insight-based therapy
Psychedelic-assisted options when appropriate
A strong, safe relationship with your provider

If you’ve been searching for anxiety doctors near me who actually listen, collaborate, and treat the whole you—you’re in the right place.

Ready to Take a Breath?

You don’t have to keep managing anxiety alone. Whether you’ve been living with high-functioning anxiety for years, or you're experiencing new symptoms you don’t understand, we’re here to help.

Book a free consultation with Sea to Summit Psychiatry and learn what healing from the inside out really looks like.