Living with an anxiety disorder can be a challenge. Whether it is the pounding heartbeat, the nights tossing and turning without sleep, the intrusive thoughts, or the dissociative effects, anxiety makes it hard to function.
Anxiety isn’t an emotion that should ever go entirely away; it is how our bodies and minds tell us that we are facing a threat and need to take action.
But if you have an anxiety disorder, you receive those threat messages even when you are not facing a dire emergency. And they can take over your life.
There are ways you can get help for your anxiety, however, such as therapy and medications. Best of all, you can now do so from the convenience of your laptop or mobile device.
This guide will introduce you to Brightside Health, our recommended online anxiety therapy and medication provider. We will explore their treatments, what types of anxiety they treat, their payment options, and more.
Can Generalized Anxiety Disorder Go Away?
Some people might experience generalized anxiety disorder (or another anxiety disorder) as an acute event. But the majority of the time, it is chronic. It may sometimes be less noticeable for days, weeks, months, or even longer, but it is typical to experience it over many years, or even lifelong.
Thankfully, anxiety disorders can be less intrusive in your day-to-day life if you manage them with treatment. By getting help, you can reduce your symptoms and cope more easily with the stresses of life.
Why Choose Brightside For Your Online Counseling?
Since 2017, Brightside Health has been offering convenient and affordable online treatment services for a range of conditions, including anxiety. You can get an appointment within 48 hours without ever leaving your home. According to Brightside Health, 9 out of 10 patients start feeling better within just 12 weeks.
What Types of Anxiety Conditions Does Brightside Treat?
Brightside Health treats multiple types of anxiety disorders, including:
- Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)
- Social anxiety disorder
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
- Panic disorder
- Phobias
If the anxiety disorder you have is not listed here, you can contact Brightside and ask. Chances are good they will still be able to treat you.
Note that a lot of people who have anxiety may also have co-occurring depression. If that is the case for you, you can also receive therapy and medications for your depression using Brightside.
What Anxiety Treatments Does Brightside Offer?
At Brightside, you can receive treatment for your anxiety using therapy, medications, or a combination of both. Let’s take a closer look at what Brightside offers.
Anxiety Medications
Through Brightside, you can get online mental health medication without insurance, or you can go through your insurance plan if you have one.
Brightside offers a wide range of medications to choose from. So, you will be able to trial most common medications for anxiety if you wish.
One thing you will appreciate about anxiety medication online prescriptions through Brightside is the personalized approach this telehealth company takes.
Brightside explains, “Instead of a one-size-fits-all approach, your psychiatric provider will use Brightside’s PrecisionRx to determine which medication is best for you. This method analyzes over 100 data points about you to recommend to your provider the medication most likely to work best, and be most tolerable, for you.”
Here are the steps involved in getting an anxiety medication at Brightside:
1. Take a quick assessment.
2. The site will match you with a psychiatric provider.
3. Participate in a 30-minute video consultation with the provider.
4. If the provider agrees it is appropriate, they will write you a prescription for anxiety.
The FAQ does not currently appear to address questions about pharmacies, but based on past information it included, you can choose your own pharmacy to get your medication.
Anxiety Therapy
Along with psychiatric services, this telehealth provider also lets you sign up for a subscription to receive therapy for your anxiety.
With a subscription, you will have a 1-on-1 call with a therapist every week, with each session lasting 45 minutes. You will see the same therapist for every session, ensuring consistency and care and the chance to build a productive relationship.
If you have a question, or you just need to vent, you can use anytime messaging throughout the week. That way, you do not have to wait until your next appointment to get help when you need it most.
During your sessions, you can receive:
- Talk therapy
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
Actually, CBT is classified as a type of talk therapy. The focus in CBT is on identifying patterns in your thoughts and actions that are causing or reinforcing your anxiety, and on making changes to both to reduce your symptoms or manage them better.
Here are some examples of tools and techniques that are commonly part of CBT:
- Cognitive reframing
- Journaling
- Exposure therapy
- Behavior activation
- Relaxation exercises
Along with the talk therapy component of CBT, you will also spend time doing activities. Some of these may be during your sessions, while others will be in your own time.
Another benefit of talk therapy is that you have the chance to simply talk out what is going on in your life with another human being who will not judge you.
Sometimes, just being able to share what we are experiencing in a situation where we feel safe and heard can relieve a lot of stress. Your therapist can challenge the beliefs and assumptions that underpin your anxiety, but they can also validate your emotions. Both can make a huge difference.
Services through Brightside do not appear to focus on analyzing the role of the unconscious or the patient’s past in driving anxiety. But if you want to chat with your therapist about these things, you probably can. Doing so may offer some additional perspective and insights.
What Payment Methods Does Brightside Accept for Anxiety Therapy and Medications?
At Brightside, you can either pay through your insurance, or you can self-pay using a credit or debit card, FSA or HSA.
Here are the insurance companies that Brightside accepts:
- Cigna
- Aetna
- UnitedHealthcare
- UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage
- Original Medicare (Part B)
- Anthem CA
- Allegiance
- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas
- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Montana
- PEHP
You can also pay using these Medicare plans:
- UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage
- Original Medicare (Part B)*
Remember to make sure that Brightside is in network for your specific plan. You also will need to look up your copays, deductible, etc.
To save time, head to this page and fill out your details. It will tell you whether your insurance qualifies, and give you an estimate of your costs for treatment.
How Much Does Online Anxiety Therapy Cost?
If you are using your health insurance plan to pay for Brightside, then the cost for therapy for anxiety and depression will depend on the specifics of your plan. You will likely have a copay for therapy appointments at Brightside, as well as a copay for your medications.
If you are going to self-pay without insurance, here is what Brightside anxiety treatments cost:
- Psychiatry only: $95 a month
- Therapy only: $299 a month
- Psychiatry and therapy together: $349 a month
For most patients, it will be more cost-effective to pay through insurance.
Pros and Cons of Online Counseling for Anxiety
To wrap up this guide to Brightside Health for treating anxiety, let’s review the advantage and disadvantages.
Pros:
- You can receive anxiety therapy at home. This can be a huge help; when you are suffering from anxiety, having to do something like drive to see a therapist can really spike your stress. Those with social anxiety may also feel more comfortable talking to a therapist through a screen rather than directly in person. Plus, if you live in a rural area, there may be few local therapists to choose from. Brightside increases your access to care.
- It is up to you whether to try talk therapy, CBT, medications, or a combination. You can take advantage of video sessions, interactive lessons, and anytime messaging. If your anxiety causes a lot of intrusive thoughts, you will be especially grateful for that last feature! Being able to reach out to someone whenever you need support is a huge deal for those with anxiety.
- Brightside puts a strong focus on personalizing services, rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach. Incorporating a lot of data points throughout the process helps to ensure that patients each receive what they individually need. Ongoing tracking allows for the adjustment of medications or therapy as needed to maintain and improve the efficacy of treatments.
- If you cannot attend therapy on weekdays because you are working, you can schedule appointments for nights or weekends.
- If Brightside accepts your insurance plan, you should find services for treating anxiety online as affordable as they are convenient.
- This company only hires therapists and psychiatrists after putting them through thorough backgrounds checks. Clinical supervision and feedback collection ensures that Brightside is always following up to make sure that everyone they hire performs to expectations.
- You can get help rapidly through Brightside, cutting through the healthcare system’s roadblocks. While you might have to wait weeks for an appointment offline with a local provider, you can see someone within 48 hours online through this telehealth provider.
Cons:
- Therapy is plan-based, meaning you will pay for weekly sessions. While this is great if that is what you need, for those who need more frequent or less frequent therapy, there may not be ideal flexibility.
- Therapy is mostly CBT-based. That is fine if that is what you are looking for, but a wider range of approaches would be nice to see in the future.
Get the Support You Need Now to Treat Anxiety
The racing thoughts and unpleasant symptoms of anxiety disorders can make it hard to function, and can have a negative impact on your quality of life. But once you start receiving the right care, you can decrease your symptoms and get the tools and perspective you need to reduce your anxiety.
Brightside Health makes it easy, affordable and convenient to get the best treatments for generalized anxiety disorder and other types of anxiety online.
If you are ready to start getting the help you need, click below to start your free assessment and learn how Brightside Health can get you back to feeling and functioning your best.