We all experience anxiety at one point or another. Whether it’s nerves before a big exam at school or college, feeling jittery before a big presentation at work, or anxious about the outcome of a sports game, anxiety is a normal part of the whole spectrum of human emotion. 

A person may experience anxiety in the lead-up to a medical appointment. This anxiety may also affect a person during an appointment, which may prevent them from seeking all of the relevant information and allowing a doctor to perform a physical exam. Whether it’s because you’ve previously faced ageism in healthcare, haven’t felt heard, or received the wrong treatment, many causes can underlie fear of going to the doctor.

This article will explore some strategies for overcoming doctor’s office anxiety, so read on to learn more about this valuable topic.

You’re Not Alone

An important thing to note is that you’re not isolated in your experience of feeling anxious about visiting the doctor. For the reasons we’ve described above, many people share this feeling of anxiety before a checkup or a routine visit to their primary care physician. You can take some solace in the fact that you’re not alone in your experience, which might begin to help your feelings of anxiety, knowing that other people react the same way that you do. 

Now, let’s share some key tips about how you can manage and combat your anxiety about visiting the doctor.

Take a Support Person

One way that you can help manage your anxiety about visiting the doctor is by bringing along a family member or friend to an appointment as a support person. This will help to ease anxiety in a number of ways. Not only will a friend or loved one serve as a comforting presence (and help to distract you from your fears with friendly conversation), but they can offer another pair of eyes and ears to listen to the doctor and help you to advocate for your care. They may even catch important details you might miss in your anxious, stressed state. This can then help you to create a proactive healthcare plan to help address the health issue you’re presenting with. 

Schedule Your Visit at the Right Time 

When scheduling the right time to see your doctor, consider the natural ebbs and flows of your own stress and anxiety levels throughout the day or week.

For example, if you tend to be more anxious in the morning, it may not be the best idea to take that 8 a.m. appointment just because it’s open or the first one offered. Schedule an afternoon appointment instead when you know you’ll be calmer and more able to manage. 

Attempt Mindfulness or Meditation 

If your doctor’s office is like most regular practices, you’ll probably have heaps of time while you wait to take your relaxation strategies even deeper.

Harness your attention, focus on your breathing, and engage in a mindfulness practice or even meditation as you wait for your turn to see the doctor. By focusing on your breathing or things you can see, hear, feel, and smell, you’ll calm your nerves before your appointment.

Coping with medical anxiety isn’t always limited to your time in the doctor’s office, either. Prior to an appointment, set yourself up for success with some mindfulness meditation. A regular meditation practice can do wonders for your anxiety in general, so this may be worth a shot. 

Control Your Breath

While we’re on the topic of breath… When you’re anxious, although you may not always be conscious of this, your breathing becomes shorter and shallower, which unfortunately perpetuates the anxiety cycle. You can help to combat this in the waiting room, with a simple breathing exercise. Deep, regular breaths help to soothe your central nervous system and can help you to calm down. If you brought a friend for this visit, you can enlist their help in a breathing exercise. 

Be Honest With Your Doctor 

You’re here at the doctor’s appointment to talk to your physician about the state of your overall health, and your mental health is indeed a part of that picture. A good general practitioner wants to know how you’re feeling and how your anxiety affects you when you’re in their presence. Practice honesty with your doctor, and they may be able to help with a referral to a mental health practitioner, some medication for your mental health, or some calming words. Sometimes, even naming your anxiety can make it lose some of its power over you. 

Do Vital Sign Tests Last

Your blood pressure and heart rate may be high as you enter your appointment, so you should ask the doctor to check these at the end of your appointment, once you’ve had time to practice the techniques listed in this article and are hopefully calmer. This way, they’re more likely to get an accurate reading. Also, if the physical examination triggers your anxiety, ask for this to be done just before you leave so you have time to calm down or rely on your support person before having to endure the stethoscope and the physical exam. 

If you’re one of the 207,000 psychologists in America, you may be well-acquainted with the DSM-5, but if you’re just starting out in your career or you’ve got a curiosity for all things psychology, then you may be wondering how mental health conditions are diagnosed. The DSM-5 plays a crucial role in the assessment of mental health conditions, and professionals in this field frequently use it to ensure accuracy and consistency in the field. Keep reading this detailed guide to learn about what the DSM-5 is, its purpose and importance, and what it covers. 

What is the DSM-5?

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, currently in its fifth edition (DSM-5), is the primary diagnostic tool used by mental health professionals across the United States. This manual serves as the standard reference for identifying and diagnosing mental health and brain-related conditions. 

Before making a diagnosis, mental healthcare providers will use information from lab tests, psychological assessments, physical exams completed by registered nurses qualified through RN to NP programs, and other information sources to learn about a patient’s symptoms. For clinicians, researchers, insurance companies, and policymakers alike, the DSM-5 provides a common language and set of criteria to ensure that mental health disorders are diagnosed with accuracy and consistency.

Purpose and importance of the DSM-5

The DSM-5 is more than just a catalogue of mental disorders. It plays several crucial roles in modern mental healthcare:

1. Standardization – By providing clear diagnostic criteria, the DSM-5 allows mental health professionals across different settings to communicate and collaborate effectively. 
2. Treatment planning – A precise diagnosis helps clinicians select appropriate treatment strategies. For example, clinicians may opt to treat a patient with psychotherapy or medication, or a combination of both.
3. Insurance reimbursement – Health insurance companies often require the DSM-5 codes to authorize coverage for mental health services.
4. Research – The DSM-5 enables researchers to identify study populations consistently, which is essential for producing reliable, generalizable findings in the field of mental health. 

What does the DSM-5 cover?

The DSM-5 is organized into three sections. The manual is designed to be both comprehensive and practical, with conditions organized alphabetically and developmentally (that is, with childhood conditions first and adult-onset conditions later in the manual). 

Section I: DSM-5 basics

The first section of the DSM-5 provides guidance to practitioners as to how they should use the manual to apply diagnostic criteria. It also outlines the changes to the manual from previous editions and contains a cautionary statement covering the legal and ethical considerations of using the DSM-5, particularly in forensic cases. 

Section II: Diagnostic criteria and codes

This is the core of the DSM-5. Disorders are grouped into categories based on shared features or symptoms. Each disorder entry typically includes the diagnostic criteria and features of the disorder as well as its prevalence and development. The conditions covered by the DSM-5 in this section are:

• Neurodevelopmental disorders, e.g., autism spectrum disorder 
• Schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders, e.g,. bipolar disorder
• Obsessive-compulsive and related disorders, e.g., OCD 
• Trauma- and stressor-related disorders, e.g,. PTSD 
• Dissociative disorders, e.g,. Dissociative Identity Disorder 
• Somatic symptoms and related disorders, e.g., illness anxiety disorder
• Feeding and eating disorders like anorexia nervosa
• Elimination disorders, e.g., insomnia disorder
• Sexual dysfunctions
• Disruptive, impulse-control, and conduct disorders, e.g., antisocial personality disorder
• Substance-related and addictive disorders
• Neurocognitive disorders, e.g., Alzheimer’s disease 
• Personality disorders
• Sexual behavior disorders
• Other mental disorders and additional codes, i.e., conditions that do not fit the previous categories but still have a significant impact on an individual’s life
• Medication-induced movement disorders and other adverse effects of medication
• Other conditions that may be a focus of clinical attention, e.g., self-harm 

Section III: Emerging measures and models

The DSM-5’s final section covers the assessment tools practitioners can use for diagnosis of certain conditions and also provides other conditions that could be considered by the DSM-5 but require further research before they can be officially added to the manual (for instance, caffeine use disorder and internet gaming disorder). In addition, it outlines the cultural influences on mental health and how this can be assed. 

The DSM-5 plays a crucial role in the diagnosis of mental health conditions. Professionals in the field of psychology work closely with the DSM-5 to ensure that conditions are diagnosed accurately and in a way that is standardized across the entire field. The three sections of the DSM-5 organize the manual in a manner that is both comprehensive and easy to navigate, with the first section outlining how to use the DSM-5, the second listing the diagnostic criteria for different conditions, and the third covering the assessment tools as well as considering emerging measures and models in psychology.

More Than Just Big Moments

In a world filled with big campaigns and public gestures, it’s easy to believe that only loud, visible actions make a difference. But often, it’s the quiet, intentional one, the ones that never make headlines, that carry the most meaning.

Kindness doesn’t always need a spotlight. Like a small shift in wind that changes the course of a day, a simple act of care can quietly shift someone’s world.

A Community Built on Compassion

Whether it’s an outdoor gathering, a neighborhood cleanup, or simply sharing time with others, strong communities grow from the ground up. They thrive not just on organized efforts, but on everyday people choosing to show up for one another.

Small moments—like offering a ride, sharing a meal, or checking in after a tough week—might seem ordinary, but they create the kind of trust and belonging that people carry with them for a long time.

Dignity Deserves Protection

One of the most important yet overlooked aspects of helping other, especially those facing financial hardship, is the preservation of dignity.

Struggling with money doesn’t erase someone’s desire to be seen as capable, proud, or independent. Many people who are quietly carrying burdens don’t want public attention, pity, or to feel like a project. They want to feel normal. They want to be part of things without their challenges being highlighted.

That’s why privacy matters. That’s why how help is given can matter even more than what is given.

Helping Without Making It About You

True compassion asks for empathy, not attention. It might look like anonymously covering someone’s cost for an activity, slipping a gift card into someone’s bag without a note, or offering support with no strings attached.

Sometimes the best support is offered quietly:

• Helping someone access something they need without making a scene
• Listening fully without rushing to fix
• Respecting someone’s choice to keep their struggles private

This kind of kindness doesn’t ask for recognition. It simply offers presence, respect, and care.

Letting Kindness Take the Lead

The quietest acts often echo the longest. A thoughtful gesture, a small mercy, or a private show of support can help someone keep going. It can preserve their sense of self at a time when everything feels fragile.

That’s the kind of kindness that sustains communities—not just in times of crisis, but every day.

The Power of Subtle Impact

It’s easy to underestimate the impact of small efforts when they’re done behind the scenes. But they add up. They create safety nets. They remind people they’re not alone, even when no one is watching.

So when the opportunity comes to support someone, ask yourself:
Can this be done in a way that honors their dignity?
Can I help without making it about me?

Because the most powerful form of kindness isn’t loud.
It’s quiet, consistent, and deeply human.