Is it anxiety — or ordinary stress?
Stress usually has a cause and eases when the situation does. Anxiety tends to stay. Clinicians generally consider generalized anxiety when worry is hard to control on most days for at least six months and comes with symptoms such as feeling on edge, fatigue, trouble concentrating, irritability, muscle tension, or sleep problems.
If you're not sure which side of the line you're on, our article on anxiety versus everyday stress walks through the differences, and the free GAD-7 self-test can help you put numbers to what you're feeling. A self-test is a screening tool, not a diagnosis — a real evaluation is the only way to know what's going on.
Types of anxiety we evaluate
- Generalized anxiety — persistent worry about many parts of life that feels hard to turn off.
- Panic attacks and panic disorder — sudden surges of fear with a pounding heart, shortness of breath, or dizziness.
- Anxiety alongside depression — very common, and your plan should account for both.
- Perinatal and postpartum anxiety — see our women's mental health care.
- Stress-, grief-, and trauma-related anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive symptoms such as intrusive thoughts.
What your first appointment looks like
The first visit is a 60-minute video evaluation, not a quick screening. Expect a real conversation about your symptoms and how long they've been going on, your sleep, caffeine and alcohol use, your medical history, every medication and supplement you take, your family history, and what you've already tried.
Because Jacque is board-certified in both psychiatric-mental health and family practice, medical contributors to anxiety — sleep problems, other health conditions, or medications that can make anxiety worse — are part of the discussion and can be coordinated with your primary care provider. By the end of the visit you'll have a plan you understand, whether or not it includes medication.
Treatment options
Medication, when it fits
Medication is one option, not a requirement. The medicines most often used for ongoing anxiety are SSRIs and SNRIs — antidepressants that are also effective for anxiety — along with buspirone and other options chosen around your health history. These typically take several weeks to reach their full effect, so early follow-ups focus on how you're tolerating the medication and adjusting the dose. Every prescribing decision at VeraMind is individualized and made after a full evaluation — not on request. Learn how medication management works →
Supportive psychotherapy, built into your visits
Skills from cognitive behavioral therapy, motivational interviewing, and solution-focused and mindfulness-based approaches are woven into your medication visits — practical tools for worry, panic, and sleep. VeraMind does not offer standalone therapy; if you want ongoing weekly therapy, we'll coordinate with a therapist and can help you find one.
Daily habits
Sleep, caffeine, alcohol, movement, and routine all affect anxiety. They can help alongside treatment, but they don't replace it.
How telehealth visits work
You'll meet with Jacque by secure video from a private space. Prescriptions, when appropriate, are sent electronically to your pharmacy, and follow-up visits are shorter, 30-minute check-ins. Booking is done through Headway, and you must be physically located in Alabama at the time of every visit. How telehealth psychiatry works in Alabama →
Cost and insurance
The first visit is a 60-minute evaluation at a fixed self-pay rate of $259, and follow-up visits are 30 minutes at $129. Commercial insurance is accepted through Headway (Aetna, Cigna/Evernorth, Carelon Behavioral Health, Curative, and select Blue Cross plans), and Headway verifies your eligibility and estimated cost before your appointment. Superbills are available for out-of-network reimbursement. VeraMind is not enrolled with Medicare or Alabama Medicaid and is unable to accept patients covered by either, and we do not offer sliding-scale fee programs or financial hardship applications. See full pricing and insurance details →