Online Anxiety Counselling — Talk Therapy First. Medication When Clinically Needed.

Anxiety counselling is evidence-based psychotherapy specifically focused on Generalised Anxiety Disorder, panic disorder, social anxiety, specific phobia, health anxiety, OCD-spectrum and performance anxiety. Modern approaches include Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) for anxiety, Exposure & Response Prevention (ERP) for OCD and phobia, Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). For moderate-to-severe anxiety, therapy is often combined with SSRI or SNRI medication. At HopeQure, the first session includes GAD-7 severity assessment, panic and phobia screening, and a personalised care plan. Most patients see meaningful improvement in 8-16 weeks.

Yes. Our anxiety care team includes NMC-registered MD Psychiatrists for medication and RCI-licensed Clinical & Counselling Psychologists (M.Phil. / PhD) trained in evidence-based therapies. Every psychiatrist holds active NMC registration verifiable on the National Medical Commission registry. Every psychologist holds active RCI (Rehabilitation Council of India) registration. Many have additional certification in CBT, ERP, ACT or MBSR.

At HopeQure, online anxiety counselling starts from ₹900 for Plan A — a 60-minute Clinical Psychologist Only session with CBT, ACT, or exposure-based therapy. Plan B (Clinical Psychologist + Psychiatrist Combined, 2 sessions) is ₹3,000. Plan C (Wellness, 5 sessions over 6 weeks) is ₹7,410. Plan D (Advanced Recovery, 10 sessions over 12 weeks) is ₹14,040.

Yes — with one of the strongest evidence bases in psychiatry. CBT for anxiety has 40+ years of RCT support, recommended as first-line by NICE, APA and NIMHANS. Hofmann et al. meta-analyses show 50-60% response rates for CBT in anxiety disorders. Exposure-based therapy is gold standard for specific phobia, social anxiety and OCD with response rates of 60-80%. SSRIs (sertraline, escitalopram, paroxetine) show ~55% response, ~40% remission. Combined therapy + medication outperforms either alone for moderate-severe presentations. Online delivery is comparable to in-person care per multiple 2023-2024 meta-analyses.

It depends on severity. Mild anxiety (GAD-7 5-9) often responds well to Plan A — therapy alone with a Clinical Psychologist, particularly CBT or applied relaxation. Moderate anxiety (GAD-7 10-14) responds to therapy alone OR medication, with combined Plan B offering modest additional benefit. Moderate-severe (GAD-7 15-21) typically needs Plan B / D combined for best outcomes. Panic disorder, severe social anxiety and OCD often benefit from combined treatment. Benzodiazepines are generally avoided long-term due to dependence risk — SSRIs/SNRIs are first-line. Informed consent is foundational — you always have a choice.

Panic attacks are discrete episodes of intense fear with at least 4 specific physical symptoms (palpitations, sweating, shaking, shortness of breath, chest pain, nausea, dizziness, derealisation, fear of dying or losing control), peaking within 10 minutes. They can occur in panic disorder, GAD, social anxiety, PTSD, or specific phobia. "Anxiety attacks" is not a formal DSM-5 diagnosis but is commonly used to describe sudden severe anxiety that may not meet full panic-attack criteria. Both are highly treatable with CBT for panic, interoceptive exposure, and short-term SSRI treatment if needed.

ERP is the gold-standard psychotherapy for OCD and a powerful tool for phobia, social anxiety and panic disorder. It works by gradually exposing the patient to feared situations, thoughts or sensations (in real life or imagination) while preventing the compulsive avoidance or safety behaviour. Over repeated sessions, the brain learns the feared outcome doesn't occur and anxiety subsides naturally — a process called habituation and inhibitory learning. NICE and APA both recommend ERP as first-line for OCD. Typical course: 14-20 sessions. Most patients see 60-80% symptom reduction.

Yes. Health anxiety (formally Illness Anxiety Disorder in DSM-5-TR) is highly treatable with cognitive therapy and behavioural strategies including reassurance-seeking reduction, checking behaviour modification, and attention training. Treatment focuses on cognitive restructuring around health beliefs, gradual reduction of reassurance-seeking from doctors and family, exposure to feared health-related triggers, and metacognitive techniques. Important: a thorough medical work-up to rule out actual organic causes is essential before pure anxiety treatment — your therapist will coordinate with our general physicians. Typical course: 12-16 sessions.

Yes. All sessions are protected under the Mental Healthcare Act 2017, RCI Code of Professional Ethics, NMC ethics, and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023. HopeQure is ISO 27001 certified, DPDP-compliant and HIPAA-aligned. Sessions are end-to-end encrypted, records stay on Indian servers, and we never share content with family, employer, courts (without legal compulsion), or insurance companies without your written consent. Anonymous booking is available. Limits to confidentiality: imminent risk to life, ongoing child abuse, court orders.

GAD-7 (Generalised Anxiety Disorder-7) is a validated 7-item self-report scale developed by Spitzer et al. (2006), used globally as the primary screening and severity tool for generalised anxiety disorder. Scores range 0-21: 5-9 mild, 10-14 moderate, 15-21 severe. GAD-7 has strong sensitivity (89%) and specificity (82%) for GAD at cutoff ≥10. At HopeQure, GAD-7 is administered at every intake to confirm severity, guide plan selection (Plan A vs Plan B), and track response over time. Re-administered at weeks 4, 8, 12 to measure progress objectively.