Disorders Treated

Dr. Giovanna Silvestri

Specialized in Panic Attacks, Anxiety Disorders, Depressive Disorders, Bipolar Disorder, and Trauma and Stressor-Related Disorders, she is an expert in LGBT+ issues.

Anxiety Disorders
Anxiety can manifest in various life experiences and configurations: in separation from significant people (Separation Anxiety), in open and empty spaces (Agoraphobia), in the persistent fear of being affected by illnesses (Hypochondria), in fears of things, animals, or situations (Specific Phobias), in social situations (Social Anxiety), in suffering from numerous and unexpected panic attacks (Panic Disorder).

Depressive Disorders
Mood disorders can take different directions that may even seem opposite: on one hand, severe and recurrent outbursts of anger (Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder) and on the other, a lack of energy due to a sense of emptiness and despair accompanied by loss of interest in all activities (Major Depressive Disorder), a condition that can last for years (Dysthymia). Women approaching their menstrual cycle may experience a depressive episode when irritability, dysphoria, and anxiety symptoms emerge (Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder), which resolve at the onset of menstruation or shortly thereafter.

Bipolar Disorder
It can happen that a depressive episode is followed by a manic one, in which mood dysregulation is upward: hyper-activity, hyper-distractibility, hyper-talkativeness, hyper-grandiosity are some of the characteristics. This mood pattern between depression and mania (Bipolar Disorder) can last for years (Cyclothymic Disorder), progressively exposing the person to serious risks, such as financial ruin or personal safety.

Trauma and Stressor-Related Disorders
It is inevitable that in life one confronts stressful situations, such as leaving home, changing jobs, becoming a parent, etc., and often these elicit emotional and behavioral symptoms that persist until a new equilibrium is found (Adjustment Disorders). When the stressful event coincides with exposure to actual death, or threat thereof, serious injury, or sexual violence (whether personally experienced or directly witnessed), it is referred to as Trauma. The consequences of trauma, even when forgotten, can be complex and severe. Among the most frequent symptoms are nightmares, hypervigilance, intrusive flashbacks of the trauma, amnesia, dissociative symptoms (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder).

LGBT+ Issues
Acceptance of one’s sexual orientation, facing coming out, recognizing internalized homo-transphobia, perception of one’s gender identity are some of the characteristic themes addressed during therapy with LGBT+ individuals.