Treatment for Anxiety and Depression – This is what you should know

As with any type of illness, treatment will be tailored to certain diagnosis. Treatment plan for the diagnosis of anxiety and depression should be made with an aim to help the individual manage and also reduce the signs of these disorders at the same time.

There are some people might have a disorder which causes most of this distress, and it only makes sense to address that first. Take for instance a person who has some depression and is unable to start treatment for the anxiety disorder. It might be crucial to treat that depression in the first place. Often, it is not easy to tell the set of symptoms that are predominant. For that reason, treatment of these two conditions might start simultaneously.

What are the Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression?

Anxiety and depression might happen both simultaneously. To be precise, it is estimated that 45% of individuals having a certain mental health condition actually meet the criteria of these even more disorders. Although every condition comes with its own causes, the two conditions might share same symptoms and even treatments. Read on to understand the symptoms of every condition.

Depression

Feeling down or upset is not abnormal. However, it becomes a concerning feeling when this happens continuously for some days or weeks. The physical symptoms & behavioral changes which are contributed to by depression are:

• Decreased energy, feeling sluggish and chronic fatigue
• Finding it hard to concentrate, make decisions, or even recall
• Pain, aches, or gastrointestinal problems
• Changes in the appetite or weight
• Finding it hard to sleep, waking up early, or oversleeping

You might also experience some emotional symptoms due to depression. Some of these symptoms include:

• Lack of pleasure in hobbies
• Persistent sadness or emptiness feelings
• Anger, irritability and restlessness
• Feelings of worthlessness
• Death thoughts or committing suicide
• Feeling hopeless and pessimistic

Anxiety

Anxiety can happen to everyone time to time. It is usual to experience anxiety for instance before some big event or before an important decision. However, chronic anxiety might be debilitating and can lead to irrational thoughts. Physical symptoms & behavioral changes which are brought about by general anxiety disorder are:

• Feelings of fatigue
• Finding it hard to concentrate
• Muscle tensions
• Racing heart
• Sleeping difficulties

Just as depression, there are some emotional symptoms which are associated with anxiety. Some of these symptoms include:

• Restlessness and irritability
• Difficulty to control worry or fear
• Panic

Self-treatment

In some instances, an individual might manage anxiety easily at home with no clinical supervision. All the same, this can be limited to less severe anxiety periods. Doctors always recommend different exercises and techniques which help cope with anxiety, including:

• Relaxation techniques: Some measures might help in reducing signs of anxiety like deep-breathing exercises, meditation, yoga and long baths.

• Stress management: You can limit the potential triggers through managing your stress levels. Always check pressures and deadlines, make sure to have a to-do list. Additionally, you should take enough time away from the professional and educational obligations.

• Exercises in order to replace the negative thoughts with the positive ones: It might help when you take a list of the negative thoughts, and also come with another one for positive thoughts. Picture yourself facing and also conquering a certain fear.

• Support network: You need to talk to an individual who is very supportive like a family member or maybe a friend. It is also advisable to avoid storing up or suppressing the anxious feelings that can worsen the anxiety disorders.

• Exercising: Physical exertion as well as leading an active lifestyle might also improve self-image. This will in turn trigger chemicals release in your brain to stimulate the positive emotions.

Counselling and Therapy

Normal anxiety treatment will include psychological counseling & therapy. That might include psychotherapy, like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). This aims to recognize and also alter the harmful patterns of thinking which might trigger anxiety disorders or troublesome feelings. It also helps to limit distorted thinking and reactions to stressors.

You will also realize that it helps one to manage the manner in which their body and the mind reacts to specific triggers. Psychotherapy is yet another treatment which involves talking to expert mental health professionals. You will later be required to work to the root cause of the anxiety disorder. Sessions can explore triggers of anxiety as well as the possible coping mechanisms.

Medications

Different types of medication might support treatment for an anxiety disorder. Some other medicines can also help in controlling some physical or mental symptoms. They include:

Tricyclics: These are drugs which have demonstrated some helpful effects for most anxiety disorders. The drugs are however known to lead to side effects like drowsiness, dizziness or weight gain. Examples of these drugs are imipramine and clomipramine.

Benzodiazepines: These are available on prescription only. However, they can be addictive and are rarely a first-line medication. The drugs will not lead to many side effects apart from drowsiness or possible dependency. A common example is Diazepam.

Anti-depressants: Most people commonly use the anti-depressants in depression management. Serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) have become an option too. They have lesser side effects as compared to older anti-depressants. All the same, they are likely to lead to nausea or sexual dysfunction t. Some examples include fluoxetine & citalopram.

Can CBD Help with My Anxiety and Depression?

Some people ask whether CBD gummies benefit a patient who is suffering from anxiety and depression. There is proof that CBD might be a treatment for different medical conditions. CBD comes in different forms among them being CBD edibles (like CBD chews, CBD gummies), CBD oil, CBD cream among others. All the same, this research is less advanced compared to treatment of epilepsy. Some of the conditions that CBD is assessed is diverse.
There is inadequate scientific evidence that supports the claim of CBD being an effective depression and anxiety treatment. This does not however mean that it will never help. It is only that there lacks properly controlled trials to support the effectiveness of CBD. Considerably more research should be done to evaluate CBD like a treatment for skin.

Final words

Treating anxiety disorders focuses on the psychological therapy, lifestyle adjustments and medication too. Treatment will always be different for every person based on the kind of anxiety disorder that they have. Self-management will be the initial step of managing your anxious feelings. This often involves the relaxation techniques, leading an active lifestyle as well as effective time management. If such measures don’t bring the anxious reactions under check, visit your doctor to seek for other treatments avenues. In case the anxious reactions happen to be severe, you should always seek treatment.