What Are The Options For
Anxiety and Depression Treatment?

There are many anxiety and depression treatments. Treating anxiety disorder is no easy task because it involves so many factors. Many times the anxiety level is so high that you may get frustrated because of dealing with it and it may throw you into a depression.

The treatments mentioned below are tailored more for getting your anxiety under control, but depression will very often come along with anxiety, so they are both addressed here.

Many times depression is caused by desperation and frustration connected with an anxiety disorder. Once the anxiety improves, naturally the depression symptoms may subside. But there are a variety of options when you are looking for treatment for anxiety and depression treatments.

Here are some of the treatment options available:

Psychotherapy

Two of the most effective forms of this for treating anxiety disorder are Behavioral Therapy and Cognitive Therapy.

*Behavioral Therapy helps you to work on your habits and patterns in your everyday life that are contributing to or even causing anxiety. It teaches you to recognize self-defeating patterns and teaches you new skills to react successfully to anxiety-provoking situations. It may include muscle relaxation techniques, gradual exposure to the feared objects or situations, positive and negative reinforcement, and teaches healthy ways to relate to others.

*Cognitive Therapy helps you to work on your thought patterns that are contributing to your anxiety. It helps you control your self-defeating and "what if..." thoughts and turn them into positive, successful thoughts. It helps you to "re-learn" how to think positively. For example it works on all or nothing beliefs, negative assumptions, labeling, and helps you build self-esteem and confidence in yourself.

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy simply combines the two, focusing on thoughts AND behavioral patterns causing your anxiety and helps to get it under control. This type of therapy can be given by psychiatrists, psychologists and licensed counselors.

Medication

Medication can be quite helpful in reducing anxiety especially when the anxiety level is out of control and you can't function. However, it does not address the root causes such as anxiety-producing lifestyle and anxious thought patterns and behaviors.

Typically two types of medicines are used to control anxiety: Benzodiazepines and SSRI's(selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor). Benzodiazepines have addictive properties and can be abused. These are effective for short-term control of anxiety. SSRI's do not have addiction potential and are typically used for daily, long-term control of anxiety. SSRI's are very often used to control depression as well.

Complimentary and Alternative Approaches

These would include natural supplements, herbs, vitamins, any type of holistic approach. Also there are many benefits to acupuncture, Aromatherapy, massage therapy, yoga, etc.

This type of anxiety and depression treatment focuses on increasing the body's own healing abilities. It is common to use these along with other types of therapy.

Lifestyle Changes and Adjustments

These would include getting the proper amount of sleep and exercise as well as stress reducing techniques and breathing techniques Moderate physical activity can not only help with weight loss, but also releases endorphins that help to improve mood.

Making adjustments in your eating habits has been proven to help the body's overall well-being. Leafy green vegetables have specific vitamins that are good for mental health, such as the B vitamins. And moderate exposure to the sun has been proven to increase the body's level of B vitamins. Doctors will normally recommend these changes along with other anxiety and depression treatment.

So, as you can see, there are so many options when it comes to treatments for your anxiety disorder. So, just try to have patience when it comes to finding the right treatment for you.

See the My Advice section for other self-help suggestions to reduce your anxiety. And I wish you the best in your endeavors. I am very confident you will find the treatment approach that works for you.

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