Understanding the facts of anxiety & depression is the first step. I treat adolescents and adults struggling with anxiety and depression. I have seen people make positive strides by combining medication alongside of psychotherapy. My favorite approach to treating depression is cognitive behavioral therapy. I am a solution focused therapist who uses a blend of modalities depending on each person’s special needs.
ANXIETY
Anxiety affects 40 million Americans and only 1/3 get help even though its highly treatable.Generalized anxiety disorder is characterized by persistent, excessive, and unrealistic worry about everyday things.
People with the disorder, which is also referred to as GAD, experience excessive anxiety and worry, often expecting the worst even when there is no apparent reason for concern. They anticipate disaster and may be overly concerned about money, health, family, work, or other issues. GAD is diagnosed when a person finds it difficult to control worry on more days than not for at least six months and has three or more symptoms.
It’s not uncommon for someone with an anxiety disorder to also suffer from depression or vice versa. Nearly one-half of those diagnosed with depression are also diagnosed with an anxiety disorder.
DEPRESSION
Depression is a condition in which a person feels discouraged, sad, hopeless, unmotivated, or disinterested in life in general. When these feelings last for a short period of time, it may be a case of “the blues.”
But when such feelings last for more than two weeks and when the feelings interfere with daily activities such as taking care of family, spending time with friends, or going to work or school, it’s likely a major depressive episode.
Major depression is a treatable illness that affects the way a person thinks, feels, behaves, and functions. Depression is one of the most common mental disorders in the United States. In 2014, around 15.7 million adults age 18 or older in the U.S. had experienced at least one major depressive episode in the last year, which represented 6.7 percent of all American adults. At any point in time, 3 to 5 percent of adults suffer from major depression; the lifetime risk is about 17 percent. As many as 2 out of 100 young children and 8 out of 100 teens may have serious depression.
Please visit the following link for a comprehensive compilation of helpful information. Also you will find depression and anxiety support groups. Never give up hope that life can be better. Sometimes you can start feeling better right away, other times it is a very long process with medication and psychotherapy.
For many different mental health topics posted over the past couple of years please visit: Meaghan Flenner, LMHC, CAP, EMDR FaceBook Page.