The Benefits Of Treating Anxiety And Depression
Digestive disorders, heart disease, obesity, and chronic pain are just a few of the possible physical ramifications of untreated anxiety and depressive disorders. Other conditions associated with anxiety and depression include sleep disorders, substance abuse disorders, respiratory illnesses, and thyroid problems.
Here at Advanced Psychiatry Associates, we know that anxiety and depression usually get worse without treatment. But we also know that both disorders are highly treatable. Psychotherapy, drug therapy, and cognitive-behavioral therapy are just a few of the treatments that can help you toward full recovery. These solutions can help you reclaim your life and preserve your long-term physical health.
To learn more about the benefits you stand to gain by treating your anxiety or depression, call our office in Folsom, California, or schedule an appointment using our convenient online booking tool.
Worse Anxiety Depression Symptoms In Pregnant Women With Epilepsy
Stanford-led study gives new insight into how epilepsy, pregnancy and symptoms of mood disorders interact.
A study of 535 pregnant women found that those with epilepsy had more and worse depression symptoms as well as worse anxiety symptoms.Natalia Deriabina/Shutterstock.com
Women with epilepsy experience more anxiety and depression symptoms during and after pregnancy than other women, according to a new study led by researchers at Stanford Medicine.
The study will be published online Aug. 17 in Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The study, which tracked more than 300 women with epilepsy during and after their pregnancies, expands researchers knowledge of how epilepsy interacts with mental health conditions. Scientists already knew that having epilepsy puts people at greater risk for depression, and vice versa, likely due to overlap in the brain networks involved in the two disorders. Pregnancy and the postpartum period are also well-known triggers of depression and anxiety. But the intersection of all three states pregnancy, epilepsy and mood disorders was poorly understood.
We found that women with epilepsy have increased risk for mood and anxiety disorders during pregnancy, said Kimford Meador, MD, professor of neurology at the Stanford School of Medicine. This makes it more important to monitor their well-being while they are pregnant.
Why Does Depression Worsen During Periods
Depression may also be exacerbated during your period due to PMDD. PMDD is quite similar to PMS, but its symptoms are more severe. Many people who experience PMDD report extreme depression before and during their periods. According to estimates, around 30 percent of people who get periods experience PMS in their reproductive years, and anywhere from three to eight percent experience PMDD.
If you already have depression, then your symptoms may get worse before and during your period. Depression commonly occurs alongside premenstrual syndrome. About 50 percent of people who receive treatment for PMS also experience either anxiety or menstrual depression.
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Signs Of Severe Depression During Period
You may experience severe depression before and during periods due to premenstrual dysphoric disorder . PMDD is similar to PMS, but its severe and sometimes disabling. PMDD can cause extreme mood shifts, which can interfere with your daily life, relationships, and work. Symptoms usually start a week before menstruation and continue a few days after your period begins. Apart from severe depression before and during periods, other symptoms and signs of PMDD are:
- Tension or anxiety
- Feeling out of control or overwhelmed
- Extreme moodiness
- Hopelessness with extremely negative thoughts
- Trouble concentrating
- Binge eating or food cravings
- Lack of interest in relationships and daily activities
- Loss of interest in sex
You may manage depression during your period by making certain lifestyle changes and taking specific medications.
Does Drinking Make Your Anxiety And Depression Worse
If you are among the more than 14 million Americans who have ever experienced alcohol dependency, then you know that the effects of drinking are often far more than physical . Alcohol dependency and abuse not only carry with them potentially profound health risks, from cardiovascular disease to liver failure, but they also wreak havoc on your mental and emotional health, possibly intensifying or resulting in anxiety and/or depression . The relationship between alcohol abuse and mental and emotional health is probably far more significant, and far more complex than you might have imagined.
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Anxiety And Depression During Periods: Causes Detection And Treatment
Depression and anxiety during periods are both common. These symptoms are often part of premenstrual syndrome . PMS is a combination of physical, emotional, and behavioral symptoms that occur during the premenstrual phase of the cycle and go away after the period begins. PMS can cause depression before and during periods, along with food cravings, headache, fatigue, and tender breasts, among other symptoms.
However, severe depression during periods may be caused by premenstrual dysphoric disorder . If you are already experiencing depression, it may be that your depression worsens before and during periods.
Causes Of Depression During Periods
Its not known exactly how PMS causes depression, but its probably connected to the hormonal fluctuations that occur during the second half of the menstrual cycle, sensitivity of the central nervous system to reproductive hormones, genetic factors, and psychosocial factors such as stress.
Changes in levels of progesterone and estrogen can affect levels of serotonin. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that helps regulate appetite, sleep cycle, and mood. Low serotonin levels may lead to feelings of irritability and sadness, unusual food cravings, and trouble sleeping, all of which are symptoms of PMS. In addition to these symptoms and depression while on your period you may also have:
- Sleeping too little or too much
- Eating too little or too much
- Tiredness or fatigue
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How To Get A Clinical Diagnosis
Theres no single test that can diagnose depression or anxiety. Instead, your doctor will likely conduct a physical exam and a depression or anxiety screening test. For this, theyll ask you a series of questions that help them get a better insight into what youve been experiencing.
If the results arent clear or if your doctor suspects the symptoms may be the result of another condition, they may order tests to rule out underlying issues. Blood tests can check your thyroid, vitamin, and hormone levels.
In some cases, general practitioners will refer you to a mental health expert, such as a psychiatrist or psychologist, if they dont feel equipped to properly manage your symptoms and conditions or if they suspect youre experiencing more than one condition.
Although depression and anxiety are two separate conditions, they share many of the same treatments. A combination of these may be used to treat both conditions at the same time.
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Tips For Men Coping With Anxiety And Depression
There are lots of things you can do to look after your health and wellbeing, so find an approach that best suits you. For example, try to stay active and make plans for the day they dont have to be grand plans, just small things like going for a run or talking to a mate.
Try to include activities or hobbies that you specifically enjoy. At first, you may not enjoy them as much as you did before, but if you keep active and persist, the enjoyment should eventually return.
Its important to look after your body by staying physically active, eating healthily and getting plenty of sleep. Try not to drink alcohol or take other drugs to block out how youre feeling and what is happening. This is not a positive long-term solution and can make the anxiety or depression worse.
The important thing is to find the right options and the right health professionals that suit you.
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What Are The Treatments For Depression
Many helpful treatments for depression are available. Treatment for depression can help reduce symptoms and shorten how long the depression lasts. Treatment can include getting therapy and/or taking medications. Your doctor or a qualified mental health professional can help you determine what treatment is best for you.
- Therapy. Many people benefit from psychotherapyalso called therapy or counseling.7,8 Most therapy lasts for a short time and focuses on thoughts feelings and issues that are happening in your life now. In some cases understanding your past can help but finding ways to address what is happening in your life now can help you cope and prepare you for challenges in the future.With therapy, youll work with your therapist to learn skills to help you cope with life, change behaviors that are causing problems and find solutions. Do not feel shy or embarrassed about talking openly and honestly about your feelings and concerns. This is an important part of getting better.Some common goals of therapy include:
- Getting healthier
- Making sense of past painful events
- Identifying things that worsen your depression
- Having better relationships with family and friends
- Understanding why something bothers you and creating a plan to deal with it
Can You Have Anxiety And Depression At The Same Time
Although the symptoms of anxiety disorders differ from the symptoms of depressive disorders, its possible to have both at the same time.
A found that having depression can make you more likely to experience social anxiety. A 2015 survey found that 41.6% of people reported having both major depression and an anxiety disorder during the same 12-month period.
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Terms Used For Feelings
However, depression and anxiety are also used to describe everyday emotions.
Anxiety can be a feeling of worry or unease. People often use the word depressed to describe feeling down. Though anxiety can be situational, depressive episodes are much more profound and isnt the same as being sad.
You can feel anxious without meeting the criteria for diagnosis for the disorders mentioned above.
How Common Are Anxiety And Depression
Anxiety disorders affect nearly 20 percent of American adults. That means millions are beset by an overabundance of the fight-or-flight response that primes the body for action. When youre stressed, the brain responds by prompting the release of cortisol, natures built-in alarm system. It evolved to help animals facing physical threats by increasing respiration, raising the heart rate and redirecting blood flow from abdominal organs to muscles that assist in confronting or escaping danger.
These protective actions stem from the neurotransmitters epinephrine and norepinephrine, which stimulate the sympathetic nervous system and put the body on high alert. But when they are invoked too often and indiscriminately, the chronic overstimulation can result in all manner of physical ills, including digestive symptoms like indigestion, cramps, diarrhea or constipation, and an increased risk of heart attack or stroke.
Depression, while less common than chronic anxiety, can have even more devastating effects on physical health. While its normal to feel depressed from time to time, more than 6 percent of adults have such persistent feelings of depression that it disrupts personal relationships, interferes with work and play, and impairs their ability to cope with the challenges of daily life. Persistent depression can also exacerbate a persons perception of pain and increase their chances of developing chronic pain.
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Treatment Can Counter Emotional Tolls
Although persistent anxiety and depression are highly treatable with medications, cognitive behavioral therapy and talk therapy, without treatment these conditions tend to get worse. According to Dr. John Frownfelter, treatment for any condition works better when doctors understand the pressures patients face that affect their behavior and result in clinical harm.
Dr. Frownfelter is an internist and chief medical officer of a start-up called Jvion. The organization uses artificial intelligence to identify not just medical factors but psychological, social and behavioral ones as well that can impact the effectiveness of treatment on patients health. Its aim is to foster more holistic approaches to treatment that address the whole patient, body and mind combined.
The analyses used by Jvion, a Hindi word meaning life-giving, could alert a doctor when underlying depression might be hindering the effectiveness of prescribed treatments for another condition. For example, patients being treated for diabetes who are feeling hopeless may fail to improve because they take their prescribed medication only sporadically and dont follow a proper diet, Dr. Frownfelter said.
Some changes to medical care during the pandemic have greatly increased patient access to depression and anxiety treatment. The expansion of telehealth has enabled patients to access treatment by psychotherapists who may be as far as a continent away.
How To Manage Your Symptoms
In addition to a formal treatment plan from your doctor, these strategies may help you find relief from symptoms. Its important to know, though, that these tips may not work for everyone, and they may not work each time.
The goal of managing depression and anxiety is to create a series of treatment options that can all work together to help, to some degree, whenever you need to use them.
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Stress Is Not Anxiety Or Depression
Stress is not the same as anxiety or depression but for some people, being stressed for a long time can lead to anxiety or depression, and it can affect a persons physical health, particularly cardiovascular health.
When we talk about being stressed, it usually means were upset or tense about something thats happening in our lives. Stress is a normal part of daily life. Its a natural physical and mental response that is designed to help people cope effectively with emergencies.
Some stress can be a good thing. It can help us get motivated to get things done, but health problems from stress happen when it is regular and doesnt let up.
Symptoms Of Other Mental Health Conditions
Depression and anxiety can be symptoms of other mental illnesses, including:
| persistent feelings of worry, dread, and fear | persistent feelings of sadness, worthlessness, and hopelessness |
| feelings of helplessness | |
| racing thoughts, restlessness, feeling on edge | difficulty feeling excitement or interest |
| shortness of breath, dizziness, upset stomach | lack of energy |
| eating/sleeping too much or too little | eating/sleeping too much or too little |
| possible suicidal thoughts |
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How Are Depression And Anxiety Diagnosed
There are no specific tests but your GP may perform some blood tests for other health conditions that share similar symptoms with depression or anxiety.
Your GP will need to get a good picture of the way youre feeling mentally and physically. They will ask you lots of questions about your symptoms and the changes youve noticed.
It can be difficult to think about specific answers on-the-spot but the following suggestions might help you plan ahead for your appointment.
- Make a list of all your symptoms, whether they are worse at certain times of the day or on particular occasions, how long youve had them and their effect on your day-to-day life and relationship with others.
- Explain any circumstances that could be contributing to these symptoms and the way you feel.
- Take a list of all medications you currently take, including any supplements or non-prescription medication.
- Be as open and honest as you can remember anything you say is confidential.
The Physical Response Of Anxiety
Constant anxiety is an emotional response, but those feelings of worry or fear also give rise to a physical response. When you feel anxious, your neurotransmitters relay these impulses to your sympathetic nervous system, making your muscles contract and your heart rate and respiration increase. It also redirects your blood flow from your abdominal organs to your brain.
When anxiety is the norm rather than the exception, its physical effects can become intensified, leading to physical symptoms like lightheadedness, stomach pain, and a high resting heart rate.
Here are some of the physical problems associated with anxiety disorders:
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I Hate Bipolar Disorder
And of course, I hate bipolar disorder, too. Bipolar disorder has built up my confidence to the point of making me feel euphoric and god-like. The highs of mania have reached such epic levels that I have lost touch with reality. Bipolar disorder has cost me friends and strained my relationships with family members.
Bipolar disorder has also pushed me into the darkness and held me there. It has convinced my brain that suicide is a reasonable outcome. It is has paralyzed me with a sadness so deep that I was barely able to move. Bipolar disorder has literally tried to kill me.
Does Alcohol Make Anxiety Worse
Moping is a mistake that is easy to ignore and that also makes anxiety worse. But it is not the only one. For example, many people find that they feel “calmer” and more relaxed when they drink alcohol. But alcohol only numbs you to anxiety in the moment rather than providing any type of cure.
While alcohol may numb your anxiety, it also weakens your ability to cope with stress. Your mind expects alcohol to be the tool you use to take it away, and you become less likely to be able to reduce anxiety without it. Because alcohol also causes illness, dehydration, poor decision making and sleeplessness, it ends up creating more anxiety than it helped.
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What Does Anxiety Feel Like Compared With Depression
Anxiety involves feeling tense, nervous, or unable to relax, with a persistent sense of dread or fear. Physically, you may have a churning feeling in your stomach, feel lightheaded or dizzy, and have rapid breathing or a fast heartbeat.
The classic signs of depression include feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and worthlessness, but some people with depression also feel restless or irritable, have trouble concentrating, and struggle to sleep and eat.