Tag: Symptoms Of Depression

Depression Anxiety Treatment Options

Most doctors will prescribe antidepressant medications to help treat depression and anxiety. They are not a cure though. These medications can treat some of the symptoms of depression and anxiety; however they have no effect on the underlying stressors contributing to your depression and anxiety. Therapy is necessary when lifestyle changes are in order.

There is research that proves that therapy can be just as effective at treating anxiety and depression as some medications. In fact, therapy can often help where medication cannot. Antidepressants only work as long as you are taking them. Once you have weaned yourself off of them, if no changes have been made to your lifestyle, then the stressors and other contributors remain.

This can actually cause a relapse. Therapy offers coping mechanisms, emotional insights, and the skills required to change your lifestyle and get rid of the contributing stressors. Sometimes medication is necessary in severe cases of depression and anxiety. This will help boost your mood so you can gain the energy to seek out and focus on effective therapy.

Therapy and medications are not the only forms of treatment available. Other effective routes include support groups, meditation, exercise, stress management, techniques for relaxation, and taking steps towards self-help. These types of treatment involve more effort than others, but their advantages usually outweigh any of the negatives. They can boost mood and energy levels just as effectively as medications in milder cases of depression and anxiety.

Recovery from depression and anxiety starts with making positive choices in your daily lives. Eating healthy and exercising can have a huge effect. Research indicates that exercise helps people feel more in control, increases self-esteem, offers a distraction, improves overall health, helps cope with stress, and decreases the chance of sleeplessness. It is hard to get motivated to start exercising when you are depressed or anxious. However that is exactly what you need to do. Exercise can offer a more immediate relief to how you feel than any antidepressant medication.

Depression often makes you feel like you have no energy to even get out of bed, let alone do exercise. By taking easy steps it is possible to add activity to your daily routine. Remember to keep it simple. Set your first goal of the day to get out of bed, get outside, and walk around the block. You would be surprised what a little sunshine can do for your mood. Then add a little more each day. Also, take it easy. Your body may not be used to physical activity and the last thing you want to do is overexert yourself and cause injury.

Feel good about what you have accomplished, no matter how little. The best way to add some activity is by doing what you enjoy. If you like to do yoga, then do yoga. Do not force yourself to go to the gym if that is not enjoyable. This would defeat the whole purpose of exercising to feel better. Sometimes, exercising with a friend makes it easier. Just make sure it is someone who is supportive and encouraging, and someone whom you can talk to.

The best treatment is found by working in conjunction with your doctor. S/he will be able to help you monitor your depression and anxiety and make necessary recommendations. They can also help you to work out the positive lifestyle changes needed to regain control over these illnesses.

Antidepressants And Their Side Effects

Antidepressant medications can often help depression sufferers. However, they do have side effects and some can be dangerous. Before starting any antidepressant medication, it is a good idea to consult with your doctor so you can weigh the benefits and the risks. Sometimes antidepressant meds are not the solution because of the side effects.

Depression is most often caused by lower levels of serotonin in the brain. Antidepressants raise these levels back to their state of normalcy. While it is true that there are many studies that contradict the theory of depression being caused by a chemical imbalance, they have yet to figure out exactly what is the cause.

Serotonin levels cannot be measured, so researchers do not know what a normal level is. All they know is that something causes the serotonin levels to decrease and there are drugs to reverse this. Some studies have shown that moods and depression do not always worsen when the individuals serotonin levels are reduced. Also in question is the fact that antidepressants take several weeks to start having an effect, yet it only takes a few hours for the same medications to raise serotonin levels. It would make sense that a depressed person should feel better in a few hours, not a few weeks.

Researchers are starting to realize that depression involves more than a chemical imbalance in the brain. While lower serotonin levels appear to be one of the causes, they are also finding that elevated stress levels, inflammation, nutritional deficiencies, shrinking brain cells, suppressing immune systems and abnormal activity in the brain are surfacing as causes. There are also many psychological and social factors that have an effect as well.

Antidepressant medication has proven to be effective when treating depression. It has also shown to cause side effects in approximately 50% of the people that take them. Medication should only be prescrib3ed when the symptoms of depression are severe. In most cases of mild depression, exercise, changes to diet, and therapy can work just as effectively.

The most prescribed types of antidepressants are called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI). These medications are commonly known as Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, Celexa, Luvox, and Lexapro. SSRIs are responsible for increasing serotonin levels in the brain.

Serotonin is responsible for regulating mood and helps with pain, sleep, digestion, and mental clarity. Due to these roles, SSRIs come with a large range of side effects such as nausea, anxiety, insomnia, decreased sex drive, sweating, sleepiness, dizziness, dry mouth, headaches, and weight gain/loss. The most common of these side effects are lowered sex drive, sleepiness, insomnia, and nausea. These side effects usually go away within a few weeks. Sometimes though, they remain and even can get worse.

Some of the newer drugs on the market such as Wellbutrin and Effexor are called atypical antidepressants because they affect other neurotransmitters as well as serotonin. The side effects of these drugs are less severe and include nausea, fatigue, weight gain, nervousness, and dry mouth.

Regardless of which medication path the doctor prescribes, always weigh the benefits against the risks to make sure the chosen medication is right for you.

Are You Attacking Anxiety and Depression

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Many who suffer from anxiety and depression take medication to relieve their sadness. Doctors may prescribe antidepressants, tranquillizers and sleeping tablets for your affection. But there are healthier alternatives that can be used in attacking anxiety and depression.

Exercise is extremely important for many reasons but level more then if you suffer from emotional woe. Many of you will remark that you just don’t have the time to exercise. But exercising doesn’t have to be done in a gym or health club. It can be a 20 minute walk around your neighborhood or running up and uncherished your stairs. Among other things, regular exercise increases your endorphins, those elated hormones that get the superb feelings going in your body. They boost self – esteem, and reduce the symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress. The catch is that you need to exercise regularly to favor from it. Set up a schedule and stick to it. If you can’t do 20 log every day, try it three or four times per week. And make sure you do something that gets your heart rate up a little bit. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll start to feel better and will look forward to your little exercise break.

Social support is galling during tough times and especially if you’re attacking anxiety and depression. It’s probable that you want to reliable be alone when you feel depressed. But try to keep in mind that loneliness is actually one of the causes of depression, and if you already have it, sitting alone could worsen the situation. So think about getting involved in some groups, even if it’s the make headway thing you want to do. You can dawning by volunteering. Doing something for others is a great way to feel better about yourself and humanity, and it takes your mind off of how bad you may believe things are.

Similarly, talking to someone about how you feel is a great way to alleviate some of your pain. You don’t need to go out and clasp a group to do this. Share how you feel with a close family member, friend or even a professional who will lend an objective ear.

Relaxation and meditation are also very effective when it comes to treating depression. One of the best methods of relaxation is to practice savasana ( referred to due to the ” dead body pose ” ) In this position, you lie flat on your back with your arms relaxed at your sides. This is a position that is often done between yoga exercises. It returns vermeil circulation to normal and teaches complete relaxation.

Cut certain supplements. There is a strong correlation between anxiety / panic disorder and dismal levels of certain vitamins and minerals. Here are some things that you want to make sure you are getting enough of: Omega 3 fish oil, calcium, magnesium, vitamin c and b – complex vitamin supplements.

The above information about attacking anxiety and depression does not substitute medical cure given by a health professional.

Take time to consider the points presented above. What you learn may help you overcome your hesitation to take action.