Depression And Anxiety Are Facets Of The Same Illness

Millions of Americans every year suffer from depression. Millions more suffer from some form of anxiety disorder. Studies have shown that the two disorders coexist more often than not. Between 60 and 70% of all people who suffer from clinical depression also suffer from anxiety.

About half of all people diagnosed with this disorders also suffer from depression. Depression and anxiety overlap so much that increasingly, clinical psychologists and researchers see anxiety and depression as facets of the same illness.

Most people have feelings of sadness at some point in their lives. The loss of a job, death of a loved one, or other disappointments, causes many of the symptoms of depression. Similarly, most people experience the latter at some point in their lives when confronted with stressful situations. These feelings are normal, up to a point.

When feelings of overwhelming sadness or hopelessness, accompanied by fatigue, and changes of appetite and sleep patterns persist for more than a few weeks, the person may be diagnosed with clinical depression. When feelings of anxiety are out of proportion to the stresses being experienced, or a person has panic attacks several times over a period of weeks, they may be suffering from an anxiety disorder. Anxiety and depression are so often intertwined that one must be treated before the other can be dealt with.

Just as there is a lot of overlap between depression and anxiety, there is also a lot of overlap in treatment for the two disorders. Anxiety disorders are often treated with antidepressant medications. Some forms of psychotherapy, especially cognitive and behavioral therapy, have been very successful in treating both conditions.

At times, it may be necessary to treat the depression first. In one form of therapy, called exposure therapy, the patient is exposed to gradually increasing stress factors to help them learn to cope with anxiety. Depression can drain a person of energy and leave them unable to cooperate, so sometimes it must be dealt with first for the anxiety therapy to be effective.

Sometimes, a patient’s depression must be treated before the disorder of the other condition can be dealt with. Other times, it may work the other way around. Anxiety usually presents itself at an earlier age than depression, typically during childhood or adolescence.

In these cases, successful treatment of the latter may prevent depression from developing when the patient reaches adulthood. Depression and anxiety are such frequent fellow travelers that often, successful treatment of one often includes treating the other.

About the Author

Mike Selvon’s anxiety portal has some more useful information on depression and anxiety. Visit his web site and leave a comment at his anxiety attack symptom blog.

The Anxiety Free Child Program. Generalized Depression Disorder Treatment To Help Kids

Treatment and Assessment of Childhood Depression and Anxiety [VHS] $129.95 Depression and anxiety affect a significant number of children and adolescents. These disorders and their associated comorbidities cause severe impairment in individual and family functioning. Increasingly, treatment options are broadening and the Federal Drug Administration is encouraging pharmaceutical companies to do more studies on the safety and efficiency of medication in the treatment of ch…

Mindsoothe Jr For Child And Teen Depression $35.96 Mindsoothe Jr. assists in the treatment of child and teen depression by assisting with concentration and behavioral difficulties associated with childhood depression, improving confidence and lifting mood in children with anxiety and self esteem problems linked to depression, optimizing the levels of neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin, reducing anger, and controlling mood swings and opp…

Survival Strategies for Parenting Children with Bipolar Disorder: Innovative Parenting and Counseling Techniques for Helping Children with Bipolar Disorder and the Conditions that May Occur with It $9.99 Up until five years ago, the professional community did not think that bipolar disorder occurred in children. Children with symptoms of bipolar disorder were diagnosed as “severe ADHD”, “depressed” or “oppositional defiant”. Now, as it is being increasingly diagnosed, George Lynn offers a clear, practical advice on recognising the symptoms, understanding medication and accessing the necessary supp…

The Child Psychotherapy Treatment Planner, 2nd Edition $49.95 This fully revised resource features:Treatment plan components for 30 behaviorally based problems encountered in children, including 14 entirely new to this editionA step-by-step guide to writing treatment plans 1,000s of prewritten treatment goals, objectives, and interventionsHandy workbook format with space to record your own treatment plan options Over 200,000 Practice Planners™ soldSaves yo…

DSM-IV Training Guide For Diagnosis Of Childhood Disorders $27.00 Revised to reflect changes made in DSM-IV as they pertain to childhood psychiatric disorders, this updated DSM-IV Training Guide for Diagnosis of Childhood Disorders provides specific instructions for optimally using the DSM-IV. This meticulously researched companion guide will provide welcome clarification and definition of the terms and concepts included in the DSM-IV criteria for disorders pert…