Depression and Anxiety Treatment

Depression can make feel people profoundly discouraged, helpless, and hopeless. While anxiety can make them agitated and overwhelmed by physical symptoms like a pounding heart, tightness in the chest, and difficulty breathing. People diagnosed with both depression and anxiety tends to have : more severe symptoms, more impairment in their day-to-day lives, more trouble finding the right treatment, and a higher risk of suicide.

Ian A. Cook, MD, the director of the Depression Research Program at UCLA said “Depression and anxiety can be harder to treat than either condition on its own. Getting control might take more intensive treatment and closer monitoring”. Here are some tips for depression and anxiety treatment

1. Give medicine time to work
Many antidepressants also help with anxiety. You might need other medicines as well. It could take time for the drugs to work — and time for your doctor to find the ideal medicines for you. In the meantime, stick with your treatment and take your medication as prescribed.

2. Put effort into therapy
Although many types of talk therapy might help, cognitive behavioral therapy has the best evidence for treating anxiety and depression. It helps people identify and then change the thought and behavior patterns that add to their distress. Try to do your part: the benefit you’ll get from therapy is directly related to the work you put into it.

3. Change Your Lifestyle
As your treatment takes effect, you can do a lot on your own to reinforce it. Breathing exercises, muscle relaxation, and yoga can help. So can the basics, like eating well, getting enough sleep, and exercising. The key is to figure out ways of integrating better habits into your life — something that you can work on with your therapist.

4. Get a second opinion
When they’re combined, depression and anxiety can be hard to diagnose. It’s easy for a doctor to miss some of your symptoms — and as a result, you could wind up with the wrong treatment. If you have any doubts about your care, it’s smart to check in with another expert.

5. Focus on small steps
If you’re grappling with depression and anxiety, making it through the day is hard enough. Anything beyond that might seem impossible. “Changing your behavior can seem overwhelming,” Cook says. “I encourage people to make small, manageable steps in the right direction.” Over time, small changes can give you the confidence to make bigger ones.
6. Be an active partner in your treatment
There are many good ways to treat depression and anxiety. But they all hinge on one thing: a good relationship with your healthcare providers. Whether you see a GP, psychiatrist, psychologist, or social worker — or a combination — you need to trust one another and work as a team.