Coping With Depression And Anxiety

As life today is so stressful it is probably no surprise to learn that a high proportion of us will at some point in our lives suffer from Depression and Anxiety. Fortunately people these days are a lot more open about having suffered from these illnesses and thankfully are more likely to seek out treatment. People who have not suffered from these illnesses can find it very difficult to understand what a sufferer is going through, even if they really want to.
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Depression can manifest itself in a number of ways which can include difficulty sleeping or sleeping too much, a lack of interest in surroundings, activities and people where usually participation used to give pleasure and a feeling of apathy. Sufferers may also gain or lose weight, be unable to concentrate and have no energy.

Anxiety can take the form of panic attacks where the heart races to the point where a person begins to feel faint. Although it can be extremely frightening it does not do any lasting damage to a person.

The symptoms of anxiety and depression may not be immediately obvious and it is all too easy to blame them on someone just being moody or angry which might make it difficult for the person to get the treatment that they need. Someone with these symptoms should be urged to seek medical help as a trained professional will easily be able to diagnose it correctly.

Anxiety and depression are both illnesses that have every chance of being fully cured with the right treatment. Once diagnosed then the medical practitioner can work out a treatment plan with the patient so that they are fully aware of how the treatment will progress.

Treatment can take the form of drugs or therapy, or most likely a combination of both. If drugs need to be prescribed then they will start to relieve the symptoms of the anxiety and depression so that a person is better able to cope with life. The therapy will help to address the underlying causes of the depression and hopefully will treat it effectively.

The drugs do not start working immediately as they can take a couple of weeks to get into the system, so time needs to be given for them to be effective. Sometimes the dosage or type may need to be adjusted before the right combination is found that treats the symptoms with minimal or no side effects . The therapy is a gradual process as it is working on the mind, and again several different types may be tried or needed before finding the one that works the best.

It is important to keep remembering that there is no quick fix to depression and anxiety, and that although the drugs can mask the symptoms they probably cannot cure it all on their own.

The therapy is necessary so that it is dealt with as completely as possible ensuring that the patient is fully returned to health and hopefully will not have another episode of depression. If it does reoccur then there is a better chance that they will recognize the symptoms and adjust the way they are feeling from the previous time so that medical treatment can be sought much earlier and the length of the depression will be less.