By Patrick O’Neil, Group Facilitator, CAST Treatment Centers
Are you depressed? Do you suffer from anxiety? Anxiety is the most common mental illness in the United States, affecting 40 million adults, while another 25 million suffer from depression. And while anxiety and depression are not mutually exclusive, what they definitely have in common is that 75% of those adults, with either, or both depression and anxiety, do not seek help—or explore available treatments like medication for depression that could provide relief.
Understanding Treatment Options
There are many treatment options available for depression and anxiety, but how well the treatment works depends on the type of depression or anxiety and its severity. Unfortunately, the impression most people have regarding getting help from a medical professional is that the doctor or psychiatrist prescribes you medication for depression, and your anxiety and depression immediately go away—almost magically—and while antidepressant and anti-anxiety medications do help, they are not the cure.
Limitations of Medication
In the article, “Can Antidepressants Cure Depression?” Depression Expert Nancy Schimelpfening writes, “The reason that antidepressants aren’t able to provide a permanent cure for depression lies in how they work. Antidepressants target one or more of the neurotransmitters which are believed to be involved in regulating mood, allowing a greater quantity of these neurotransmitters to remain available for use within the brain and theoretically making up for any deficiencies which might be causing a person’s depression symptoms. This effect is only temporary, however. When you stop taking the antidepressant, your brain chemistry will return to its previous state.”
Concerns About Dependence and Side Effects
Yet this “temporary” fix isn’t the only issue with medications as Dr. Susan Heitler, in her Psychology Today article titled, “Anxiety Treatment: Should You Be Wary of Anxiety Medication?” where she warns of the addictive concerns for the drugs prescribed to combat anxiety; “Using anti-anxiety medications for any reason over many months or years invites addiction problems. While brief use to calm a short-term episode of overwhelming anxiety may be worthwhile, wariness is appropriate. Easing one difficulty—anxiety— by causing an equal or worse difficulty—addiction—is inappropriate.”
When Medication May Still Be Helpful
This is not to say that when your doctor or psychiatrist suggests medication for your depression or anxiety, you should say no. However, it is essential that you know as much as possible about the medicines they suggest. For many, the proper medication for depression can be helpful in managing symptoms and improving day-to-day functioning. However, while medications can reduce the symptoms of depression and anxiety, they won’t “fix” whatever else has been going on in your life that is adversely affecting your mood. Depression and anxiety are usually the result of a combination of recent events and other longer-term or personal factors, rather than one immediate distressful experience. Family, relationships, trauma, addiction, abuse, and serious illness are just a few of the emotionally loaded aspects of our lives that can cause an overwhelming sense of depression or trigger anxiety. Getting to the heart of why someone is so overwhelmingly affected is where seeking professional help can be very beneficial in dealing with these issues.
The Importance of Tailored, Combined Treatment
The Anxiety and Depression Association of America suggests, “Treatment may be complicated for those with more than one anxiety disorder or suffering from coexisting conditions such as depression. This is why treatment must be tailored to each person.” For most people, therapy for depression and anxiety, when combined with medication, produces better results than either treatment alone. In his study, “Adding Psychotherapy to Antidepressant Medication in Depression and Anxiety Disorders,” Pim Cuijpers, Professor of Clinical Psychology at the Vrije University in Amsterdam, writes, “We found clear evidence that combined treatment with psychotherapy and antidepressant medication is more effective than treatment with antidepressant medication alone.”
While Dr. Paula Young, Staff Therapist and Head of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Services at The Family Institute at Northwestern University, further confirms this with her study titled, “Combining Antidepressants, Therapy May Be a Powerful Treatment Option for Major Therapy,” in which she concludes, “The results of this study suggest the importance of tailoring treatment for depression. The recovery rates for patients who received combination therapy were better than for those who received medication alone.”
How Does Combination Therapy Work?
So exactly how does this “combination therapy” work for you? The treatment that’s right for you will depend on how bad your depression and anxiety are, your symptoms, and what is happening in your life. The best way for you to decide where and how to seek help is to gain an understanding of the variety of options that are available for treating your depression or anxiety, and then consult a professional to help determine what treatment would work best. Outpatient treatment, group therapy, and individual therapeutic sessions are all recommended forms of treatment that work well combined with medication. Many clinicians and therapists are trained in more than one kind of therapy, so ask your clinician or outpatient program what type of therapy they practice and how it can help you. Working with an experienced anxiety therapist can help you explore specific treatment methods, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, tailored to your unique triggers.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is often used in treating anxiety disorders. CBT helps you change your thought patterns and reactions to situations that cause you anxiety.
Group Therapy allows you to work through your problems by interacting with a therapist and a group of individuals with similar issues.
Psychodynamic Therapy helps you address and resolve the unresolved and at times unconscious conflicts that often arise in childhood. By talking about these experiences, you begin to understand the origins of your anxiety and depression, and through that understanding, you learn to cope and live with them
Interpersonal Therapy focuses on your behaviors and interactions in relationships to promote self-esteem and improve communication.
Support Groups help you maintain an ongoing support network, and similar to group therapy, are comprised of “a group of individuals with similar issues” that you can utilize after you have completed a program or while in therapy. These groups may include alumni groups from your treatment center, organized 12-Step meetings, or a singularly focused mental health group, such as a grief and loss support group or an LGBTQ support group.
While support groups are valuable, ongoing one-on-one sessions with an anxiety therapist can provide deeper insight into your personal triggers and long-term strategies for relief.
Whether you utilize some form of therapy or the combination of therapy and medication, the primary objective is that you are obtaining the help that you need to address your anxiety and depression. Untreated, your depression and anxiety can lead to emotional, behavioral and health problems that affect every aspect of your life. Over 25,000 people who have depression and anxiety take their lives each year. If you feel that your depression and anxiety have become so overwhelming that you feel hopeless, isolated, and fearful, then it is time to ask for help. Looking for a qualified depression therapist near me can be a vital first step in getting the help you need. With the proper treatment, you will no longer have to suffer. With the right therapy for depression and anxiety, supported by medication when needed, you can find lasting relief and begin to rebuild your life.
