This blog answers: How to manage depression past anxiety in the future? Can anxiety and depression co-occur? What are the signs and symptoms of a dual diagnosis of anxiety and depression? What is depression? What are the symptoms of depression? What causes depression? What is Anxiety? What are the signs and symptoms of anxiety? What causes anxiety?

How to manage depression past anxiety in the future?

Some ways to manage depression past anxiety are:

Medication

Antidepressants are very commonly prescribed by doctors to individuals with depression. These medications are not sedatives or tranquilizers. They generally do not have any stimulating effects on people who do not experience depression.

Antidepressants usually show their effects within a few weeks. However, in cases where patients do not see any improvement after several weeks, they can alter their doses based on the suggestions provided by their health care practitioners.

Some antidepressants are:

Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs)

Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) are antidepressant drugs that can be prescribed to individuals with depression and also anxiety.

Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) might work for some individuals on whom other medications do not work to provide them relief.

Some examples of Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) are:

Amitriptyline (Elavil)
Imipramine (Tofranil)
Nortriptyline (Pamelor)

Individuals must consult their mental health practitioners before taking these as like other medications tricyclic antidepressants also have side effects.

Some side effects of tricyclic antidepressants are:

Constipation
Blurry vision
Dry mouth
Drowsiness
Increase in appetite
Sweating
Low blood pressure
Lightheadedness
Increase in appetite
Difficulty urinating
Weight loss or weight gain

Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy is also called talk therapy. It is used as a single mode of treatment for mild depression or for moderate to severe depression along with antidepressants.

Psychotherapy might involve the individual alone or other related individuals for instance the family of the concerned person.

Depending on the severity of depression psychotherapy might take a few weeks or much longer for significant improvement

Cognitive-behavioral therapy

Cognitive-behavioral therapy is a form of psychotherapy where the therapist actively focuses on problem-solving. This is done by helping individuals replace their negative thoughts with more positive ones.

Electroconvulsive therapy

Electroconvulsive therapy is a treatment model that is commonly used for patients with severe and major depression who usually do not respond to other lines of treatment.

It involves brief electrical stimulation of the brain while the patient is under anesthesia.

Patients receive electroconvulsive therapy two or three times a week for a total of 6 to 12 sessions.

Self-help and coping strategies

Apart from therapy and medicine individuals can also carry out some self-help coping strategies such as carrying out regular exercises, getting sufficient sleep, indulging in pleasurable activities, maintaining a healthy diet, and avoiding alcohol to reduce their symptoms of depression.

Can anxiety and depression co-occur?

Anxiety and depression can occur simultaneously in individuals. It is referred to as a cycle according to Sally R. Connolly, LCSW and therapist.

He explains that when individuals are anxious, they tend to have negative thoughts that are pervasive making them feel bad about themselves and the situation which in turn makes them feel low and experience depression.

The relationship between anxiety and depression is a complicated one. The chances of experiencing depression after anxiety are much higher.

Data indicates that individuals with major depression also suffer from severe forms of anxiety. Individuals who are depressed complain of feeling anxious and worried most of the time with anxiety often preceding depression.

Apart from this, a biological predisposition for these conditions might be the reason why people are more vulnerable to battling both mental health conditions simultaneously.

What are the signs and symptoms of a dual diagnosis of anxiety and depression?

Signs and symptoms that indicate the presence of both anxiety and depression are:

Consistent and irrational fears and worries
Fatigue, headache, rapid heartbeat, abdominal pain, and difficulty breathing
Difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep
Eating too much or too little
Difficulty in concentrating, making decisions, and remembering
Constant feelings of worthlessness and sadness
Decreased interest in activities enjoyed in the past
Persistent feeling of tiredness or being cranky
Inability to relax and stay calm
Experiencing panic attacks and a sense of loss of control.

What is depression?

Depression is one of the most common serious mental health conditions that negatively impact how an individual feels and thinks.

Depression is associated with feelings of sadness, a loss of interest in daily activities, and drastic changes in the energy level and the daily routines of an individual.

Depression in itself can lead to other physical and emotional problems which can be detrimental to a person’s functioning.

The symptoms of depression can vary from individual to individual from mild to severe depending on various factors.

Studies indicate that depression affects about 15% of adults every year and one in every six people experience depression at some time in their life.

Although depression can occur at any age it is more common among teenagers and early adults. Research indicates that women are more vulnerable to depression than men.

What are the symptoms of depression?

The characteristic symptoms of depression are:

Feelings of sadness or depressed mood
Loss of interest in activities enjoyed in the past
Changes in appetite leading to weight gain or weight loss
Changes in sleep patterns with very little sleep or long hours of sleep
Decrease in the level of energy
Feelings of worthlessness
Feeling guilty
Difficulty thinking and concentrating
In severe cases thoughts of death or suicide

Symptoms of depression must last up to two weeks and cause significant impairment in an individual’s daily functioning to meet the diagnosis of depression.

What causes depression?

Researchers indicate that depression can be caused as a product of biological, genetic, environmental, and psychological factors.

Depression is a mental health condition that can display at any age and often has its onset in adulthood. Concerning children and adults depression may be displayed in the form of low mood and irritability.

Depression can also arise due to an untreated anxiety disorder in individuals.

What is Anxiety?

Problems and resulting stress are usually accompanied by some common emotions like confusion, feeling at the edge, a sense of helplessness, and recurrent negative thoughts which can collectively be seen as an individual experiencing what’s commonly called Anxiety.

Every human has their unique ways of dealing with these difficult situations and the following emotions, some try to adapt to the circumstances and find the best and most comfortable solution while others try to find an escape route for the same, in both cases the main aim is usually to get over the uncomfortable emotions of anxiety.

What are the signs and symptoms of anxiety?

Anxiety is characterized by a set of signs and symptoms such as:

Sweating
Difficulty in breathing
Shortness of breath
Sense of choking
Complaints of chest pain
Shaking or trembling
Nausea or vomiting
Dizziness or Lightheadedness
Fear of losing control over oneself and their environment
Fear of impending doom
Hot or cold flashes
Tingling or numbness
Increased heart rate

These symptoms vary in severity from person to person. However, it is noted that many people experience anxiety attacks that are not significantly displayed.

What causes anxiety?

Anxiety is believed to be a reaction to a fight or flight situation that activates an individual’s brain even in the absence of a real threat.

Experiencing anxiety is considered to be a normal part of any individual’s life. Apart from this individuals might experience high levels of anxiety when there is some conflict in their life either internal or external such as relationship problems, problems at work, problems at school, or a requirement for a major decision.

However, anxiety disorder is different from normal anxiety in terms of its intensity and frequency. For people who experience anxiety, disorder anxiety does not go away completely rather gets worse with time and hampers an individual’s daily functioning.

Thus anxiety disorder can be a result of environmental and personal factors.

Conclusion

Anxiety and depression are two such mental health conditions that can co-occur in an individual or lead to one another. Both these mental health conditions can mentally and physically exhaust an individual.

People must be aware and actively seek help to get rid of these conditions such that they can restore their life to normal functioning.

Frequently asked questions: How to manage depression past anxiety in the future?

Is depression focusing on the past?

According to the journal of psychiatric research, depression is a focus on the past. many studies indicate that childhood trauma is associated with an increased level of depressive symptoms in the future.

Does anxiety play a role in depression?

the chances of experiencing depression is much higher when an individual has experienced an anxiety disorder in the past/it is found that nearly half of those individuals who experience major depression also suffer from chronic anxiety.

Is anxiety future or past based?

Studies indicate that depression is based on past events whereas anxiety is based on future events.

Citations

Anxiety is not an excuse?

https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/depression/what-is-depression

www.hartgrovehospital.com

How to manage depression past anxiety in the future?