Anxiety and Depression When you think about anxiety and depression, what do you think of first? Which aspects of anxiety and depression are important, which are essential, and which ones can you take or leave? You be the judge.  If you base what you do on inaccurate information, you might be unpleasantly surprised by the consequences. Make sure you get the whole anxiety and depression story from informed sources. Anxiety and depression are by far the two most common mental illnesses diagnosed in the United States, and probably the world, although there haven’t been studies done to confirm it.  They both can be debilitating in their effects, and are very difficult disorders to live with.  Unfortunately, most people with anxiety and depression do just that; live with it.  Most studies done of the diseases show that more than 75% of people who are clinically depressed go without treatment, as well as over 90% of people with anxiety disorders. While benzodiazapines are effective in treating anxiety, they too are highly addictive chemicals, and can actually make the symptoms of depression worse.  So if you are worried about addiction, or are suffering from both anxiety and depression, you should avoid using sedatives of any kind to treat your symptoms.  There are likewise some drugs that are good for treating certain forms of depression, but will actually worsen an anxiety disorder.  Norepinephrine and dopamine reuptake inhibitors, such as Wellbutrin, have been shown effective in the treatment of depression, but are not recommended if you also suffer from anxiety. The two diseases are not fully understood, but are definitely related in some key ways.  People suffering from anxiety disorders are many times more likely to also suffer from depression than someone without an anxiety condition.  The same is true with people suffering from depression, in that they are more likely to also have an anxiety disorder.  It is not surprising then that many of the anxiety and depression treatments are similar or even exactly the same.  This is especially disturbing, since both anxiety and depression are the most treatable forms of mental illnesses there are.  There are a variety of medications that are available today to treat both anxiety and depression, and there are a lot of helpful resources out there that can help find the road to recovery from your symptoms.  Traditionally, anxiety disorders have been treated with the use of sedatives.  The first and most famous sedative used to treat anxiety is alcohol.  Due to its toxic effects and highly addictive nature, barbiturates quickly replaced alcohol as a treatment for anxiety after their introduction to the medical world in 1912.  Of course, it was soon realized that barbiturates suffer from many of the same drawbacks as alcohol, and today benzodiazapines have all but completely replaced barbiturates in anxiety treatment.  The SSRIs, or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, are medications that are effective in treating both anxiety and depression.  Support groups, therapy, counseling, exercise, and a healthy diet, are all non-pharmaceutical ways of treating both disorders.  If you suspect that you suffer from anxiety and depression, or either one, you should see a doctor.  Both disorders are highly treatable, but will likely only get worse without taking steps to recover. Don't limit yourself by refusing to learn the details about anxiety and depression. The more you know, the easier it will be to focus on what's important. General Anxiety Disorder General anxiety disorder is when your girlfriend is pregnant, your wife just found out you have a girlfriend, your parents just found out you have a wife, your boss is your wife’s dad and your girlfriend is your wife’s mom. General anxiety disorders are clearly the most extreme form of anxiety disorders, and should taken seriously. Less extreme forms, such as colonel anxiety disorder, and...   Symptoms Of Depression If you search online, you can browse a number of websites that give you the rundown of symptoms of depression. It is good to better understand this affliction in order to...   Anxiety Disorder Treatments In the fifties and sixties they had it, but it was less present in the typical nine-to-fiver and it was not nearly as complicated: I’m talking about anxiety disorder or panic disorder—a malaise characterized by what are today called anxiety attacks that feature symptoms that simulate those of the sympathomimetic system (the fight-or-flight state) in overdrive: increased heart rate; edgy/nervous, “stinking” thinking...   Natural Cures For Anxiety The best natural cures for anxiety are different exercises. Anything that gets your heart rate going and boosts your metabolism will work wonders for reducing anxiety. Our brain chemistry is ‘designed’ with the assumption that we are going to be very active in our lives, as that is how we have evolved.   Natural Cures For Depression Others use natural cures for depression that are said to simulate the SSRIs—the selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors. When the serotonin levels in your brain are off (imbalanced), your mood is plummeted. On an up and down picture representing normal to depressed moods, say, your mood would be down at the bottom. A high or happy beyond normal person’s mood would be waaaay up at the top.