Depression & Anxiety Treatments

Both anxiety and depression are common and normal emotional reactions to stressful life events. However, if the occurrence of either becomes frequent or intense enough to meet the criteria for mental disorders outlined in the American Psychiatric Association's "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders," their presence could indicate a serious mental-health issue that requires medical attention and treatment.

Depression Medications

• Antidepressants are a group of prescription drugs specially designed to normalize levels of neurotransmitters, certain natural chemicals in the brain that control mood, although scientists haven't discovered precisely how. Relevant neurotransmitters include dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin. The most commonly prescribed antidepressants are the brand-name SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) Celexa (citalopram), Prozac (fluoxetine), and Zoloft (sertraline). Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), and tricyclics varieties of drugs are also available, enabling patients to use the medication they respond to best.

Depression Psychotherapy

• There are two main types of psychotherapy used to treat depressed patients: cognitive--behavioral therapy, which shows sufferers how to reduce negative thought processes and behavior that promote and prolong depression, and interpersonal therapy, which helps patients cope with problematic relationships that contribute to and worsen depression. The length of psychotherapy needed varies by patient. People with more severe cases of depression require longer treatment, often combined with medication.

Electroconvulsive Therapy

• If neither medication nor psychotherapy helps relieve the symptoms of depression, an alternative option is electroconvulsive therapy, also known as ECT and formerly called shock therapy. No longer stigmatized due to substantial improvement and a lack of documented adverse mental side effects, the treatment method involves delivering electrical impulses to a patient under anesthesia--hence no pain is felt. Sessions can occur anywhere from several times a week to weekly or monthly for up to a year.

Anxiety Medications

• Numerous drugs exist to help people control the severity of an anxiety disorder, such as the abovementioned antidepressants (MAOIs, SSRIs, and tricyclics), which can change brain chemistry favorably and decrease anxiety symptoms after approximately a month. Other anti-anxiety medications include benzodiazepines, which are generally prescribed only for short intervals because they create dependency, and beta-blockers, which prevent some anxiety-related physical symptoms.

Anxiety Psychotherapy

• Psychotherapy approaches to anxiety frequently incorporate cognitive-behavioral therapy, a two-sided process that helps patients change the way they think, in order to decrease thoughts that provoke or facilitate fear, and also alters how they respond to situations that create anxiety. Such therapy is often most effective when paired with medication.

Exercise

• Regular physical activity is another effective treatment option for managing anxiety and depression, when combined with psychotherapy or medication. Exercising for a minimum of 30 minutes 3 to 5 days each week may increase endorphins that produce a sense of well-being, thereby improving mood and relieving the symptoms of these mental disorders.