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The Best Treatment for Anxiety & Depression

Those dealing with anxiety and depression together may find that the condition is chronic. Finding the best treatment for anxiety and depression is important because they can significantly affect day-to-day activities like work. According to Psychology Today, experts now view depression and anxiety as two symptoms of one disorder. They usually have been treated as separate disorders, even though they often coexist.

  1. Exposure Therapy

    • Exposure therapy helps patients confront an object, thought or memory that triggers anxiety and/or depression. Anxiety often feeds depression. During therapy, patients may sometimes be faced with reliving a traumatic experience in a controlled, therapeutic environment. Exposure therapy over time reduces the anxiety certain objects or situations cause.

    Cognitive Behavior Therapy

    • Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) focuses on helping patients think about how they feel and how that affects behavior. This helps you understand the control you have over your feelings and actions even if a situation remains the same.

      Most patients start seeing the results of CBT after at least 16 sessions. That's impressive considering that psychotherapy can take years before a patient sees results. Patients are given assignments and homework as part of the therapeutic treatment. CBT is designed so that patients understand the therapy has a beginning and an end goal to work toward.

    Drug Therapy

    • Drug therapy treatments for anxiety and depression usually depend on which disorder is most debilitating. If the depression is severe, antidepressants may be in order. Drugs like Zoloft, Paxil and Lexapro can increase your ability to function each day. Drug therapy can be helpful when paired with other therapies like exposure therapy and cognitive behavior therapy.

      Anti-anxiety drugs can help reduce the feelings associated with the disorder. However, drug therapy is not a permanent solution, since it does not treat the underlying cause of anxiety. If you stop taking the drug, all of the problems are still there.

      Anti-anxiety drugs work best when paired with behavior therapy like exposure therapy or CBT.

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