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 About Depression and Anxiety
Treatments for Depression and Anxiety
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Why use both psychological treatments and medications?
Psychological treatments
Medications
Alternative treatments
Why use both psychological treatments and medications?
- Medical research clearly shows the effects of depression and anxiety on both the body and the mind.
- Many of the body's most fundamental systems are disrupted. These include:
- Your central nervous system (i.e. brain function);
- Your sleep-wake cycle;
- Your hormonal system;
- Your stress response system;
- Your immune system; and,
- Your gastrointestinal (gut) system.
- When you are depressed or anxious you feel physically unwell.
- Irrespective of how each person gets depressed, psychological treatments and medications may each help to relieve key symptoms.
- Different types of depression and anxiety require different treatments. While some patients only need psychological treatments, others (eg. those with melancholic or psychotic depression) respond best to medications.
- Psychological treatments, including cognitive-behavioural therapy, can help to change your activities, feelings and thoughts to speed your recovery and prevent relapse.
- Medications for depression and anxiety are not addictive.
- Both psychological treatments and medications can help long-term functioning.
| Psychological treatments
Psychological treatments not only help you to recover, they can also help to prevent a recurrence of depression or anxiety...
1. Coping strategies
There are several types of coping strategies that you can carry out yourself to reduce the symptoms of your depression or anxiety...
Learn about: stress and anxiety reduction strategies; sleep wake cycle management ; physical activity management ; and, reducing alcohol and other drugs.
2. Cognitive and other psychological therapies
Cognitive and other psychological therapies are techniques that often a psychologist or psychiatrist will use to treat a patient with depression or anxiety...
Learn about: structured problem solving ; cognitive therapies ; relationship-based therapies ; and, other psychological therapies.
Medications
Medical research indicates that depression is associated with specific changes in the chemical message systems of the brain (serotonin, noradrenaline, dopamine)...
Answers to your questions: Why do I need to take antidepressant drugs? ; Is there a chemical cause of depression? ; Which antidepressant drugs should I take? and What do the common antidepressant drugs treat?
Alternative treatments
Herbal remedies and other alternative health practices may be either helpful or harmful...
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Last updated Thursday, 06 July 2006 |   | 128,536 page views from 07 May 2007 to 03 Sep 2010 |
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