Although anxiety and depression are common issues for everyone, they are also mental health conditions that require professional help. While it’s true that you may feel sad or anxious in your daily life or when going through changes, when these emotions persist and disrupt your routine, it’s time to schedule a therapy appointment.
At South Plains Rural Health, you’ll find professionals who are ready to manage your anxiety and depression symptoms through behavioral health support. Keep reading this article if you want to learn the signs that you need psychological help.
Anxiety & Depression: Learn About Them
Anxiety and depression are mental conditions that often happen at the same time in therapy patients, and while they also feel similar, there are key differences between them. Below are the descriptions of each and how they contrast with each other:
Depression
Depression (also known as major depressive disorder or clinical depression) is a mood disorder characterized by a persistent sadness, low mood, tiredness, and a loss of interest in daily routine activities that lasts more than 14 days, affecting both your mental and physical health. Any person can be affected by depression at any stage of their life, and can be triggered by multiple factors like the following:
- Biochemical: Depression can be caused by changes in chemicals in the brain such as serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine.
- Genetic: This mental illness has a genetic component of heritability estimated to 30% to 50%, meaning that affected first degree relatives face a higher risk of having depression.
- Environmental: Those who are constantly exposed to neglect, abuse, violence, and overall difficulties in their life are prone to developing depression.
🫂Read more: Caring For Your Family: Treating Severe Mood Swings
Anxiety
Anxiety is a feeling of dread and worry about the future, which is a natural response to pressure and fear, and often manifests in our physical and mental state. While it’s normal to feel it in small doses, anxiety becomes a mental disorder once it starts to disrupt your daily life and health in a severe way. Some of the factors behind this condition are:
- Stress: Stressful situations, traumatic events, financial worries and significant life changes can trigger severe anxiety.
- Medical conditions: Anxiety is a common symptom of chronic illnesses like arthritis, heart disease or thyroid disorders.
- Substance use: The consumption of alcohol, caffeine, certain medications, drug use and withdrawal are triggers for anxiety.
4 Signs It’s Time For Therapy
Searching for professional help when it comes to your mental health is empowering and beneficial, especially if anxiety and depression are taking over your daily life. Below are the most common signs that will let you know if it’s time to book an appointment with a mental health specialist:
1. Daily Functional Impairment
One of the most telling signs of anxiety and depression becoming a problem is when they impair functioning for long periods of time. While anxiety makes you scared of the future and things not turning out perfectly, depression causes you to lose interest in getting your daily tasks done.
2. Physical Health Problems
What your mind feels often expresses itself through your physical health. Anxiety and depression deeply affect your immune system and levels of energy, causing you to have chronic illnesses, gastrointestinal issues, eating disorders, heart problems, and skin conditions like hair loss and eczema.
3. Irregular Sleep
An irregular sleeping pattern is very common when you have either anxiety or depression, or both. It often works as a cycle, where not sleeping for enough hours or for an excessive amount of time contributes to your mental health issues and vice versa. Sleep issues exacerbate the irritability and stress caused by anxiety, and triggers the emotional regulation issues that stem from depression.
4. Intrusive Thoughts
With anxiety and depression, living a life without intrusive thoughts becomes difficult. One of the most painful and dangerous symptoms behind these disorders is having intrusive thoughts, as they are involuntary, violent and disturbing mental images or ideas that exacerbate a patient’s symptoms.
Treatment Options
Therapy
Therapy sessions are focused on you sharing your thoughts, feelings, your past and any ongoing problem in your life that might be triggering your anxiety and depression. Your therapist’s work is to address your issues, traumas and behaviors, provide you tools to regulate yourself and help you cope with the daily challenges of life, in order to improve your mental wellbeing and reduce the symptoms.
Medication
Medications that are prescribed by a psychiatrist might be an option when therapy alone does not yield the results you want, as the chemicals in your brain require regulation from these medications so your mood can improve. When you take them, it’s important to follow your doctor’s instructions and report in case of having side effects.
Find Mental Health Support in Lamesa, Texas
If you are struggling with anxiety and depression, the mental health specialists at South Plains Rural Health Services are ready to help you manage your symptoms through behavioral health support. Through this treatment that includes group work, talk therapy, lifestyle advising and medications, finding comfort and joy becomes easier. Don’t hesitate to contact us and book your appointment this May, the Mental Health Awareness Month.