Can Anxiety and Depression Be Treated Or Controlled?
Anxiety and depression are conditions that affect almost everyone at some point in their lives.
In most cases, the condition is fleeting and we get over it without having to resort to outside help.
There are, however, a growing number of individuals for whom anxiety and depression become serious impediments to day to day life.
For these people, treatment is necessary if they are to continue to function in society.
This leads many people to wonder, "Can anxiety and depression be treated or controlled?" While the two conditions are not identical, they do share some very important common features.
The most important of these common ties is the fact that both are caused by an imbalance in the neurotransmitters in the brain that carry messages across the gaps in the synapses.
If there is an insufficient amount of these neurotransmitters available, messages can get lost or delayed to a point that our reactions become delayed or sluggish.
Some neurotransmitters, dopamine for example, have a profound effect on our moods.
In fact, dopamine is also known as an endorphin, which means it makes us feel better.
When it is in short supply, our mood is down and we just can not seem to find happiness.
Serotonin and norepinephrine are also neurotransmitters linked to mood and to pain.
As doctors have gained a better understanding of the causes of anxiety and depression, they have found new ways to treat the conditions so that those who suffer from them can improve their moods and get back into life with more vigor and energy.
There are now medications that can be prescribed that will raise the levels of neurotransmitters in the brain to more normal levels by working in different ways.
Most antidepressant medications work to raise levels of serotonin.
The easiest way to accomplish this is by effectively blocking some of the receptors in the brain that pick this particular neurotransmitter up easily.
If it is not taken up immediately by the first receptor it reaches, it remains available longer and raises the level in the blood.
Other medications that affect serotonin levels do so by stimulating greater production of serotonin directly.
The result is basically the same.
In both cases, the amount of serotonin in the blood is raised and more is available to the brain to transmit signals more efficiently.
One side effect that has been noted with antidepressants that affect serotonin levels is sexual dysfunction.
In some cases, this has become severe enough to aggravate the condition of depression being treated rather than help.
Another class of antidepressant being prescribed today raises the levels of dopamine.
This "feel good" hormone is taken up by the exact same receptors in the brain that are affected by narcotics.
One drug in this class, Buproprion hcl, has been prescribed as a stop smoking medication as well as an antidepressant for this reason.
It blocks the receptors in the brain that are affected by nicotine and reduces the cravings.
One advantage to this class of antidepressant medications is the fact that they have not been linked to any sexual side effects.
In fact, doctors often prescribe one of these medications to be taken in conjunction with another that raises the levels of serotonin as a means to offset the sexual side effects noted with those.
A final class of antidepressant medications works by raising the levels of norepinephrine available to the brain and spinal cord.
Misfires in transmitting signals can occur at any point along the central nervous system and cause pain somewhere in the body.
This pain often has no physical cause that can be found.
It just occurs as one of the symptoms of depression.
Increasing the levels of norepinephrine provides a way to block this pain as it is taken up by the receptors along the central nervous system that pick up the pain signal and retransmit it.
In addition to the medications mentioned above, treatment for anxiety and depression often includes regular sessions with a counselor or psychotherapist.
This individual serves two vital functions in one's treatment plan.
First, he/she monitors the patient to see how the medications are working and whether dosages need to be adjusted.
Second, this person can teach one coping skills that will make it easier to function under normal circumstances and avoid situations that trigger anxiety attacks or bouts of severe depression.
Often knowing what causes us to feel the way we do is half the battle to finding a cure.
Sometimes it takes a long while to reach the actual root of the problem and learn what causes us to feel anxiety or depressed, but in the end, it is a worthwhile endeavor to find out.
The simple answer to the question, "Can anxiety and depression be treated or controlled?" is a resounding yes.
The key is being willing to take the necessary steps and follow the instructions of one's doctor implicitly and accept the recommendations of a counselor for modifying behavior that leads to problems.
Remember that treatment for anxiety and depression is available, just take the first step.
In most cases, the condition is fleeting and we get over it without having to resort to outside help.
There are, however, a growing number of individuals for whom anxiety and depression become serious impediments to day to day life.
For these people, treatment is necessary if they are to continue to function in society.
This leads many people to wonder, "Can anxiety and depression be treated or controlled?" While the two conditions are not identical, they do share some very important common features.
The most important of these common ties is the fact that both are caused by an imbalance in the neurotransmitters in the brain that carry messages across the gaps in the synapses.
If there is an insufficient amount of these neurotransmitters available, messages can get lost or delayed to a point that our reactions become delayed or sluggish.
Some neurotransmitters, dopamine for example, have a profound effect on our moods.
In fact, dopamine is also known as an endorphin, which means it makes us feel better.
When it is in short supply, our mood is down and we just can not seem to find happiness.
Serotonin and norepinephrine are also neurotransmitters linked to mood and to pain.
As doctors have gained a better understanding of the causes of anxiety and depression, they have found new ways to treat the conditions so that those who suffer from them can improve their moods and get back into life with more vigor and energy.
There are now medications that can be prescribed that will raise the levels of neurotransmitters in the brain to more normal levels by working in different ways.
Most antidepressant medications work to raise levels of serotonin.
The easiest way to accomplish this is by effectively blocking some of the receptors in the brain that pick this particular neurotransmitter up easily.
If it is not taken up immediately by the first receptor it reaches, it remains available longer and raises the level in the blood.
Other medications that affect serotonin levels do so by stimulating greater production of serotonin directly.
The result is basically the same.
In both cases, the amount of serotonin in the blood is raised and more is available to the brain to transmit signals more efficiently.
One side effect that has been noted with antidepressants that affect serotonin levels is sexual dysfunction.
In some cases, this has become severe enough to aggravate the condition of depression being treated rather than help.
Another class of antidepressant being prescribed today raises the levels of dopamine.
This "feel good" hormone is taken up by the exact same receptors in the brain that are affected by narcotics.
One drug in this class, Buproprion hcl, has been prescribed as a stop smoking medication as well as an antidepressant for this reason.
It blocks the receptors in the brain that are affected by nicotine and reduces the cravings.
One advantage to this class of antidepressant medications is the fact that they have not been linked to any sexual side effects.
In fact, doctors often prescribe one of these medications to be taken in conjunction with another that raises the levels of serotonin as a means to offset the sexual side effects noted with those.
A final class of antidepressant medications works by raising the levels of norepinephrine available to the brain and spinal cord.
Misfires in transmitting signals can occur at any point along the central nervous system and cause pain somewhere in the body.
This pain often has no physical cause that can be found.
It just occurs as one of the symptoms of depression.
Increasing the levels of norepinephrine provides a way to block this pain as it is taken up by the receptors along the central nervous system that pick up the pain signal and retransmit it.
In addition to the medications mentioned above, treatment for anxiety and depression often includes regular sessions with a counselor or psychotherapist.
This individual serves two vital functions in one's treatment plan.
First, he/she monitors the patient to see how the medications are working and whether dosages need to be adjusted.
Second, this person can teach one coping skills that will make it easier to function under normal circumstances and avoid situations that trigger anxiety attacks or bouts of severe depression.
Often knowing what causes us to feel the way we do is half the battle to finding a cure.
Sometimes it takes a long while to reach the actual root of the problem and learn what causes us to feel anxiety or depressed, but in the end, it is a worthwhile endeavor to find out.
The simple answer to the question, "Can anxiety and depression be treated or controlled?" is a resounding yes.
The key is being willing to take the necessary steps and follow the instructions of one's doctor implicitly and accept the recommendations of a counselor for modifying behavior that leads to problems.
Remember that treatment for anxiety and depression is available, just take the first step.
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