Anxiety Disorders can Lead to Depression

 Anxiety disorder is an umbrella category that covers a number of disorders, such as panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, social phobia, specific phobias, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. However, all of these medical conditions can lead to even more health problems and emotional problems, so you may need treatment in a number of areas. One medical condition that may develop is depression. While many people carelessly use the term depression to describe an intense sadness, depression is more than just a day of being upset about something. Depression can truly stop you from living your life. If you are worried that you may be developing depression in addition to other medical conditions surrounding anxiety disorders, see your doctor immediately.

The strength of a true depressive reaction is grossly underestimated by those who have never experienced it. The overwhelming inability to function in anythng like a normal manner is devastating.  Friends may tell you to forget about it, buck up, carry on. They make it sound so simple when your reality is a black pit of hopelessness.  

Curiously we find it hard to really know when we are seriously depressed, but there are a number of symptoms associated with depression that you may experience. Some clues that depression has  hold of you may be loss of appetite, or even an increase in appetite, having no sexual energy, muscle aches and pains, inability to concentrate, feeling afraid or confused, being easily angered, not caring about things you used to love, not being able to pinpoint why you feel sad, hating yourself, and thinking about death often. If you are experiencing three or more of these symptoms on a daily basis, you should seek professional assistance for depression right away.

Depression can also lead to thoughts of suicide in the worst-case scenario. If you have thought seriously about killing yourself, even once, you should get help right away. Tell someone you love or call 9-1-1 or a local hotline for support. If you cannot do these things, drive to the local emergency room of a hospital near you, go to your doctor or therapist’s office, or, at the very least, go to a public place. Give yourself some time to think about things before making any decisions. When you begin to fanticize about how it would solve your all problems if you just drove into a concret wall at 80 miles per hour, you need to do something immediately.

I speak from experience here. The thing that is nearly impossible to believe is that there is a way through depression and that there is a life on the other side that can bring you pleasure and joy again. But it is true. Even on your darkest day, there is a way out - as long as you continue to to seek it. No matter how attractive suicide may seem, it is truly the end of hope and the death of all possibility.   

Remember, depression is a real illness. Over 20 million Americas suffer from depression at some point another, and it can affect any age, gender, race, religion, or ethnicity. You can find treatments to help you with your depression, from medication that inhibits certain receptors in the brain to therapy to help you talk about the things that are making your depressed. In some cases simple metal salts such as lithium carbonate (carefully monitored for the necessary blood levels) can seem a nearly miraculous cure.

In the end, it is critically important to realize that you can feel better and there is help. Having depression is not a matter of shame nor of weakness. In many cases it is a matter of unbalanced brain chemistry. Modern medical techniques can make it possible for you to eliminate your depression and minimize your anxiety disorder problems in order to live a healthy life. 

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