Blog for Self Improvement

There are many medications for anxiety and depression. Yet anxiety and depression are not caused by a lack of these medications.

There are some important things to consider regarding these medications. Here is what I tell my clients when they ask me if they should go on meds:

“If your anxiety or depression feels so unmanageable that you are not able to do the inner work you need to do to heal, then meds might help you stabilize enough to give you an opportunity to heal. However, be aware that all drugs have some side effects and that long-term use might cause problems. The drug may help you, but unless there is an inherited chemical imbalance, the drug does not heal the underlying stress causing the anxiety or depression, or the stress that may be causing the chemical imbalance.”

Whether or not the person decides to go on meds, he or she still needs to address the underlying cause of most anxiety and depression.

Anxiety and Self-Judgment

Imagine for a moment that you have a young child and that you are constantly saying to the child things like:

“If that person doesn’t like you, then you are unlovable and unworthy, so you better act right and say the right things.”

“If you fail at this, then you are an unworthy failure, and you will probably end up on the streets.”

“You are such a jerk. You always say the wrong thing. That person must think you are a real loser.”

“If you lose your friend, then you are a failure, a loser.”

“Don’t make a mistake. You don’t want anyone to know how stupid you are.”

The child would likely be a very anxious, nervous and stressed child, always trying to do things right and always being afraid of rejection.

If you start to notice the things you tell yourself, you might discover that you are often telling yourself some version of the above statements. You might also want to notice that anytime you judge yourself, you immediately feel anxious and stressed. While meds can calm some of this anxiety, they don’t heal the underlying self-judgment that is often the cause of inner stress. In fact, meds may even mask the anxiety to the point where you can continue to abuse yourself without knowing it. This is definitely not in your highest good!

Depression and Self-Neglect

Now imagine that your young child whom you have been judging and scaring is acting out with anger and some form of destructiveness toward self or others. Imagine that instead of attending to this child and finding out what the problem is, you put the child on meds or just ignore him or her. Now what happens is that the child gets depressed. He or she shuts down to avoid the pain of the judgment and the pain of being ignored and neglected.

Again, this is what happens on the inner level. If you beat yourself up with self-judgments and then ignore the stress that results from beating yourself up, your inner child will eventually feel depressed. In some cases, the depression can become so severe that you cannot function, in which case you need meds to help you move out of the depression.

I work with many clients who come to me on meds. After diligently working with the Inner Bonding healing process that I teach, many of them find that, not only do they no longer need the meds, but that the meds are now getting in the way by dulling their feelings. They find that they want to know if they are feeling anxious or depressed because these feelings are informing them that they are judging or ignoring themselves.

Once you decide to use your feelings of anxiety and depression to inform you regarding your behavior toward yourself, rather than just try to avoid or repress these feelings, you can discover what you are doing that is harming you. When you learn to treat yourself in kind and caring ways, it is likely that your anxiety and depression will gradually disappear.

About the Author: Margaret Paul, Ph.D. is the best-selling author and co-author of eight books, including "Do I Have To Give Up Me To Be Loved By You?" and “Healing Your Aloneness.” She is the co-creator of the powerful Inner Bonding® healing process. Learn Inner Bonding now! Visit her web site for a FREE Inner Bonding course: http://www.innerbonding.com or email her at margaret@innerbonding.com. Phone sessions available.

Source: http://www.easyarticles.com

Identifying Depression

Depression, like most mental illness runs the continuum of severity. It can be mild or major. It can last from weeks to months. It can involve anxiety symptoms as well. Depression is primarily characterized by sadness and/or loss of pleasure in nearly all activities. Additionally, there may be symptoms such as changes in appetite, sleep patterns, and psychomotor activity (changes in both mental and physical responsiveness and/or activity).

A depressed person may struggle with feelings of low self worth, recurrent thoughts of dying, as well as difficulty concentrating or making decisions. In children and adolescents the mood is often manifested as irritability rather than sadness. Some people may deny having feelings of sadness; instead they may report feeling numb or having no feelings at all.

Taking Action

First, it is important to look at how severely one’s functioning may be impaired. If the person’s level of functioning has been significantly impaired, i.e. they are having difficulty performing their daily routine, seek professional help immediately. A trip to the family doctor to rule out any medical conditions that might be causing the mood disorder is a good place to start.

Second, assess whether there have been any significant changes in circumstances, relationships etc. that may be contributing to the depression.

Third, if your loved one indicates they have a plan or intentions to harm themselves, take action immediately to get help. Call a mental health professional that you have been referred to by a reliable source or check your phone book for community mental health services. You can also call 1-800-784-2433 a suicide prevention hotline. If the threat is imminent, call 911.

Don’t Wait – Get Help

One of the biggest reasons people do not seek help is the shame they feel about having a mental illness. The reality is that our minds are vulnerable to illness just like our bodies. There is no shame in developing the flu or some other medical condition, so why is there with the mind? Those who avoid seeking help because of the shame they feel only languish longer than necessary.

How Counseling Can Help

A counselor can help a person gain perspective about their illness; resolve problems that may be contributing to the depression and assist the person in developing coping skills.

However, in addition to counseling, depending on the severity of the depression, medication may also be a treatment option. You can discuss this with your counselor, who could then refer you to a psychiatrist to prescribe and manage the necessary medication.

Relief is available for difficulties that plague our minds. It is truly the wise that seek out the help, wisdom and counsel of those whom God has equipped to facilitate the healing of the mind.

Source: www.easyarticles.com

About the Author: Jean LeStourgeon, MA, is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in private practice in Palm Bay, Florida. She also operates the website Christian Counseling Online where you can find lots more information and tools on topics like Depression Help and Signs of Depression , all from a Biblical perspective