Depression and Anxiety

Depression and anxiety is the most common mental health complaint in the UK

For many people, depression and anxiety plagues their life, leaving them on the one hand overwhelmed by an encompassing sadness and lack of hope for the future and on the other wracked with crippling anxiety where they feel constantly on edge.

One study found that up to 85% of patients with anxiety disorders were also clinically depressed and vice versa; 90% of those with clinical depression were also diagnosed with an anxiety disorder such as generalised anxiety or OCD. ¹

The good news is that much can be done to help those suffering with depression and anxiety.

Seeking help early is one of the most important steps.

Sadly those with depression and anxiety are more likely to make suicide attempts than those suffering with just one of the conditions. Early help can make a huge difference to treatment outcome and we would always urge people who are struggling with anxiety, depression or show symptoms of both to talk to someone as soon as possible.

Depression and anxiety treatment

When depression and anxiety occur comorbidly (together) they are often more difficult to treat. Treatment may take longer to come into effect and some people have to try different types of treatment to find the right one for them.

Knowing which disorder to treat first can also be a challenge; sometimes the depression must be tackled first to allow effective treatment of the anxiety and in others, without treating the anxiety you cannot treat the depression.

Key to successful treatment for depression and anxiety is therefore finding a clinician who has experience in dealing with both and that is where we can help.

We can help treat depression and anxiety

A full assessment by someone with experience of treating these two conditions is the first, most important step. Until you know what you are dealing with it is not possible to put the right treatment plan in place.

Once an assessment has taken place, your psychiatrist will write a full report with suggested treatment plan. Sometimes medication can help – antidepressants can be particularly helpful as they seem to help alleviate the symptoms of both depression and anxiety. Often talking therapies are recommended. These can include CBT, counselling or psychotherapy.

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¹ Gorman, J. (1997) Comorbid depression and anxiety spectrum disorders in Depression and Anxiety 4:160-168