Depression, Anxiety, & Panic Counseling Irvine CA
Anxiety and Panic
Depression
Are you, or someone you care for, feeling hopeless? Are you losing interest in things you once loved, feeling low in energy, or focused on negative self-talk? These feelings tend to come around for all of us, but when they take over your mind, it might be time for a professional evaluation with a psychotherapist. If you’re experiencing depression, research shows that prompt depression treatment is important.
Symptoms
People with depression may experience a variety of symptoms, but most commonly seen is a deep feeling of sadness or a marked loss of interest and pleasure in activities (The American Psychiatric Association). Other symptoms may include:
- Irritability, agitation or restlessness
- Lower sex drive
- Inability to focus
- Insomnia or excessive sleeping
- Change in appetite, eating too much or too little
- Chronic fatigue and lethargy
- Unexplainable crying spells
- Unexplainable physical symptoms such as headaches or body aches
- Feeling hopeless and worthless
- Withdrawal from social situations and normal activities
- Thoughts of death or suicide
When To Seek Help
If you are feeling depressed, it’s important that you know you’re not alone. Depression, even in the most severe cases, can be treated. The earlier that depression treatment begins, the more effective it can be.
Studies have confirmed that both psychotherapy and medication are successful in treating depression. Each situation is assessed individually, and the treatment or combination of treatments best suited are implemented. Clients who seek a psychotherapist often begin to experience relief from depression within weeks of seeking depression treatment.
When To Get Emergency Help
If you think you may hurt yourself or attempt suicide, call 911 or your local emergency number immediately.
Also consider these options if you’re having suicidal thoughts:
- Call your doctor or mental health professional.
- Call a suicide hotline number — in the U.S., call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255). Use that same number and press “1” to reach the Veterans Crisis Line.
- Reach out to a close friend or loved one.
- Contact a minister, spiritual leader or someone else in your faith community.
Request an appointment at Revelation Counseling to get treatment for your depression.
Causes
Because no one has come up with a definitive answer as to what actually causes depression, depression treatment continues to be debated. Scientists have learned quite a bit about the biological and psychological factors in the past decade, including what increases an individual’s chance of being affected by depression.
Some of the life stresses that are associated with depression include:
- Life-changing events
- Long-term stress
- A history of trauma or abuse
- Seasonal factors
Prevention
There’s no sure way to prevent depression. However, these strategies may help.
- Take steps to control stress, to increase your resilience and boost your self-esteem.
- Reach out to family and friends, especially in times of crisis, to help you weather rough spells.
- Get treatment at the earliest sign of a problem to help prevent depression from worsening.
- Consider getting long-term maintenance treatment to help prevent a relapse of symptoms.
[mayoclinic.org, Mayo Clinic staff, November 2018]
Panic & Anxiety
Occasional anxiety is an expected part of life. You might feel anxious when faced with a problem at work, before taking a test, or before making an important decision. But anxiety disorders involve more than temporary worry or fear. For a person with an anxiety disorder, the anxiety does not go away and can get worse over time. The symptoms can interfere with daily activities such as job performance, school work, and relationships.
There are several types of anxiety disorders, including generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and various phobia-related disorders.
[nimh.nih.gov, National Institute of Mental Health, November 2018]
Symptoms
Panic and anxiety treatment can be extremely successful and increase your quality of life. Anxiety symptoms fall into three categories: Physiological, Cognitive, and Emotional.
PHYSIOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS
- Weak all over
- Rapid, pounding heartbeat or palpitations
- Tightness in the chest
- Hyperventilation
- Dizziness and sweating
- Muscle tension, aches or tremors
- Chronic fatigue
Anxiety causes physical changes in the body. Adrenaline and cortisol levels rise, and the body responds. When this occurs, the physical experiences in the body are the same as in an emergency; the heart races to allow quick muscular exertion and escape, breathing is rapid and shallow in an alarmed state, muscles tighten and tense up in anticipation of taking action, the chest feels pressure from both the rapid heart rate and the hyperventilation.
COGNITIVE SYMPTOMS
Do you think to yourself:
- “I can’t carry on. I have to get out of here.”
- “What if I make a fool of myself?”
- “People are looking at me all the time.”
- “I am having a heart attack.”
- “I am going to faint.”
- “I am going crazy.”
- “I am confused, losing control.”
Anxiety and panic cause the adrenaline and cortisol to rapidly increase. Concentration and attention are impaired, it is difficult to think clearly. The body is ready to react to an emergency which does not exist, so the mind is confused as it struggles to understand what is happening. It is easy to misinterpret the very real physical reactions, causing fearful thoughts to take control.
EMOTIONAL SYMPTOMS
- Feeling like something terrible is going to happen
- Being full of fears that fill your mind
- Worrying excessively
- Feeling uneasy and alone a lot of the time
- Feeling isolated, down in the dumps, without control
- Feeling embarrassed, rejected, criticized
When To Seek Help
If you are experiencing anxiety or panic symptoms, the most important first step is to schedule a physical with your M. D. to rule out any medical causes of the symptoms. Whenever emotional thoughts or mood symptoms are present to ensure medical wellness, finding the physical associations is important.
What is equally important to anxiety treatment is understanding that you are not alone. Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S., affecting 40 million adults in the United States age 18 and older, or 18% of the population.
Anxiety disorders may be successfully treated by psychotherapy, and often a combination of anxiety treatment and medication. Research provides strong data to support claims that anxiety treatment can be successful.
Call Revelation Counseling for information about anxiety and panic treatment.
Causes
As with many mental health conditions, the cause of generalized anxiety disorders likely arises from a complex interaction of biological and environmental factors, which may include:
- Differences in brain chemistry and function
- Genetics
- Differences in the way threats are perceived
- Development and personality
[mayoclinic.org, Mayo Clinic staff, November 2018]
Prevention
There’s no way to predict for certain what will cause someone to develop panic & anxiety disorder, but you can take steps to reduce the impact of symptoms if you experience anxiety:
- Get help early. Anxiety, like many other mental health conditions, can be harder to treat if you wait.
- Keep a journal. Keeping track of your personal life can help you and your mental health professional identify what’s causing you stress and what seems to help you feel better.
- Prioritize issues in your life. You can reduce anxiety by carefully managing your time and energy.
- Avoid unhealthy substance use. Alcohol and drug use and even nicotine or caffeine use can cause or worsen anxiety. If you’re addicted to any of these substances, quitting can make you anxious. If you can’t quit on your own, see your doctor or find a treatment program or support group to help you.
[mayoclinic.org, Mayo Clinic staff, November 2018]
Live Your Best Life
Call Marta To Get Started:
949-697-4332
Free initial phone consultation
Counseling for individuals, couples, and families, specializing in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR).