Anxiety disorders frequently accompany depression, but they are different maladies that often require different treatments.
I've discussed the symptoms of depression, in depth, in an earlier article, "Identifying Depression", so I will just briefly summarize those symptoms here:
Once depression is diagnosed, it is usually treated with an antidepressant medication (see "Pharmaceutical Treatment of Depression"). These medications include SSRI's, which are used for treating anxiety as well as depression. But others, such as buproprion, are not useful in treating anxiety.
Talk therapies that tend to work best with depression are interpersonal psychotherapy and analytical therapies (see "Types of Therapy" and "Talk Therapies 2").
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) often accompanies, and complicates, depression. GAD tends to have more physical symptoms than does depression, yet there also cognitive changes. Among the symptoms of GAD are:
The physical symptoms are the same as those of the "fight or flight" mechanism. "Fight or flight" is triggered by potential harm or a threat to one's well-being, and we normally experience it at times we should fight or run. But, in people with GAD, the "fight or flight" mechanism is "on" all the time, or at least a good deal of the time.
GAD can be treated with a group of medications known as benzodiazepines - which include Xanax, Ativan, and Valium. These tranquilizers decrease the physical symptoms of GAD, by way of the GABA receptors in the brain. Though GABA is implicated in GAD, it is not a factor in depression.
The benzodiazepines tend to be sedating and can lead to dependence (or addiction), so doctors most often prescribe one of the more sedating SSRI's such as Paxil. Effexor is another antidepressant (but not SSRI) that is often prescribed for anxiety.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy, which focuses on changing behaviors and thought patterns, is considered to be the most effective talking therapy for GAD. Biofeedback and relaxation techniques are also helpful.
When people talk about "anxiety attacks," they are really describing panic attacks, which are a type of anxiety disorder.
As with GAD, the symptoms of a panic attack are mostly physical and symptomatic of the "fight of flight" reflex.
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