Treating Anxiety and Depression
‘Anxiety and depression’ is a term that is often banded about as if it’s one illness. In fact they are two separate illnesses but they often go hand in hand.
In a study by Nicholas C. Jacobson and Michelle G. Newman, previous research suggests that between 16-50% of people with a depressive disorder also have an anxiety disorder. This may be because the two conditions share some of the same symptoms such as having trouble concentrating or feeling worried. Although anxiety often manifests in an abundance of energy, while depression often shows as lethargy.
But why else? ‘They are flip sides of the same coin,’ therapist Geraldine Joaquim at Quest Hypnotherapy tells metro.co.uk. ‘Effectively we are all pre-programmed to fall back on these two conditions (as well as anger) from way back in our caveman days. They helped keep our ancestors safe.’ Depression was an energy conserver when cavemen or women couldn’t go out to hunt and anxiety kept hunters aware of predators.
‘The good news is we can control these feelings if we understand them,’ says Geraldine. ‘The first step towards making any change is understanding what we are changing and then putting stepping stones in place to get there, not trying to achieve huge change in one go.’