When Do Anxiety and Depression Require Professional Help?

It’s normal to feel anxious or sad from time to time. But when your anxiety and sadness occur regularly and affect your ability to function, it’s time to get professional help.

Anxiety disorders and depression are mental health conditions that require treatment. 

At Revîv Functional Psychiatry & TMS Wellness Center in Fullerton, California, our expert psychiatrist Dr. Hina Sidhu takes an integrative approach to mental wellness, creating treatment plans that strengthen the connection between body and mind. 

Many people are reluctant to get help when struggling with uncomfortable feelings. But there’s no need to attempt to go it alone; you can feel better, and we can help.

In this article, we want to explain when anxiety and depression require professional help.

Anxiety and depression

Anxiety and depression are two distinct conditions that frequently occur together. So, what’s the connection?

Normally, anxiety is a temporary feeling of dread or fear that usually occurs when you’re stressed and resolves when the stress does. Anxiety disorders are mental health conditions that cause overwhelming feelings of fear or dread that affect daily life. 

Depression comes in many forms with a wide range of symptoms. However, it’s a significant mood disorder that negatively affects how you feel and think, changing your normal behaviors and interactions with others.

An anxiety disorder can trigger feelings of depression, and anxiety is one of the many symptoms you may have with depression. 

When it’s time to get help

It’s never wrong to seek professional help when you feel overwhelmed, worried, indecisive, or unhappy. Getting psychiatric care, even if you don’t fit the criteria for an anxiety disorder or depression diagnosis, can help you feel better.

However, it’s not always easy to recognize concerning signs and symptoms of anxiety and depression that require professional help. You should seek help if you feel:

• Empty or sad
• Hopeless and pessimistic
• Restless or on-edge
• Excessively fearful or worried
• Worthless or helpless

You also need professional help if you have thoughts of death or suicide. With anxiety and depression, these symptoms occur daily for several weeks. 

Treatment options

Anxiety and depression may overlap, but they benefit from treatment. For our patients, we typically use a combination of psychiatric medications and therapy when treating anxiety and depression. We also encourage mindfulness or meditation to help change negative thought patterns, as well as eating a balanced diet and getting regular exercise.

For people with treatment-resistant depression — depression that fails to improve with medication and therapy ― we may recommend transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). This innovative treatment reactivates the dormant parts of the brain responsible for the mood changes. 

Anxiety and depression are treatable conditions, but they only get better when you reach out for help. Let us create a plan that can help you feel better. Call our office or book an appointment online today. We also offer telemedicine appointments.