Been told my diagnosis is anxiety NOT depression

[FRANKIEISBACK]

I am finally on the right track after being treated for depression all these years when I felt it was anxiety

is there any difference in the treatments?

Whats the chance of the doctors giving me a low dose tranquilser to help ?

what appraoch should I take to help myself

LOL I have got loads of books on depression...prehaps I can have a book sale LOL

I have got claire weekes book on self help for the nerves

[davidthegnome]

The treatments are various and it really all depends on what you want to do. CBT tends to help many people, cognitive behavioral therapy which basically is a method of helping you come to terms with your fears and overcome them. There are also many alternative treatments you might want to check out, such as EFT, EMDR, reiki and so on. You can find out a lot of info in the therapy section of the forum, lots of different treatments are discussed there.

As for a low dose tranquilizer, it's possible that your Doc will perscribe one, if you feel like you need one then you should ask about it. There are many different types of medication for anxiety, the most popular I believe are benzodiazopines (SP?) such as ativan, xanax, klonopin (I think this is a benzo) and so on. One thing about benzos is that they can be very addictive though and should be taken with caution (and without alcohol). I'm sure your Doctor will explain all that to you though. I myself take lorazepam (AKA ativan) and it has helped me through some really rough times. There are some side effects, of course, but they're pretty minor for me.

As for helping yourself, many of the same methods that would apply to depression apply also to anxiety. Excercising daily is good, learning yoga would be great too. Having a healthy diet will definitely help, as well as avoiding too much caffeine, sugar, or alcohol. Depression and anxiety can have some similar symptoms and may go hand in hand. For example, some times being so anxious could make you feel a little depressed.

I'm glad you got an accurate diagnosis though, that's a huge step in the right direction. I think I was mis-diagnosed for years myself, I've always had anxiety and some depression, but the anxiety has always been the biggest of the two and my counsellors and physicians in the past never really picked up on that. They told me I had PTSD, yet over the years I have discovered that my symptoms are not really like PTSD, more that of general anxiety or panic disorder.

There's many things you can do, look around the forum at the therapies and remedies and so on and you'll find out a lot. Good luck to you and God bless you

Dave

[FRANKIEISBACK]

MANY THANKS FRIEND FOR TAKING THE TIME TO GIVE ME SOME ADVICE

[reddevil]

Hi,

I have been diagnosed with suffering from anxiety and the first thing I did, which helped me was to accept that it's anxiety. This might sound daft but books on the subject all detail this and I guess this tip helped me (I'm not cured but I am no longer 10 out of 10 for anxiety).

I take amatriptiline to help with my anxiety and this also works, after I take them in the evening the worrying thought I have soften.

Red

[sarah1984]

Hi Frankie,
Many of the meds that are used to treat depression are also used for anxiety. Basically, as I've said on here before, I think all three go hand in hand-naturally anxiety makes you feel depressed, just as depression would make you feel anxious. As regards the tranquilliser, it depends on weighing up the dangers-most are addictive, but if you are in a terrible state, your doc make give you just a very short course of pills to take in emergencies. There is something called Buspirone, which has a tranquillising effect and is non-addictive, and doesn't make you feel like a zombie, which could be helpful, as you can take it alongside other meds. I wouldn't suggest a radical overhaul of how you go about helping yourself and I'm sure the stuff in your books covers both conditions. One good book though is The Worry Cure by Dr Robert Leahy, which I found most useful. Perhaps now your course of treatment may go down the CBT route, working out what worries you and how to confront these anxieties head on.
Take Care and all the best,
Sarah

[FRANKIEISBACK]

thank you all for your replies