Self Esteem

There are millions of Americans who suffer from anxiety-related disorders – often with the end result being a panic attack. Often, people who suffer from the anxiety also have the evil twin of depression.   This condition is typically present in women more often than men – although men are certainly not immune from this duality of disorder. 

There has been much research in the direction of cause-and-effect of the connection between these two disorders.   While there is no conclusive evidence as to the exact link between the two disorders there is clearly a connection.

A surprising number of cases involve a significantly delayed medical solution because the presence of deep depression caused the patient to avoid treatment.  Because the symptoms of an anxiety attack resemble other health events – like a heart attack or asthma – depressed patients are often too afraid to even ask for help, sustaining a panic attack.

The typical approach in terms of treatment includes both medication, for symptomatic relief, and behavioral therapy to get at the root cause of the aberrant thinking.  What is in need of attention in extreme sufferers is the replacement of their inappropriate reaction to unknown events – a primary causal indicator – with appropriate processing of anxiety-provoking stimuli.

The effect of the presence of both of The Evil Twins – Anxiety and Depression – is that they reinforce and exacerbate one another in a progressive spiral which often can generate the most severe panic attack. The depressed person is often alone with their misery – feeling hopeless and experiencing a progressive reduction of self-image and self-worth.  If the person is by nature one characterized by sensitivity or is highly emotional, this alone can generate the start of the anxiety spiral.  The presence of a deflated ego and self-image often causes the depressed sufferer to assume that their condition is untreatable. 

All of these characteristics of the combination of anxiety and depression reinforce their worsened condition until, often, the person become almost totally non-functional in terms of their ability to handle the load of everyday events.

The simultaneous treatment of Depression and Anxiety can be very effective and it is generally recognized that real behavioral therapy cannot be effective in the patient whose depression prevents the acceptance of the possibility of improvement.

Most duality treatment regimens include both significant lifestyle changes along with pure tranquilizers – like Valium – to treat the physical symptoms and antidepressants to impact the anxiety.  The effectiveness of these medications is very good, especially in the category of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI’s).  SSRI’s like Prozac and Zoloft work to cause the beneficial Serotonin to remain active in the brain instead of being reabsorbed by the producing cell.  SSRI’s often produce dramatic reductions in depression.  

Once the Depression is in remission, it is possible to begin treating the aberrant thinking that produces the anxiety – and eliminate it and anxiety attacks.

Everyone has known couples whose relationship is under stress.   The issue is serious and often sad to watch unfold.  In certain circumstances it is best for both partners to go their separate ways.   On the other hand, and this is clearly the instance where it is heart-wrenching to observe, there are those instances where the two people are made for each other and are desperately in love.  These are the most saddening ones and the ones that we would all like to try and help.   The subject of this article is the presence of Depression and its cause and effect in such relationships.

Let us start with the obvious question that is always asked in these situations. We should begin with the chicken-and-egg scenario that is obviously posed by any question regarding Depression in relationships.  Did the relationship create or contribute to the existence of Depression on the part of one or both parties in a relationship or was Depression produced by the stress of a damaged relationship?  Answering that question if often the precursor to adequate treatment as well as relationship mending.

Relationships under stress naturally produce a general level of stress in the lives of its partners.  If one – or both for that matter – of the parties is sensitive to begin with, it may produce an emotional disorder that we generally refer to as Depression.  The effects of Depression are widespread and have been well-documented in written text but should, nonetheless, be repeated in this article.

Depression produces widespread physical and emotional effects – from loneliness and sadness to hopelessness and despair, along with physical symptoms like sleeplessness, weight loss, headache, even nausea, and associated disinterest in even favored friends, family and interests.

If your relationship is under strain and it sustains the added weight of any health issue with one of the partners then there are even greater pressures on it.   The good news is that physicians and lovers can often recognize depression as an effect of stressful relationships.   Not unlike a partner helping his/her mate deal with diabetes or cancer, this can also be shown as a positive influence on the relationship if the healthy partner jumps in to save their mate from a worsening condition.

If your situation – i.e. a damaged relationship – has produced any level of depression, then you should seek medical attention at once.  People with Depression are often the least able to see its affects.  This is a condition that requires both medication and therapy.

If the two of you are wise and caring individuals, you would be well advised to table any serious discussions about your relationship until the depression is under control.  Naturally, the question is often posed when we wonder this:  Can the Depression be relieved without dealing with the strained relationship.  This exact disorder-and-relationship problem duet vis-à-vis Depression has been dealt with successfully countless times by physicians.

If your Ex is depressed and you are trying to get ex back or are planning to win your ex back you should soundly understand how depression is manifest in this situation.  Making sure that you both get medical as well as relationship advice before trying to get your ex back will be important for both of you.