“You may not control all events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.”

—Maya Angelou

Let’s Normalize Anxiety and Depression Therapy

If you are here on this website searching for answers about anxiety and depression therapy, let me first assure you that what you’re experiencing is real and, moreso, that you’re in the right place. There are so many people and things (family, culture, society and one’s own mind) that will tell you that what you’re experiencing is this or that and anything except for something that you need to seek help about. But there’s the truth. Everyday, you’re worrying and it’s getting worse. You’re overly worried about money. You’re worried about your health – especially during the pandemic. You worry about work, family or other issues. Your incessant worry isn’t abnormal. And there’s nothing wrong with you. You are experiencing anxiety, and we can help you.

There are a few technical terms and concepts that are connected to anxiety and depression therapy that we offer here to help you to have a better understanding of what happens within your body. The idea is that the more you know, the better you can understand and benefit from the process of the therapy. Let’s begin with talking about anxiety.

Understanding GAD

The medical term for anxiety is Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). Typically, a GAD diagnosis is made after at least six months of having more worry days than not. In addition to that, you’re experiencing at least 3 of the following symptoms:

Increased heart rate
Feeling weak or tired
Experiencing gastrointestinal issues¹
Feeling nervous, irritable, or on edge
Difficulty concentrating
You’re not sleeping well
Hyperventilating, sweating, and/or trembling
You’re always waiting for the other shoe to drop – having a sense of impending danger panic or doom²

If you’re reading this and thinking, “this is me!” you are not alone. GAD affects 6.8 million adults and women are twice as likely to be affected. It may start off small and gradually get worse. There is no known exact cause, but like so many other disorders, there are familial and biological factors as well as life experience and stress that play a role in how it develops and impacts a person’s life. But you don’t have to understand all of the ins and outs. All you need to know is that you need help getting your mind and body to calm down and relax, and we can help.

A few anxiety FAQ:

Are GAD and OCD the same thing?

They are not. People with GAD worry about a lot of things. They tend to jump from one anxiety to another throughout the day and have a general sense of being overwhelmed. They don’t tend to take part in ritualistic and compulsive behaviors to deal with their anxiety. People with OCD, on the other hand, use physical or mental rituals called compulsions to relieve the stress caused by an obsession. Unlike people dealing with GAD, individuals managing OCD are more likely to obsess over a particular anxiety. Anxiety and depression therapy can assist with both.

What is a panic attack?

A panic attack is a normal response to an external stressor like an overwhelming fear. They come on suddenly and can happen to anyone. However, having more than one can be an indicator that you have a panic disorder. A few of the symptoms of a panic attack are:

You feel like you’re going to die
You are experiencing heart palpitations and pressure in your chest
You are sweating and having difficulty breathing.
You feel nauseous

Anxiety and depression therapy can not only help you to identify triggers of a panic attack, but also provide you with tools for managing them when they happen.

Anxiety and depression are two of the most common mental health conditions, and have an interrelated and complex relationship. There are many scholarly articles that cite the specifics of the mechanics. That’s not important for you to know. But here are a few facts that you may actually find helpful as you are trying to get a better understanding of what’s going on with you or someone that you care about.³

“Embrace the void and have the courage to exist.”

-Dan Howell

What exactly is depression? According to the American Psychological Association, depression is a medical illness that negatively impacts the way you think, feel and act. People experiencing depression experience constant feelings of sadness, and a loss of interest in the things they once cared about. There are different types of depression and oftentimes it does not result from a singular event. Any and all of these events can be explored in anxiety and depression therapy.

You may have heard the term “comorbidity.” In terms of the relationship between anxiety and depression, when the two conditions occur together, they are said to be comorbid or have high comorbidity. And according to the center for Anxiety and Depression, “the rate of people with both depression and anxiety is about 40-50 percent.”

Depression and anxiety have a cyclical relationship in that if someone experiences depression, it may lead to anxiety over the way they’re feeling. In the same way, constant worrying can negatively impact one’s daily life, relationships and employment. This can lead one to feeling depressed. It’s a vicious cycle. But, through anxiety and depression therapy, we can help you bring it to an end.

How do we treat depression and anxiety? We have a special group of practitioners who are highly trained in techniques that deal with these two very serious illnesses. But more than that, they are people. They live in this world and understand how outside of ourselves we all can feel sometimes. If you are struggling with anxiety and depression, come see us. Let’s talk…person to person. There is a happier and healthier you waiting for you on the other side of anxiety and depression therapy.

You may be asking yourself about the how’s of anxiety and depression therapy? What can I expect? Our answer to that is that most of our therapists are trained in a wide variety of anxiety and depression therapy techniques. To name a few (but not to bog you down with superfluous jargon that you don’t need in your everyday existence):

Mindfulness techniques: designed to help you understand yourself more and teaches one how to be and stay “in the moment.”⁴
Acceptance and commitment therapy: (ACT) is used to effectively treat workplace stress, test anxiety, social anxiety disorder, depression and more.
Psychodynamic psychotherapy: Based on Freud’s theories of psychoanalysis this form of talk therapy examines how one’s childhood experiences may be contributing to one’s adult plight/crisis.

“The question is not how to get cured, but how to live.”

-Joseph Conrad

Narrative therapies: A method of therapy that separates a person from their problem; encouraging people to rely on their own skills to minimize problems. Through stories, people are able to assign meaning and (re)shape their own identity.
Cognitive behavioral therapy: a method of therapy designed to challenge and change cognitive distortions and behaviors, improving emotional regulation and health, improving coping strategies and resolving presening issues. Dialectical behavioral therapy: is a therapy that focuses on group and individual therapy sessions focused on mindfulness (accepting and being present within the moment), increasing distress tolerance, learning skills to improve emotional regulation, and enhancing interpersonal skills
Internal Family Systems therapy: this model of therapy focuses on the theory that everyone’s psyche contains sub-personalities, or “parts”, and in therapy we attempt to explore these parts to achieve healing of various presenting issues.

Those are just a few of the tools that Alicia Beltran & Associates have at their disposal for helping clients navigate anxiety and depression therapy. Depression and anxiety can be influenced by life transitions, grief, self-esteem/defectiveness triggers, power/control dynamics, relational dynamics, identity development. However it manifests and for whatever reason(s), we are here for YOU!

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