What Are The Best Depression/Anxiety Treatments?
12 Sep 2023
How can you get over depression/anxiety? This is the question on the minds of everyone suffering from these conditions. In this blog, Samarpan Health looks at the best way that you can overcome depression and anxiety.
Lifestyle Changes
The first of the depression/anxiety treatments that people usually consider is making lifestyle changes. There are a few of these that have been proven to work, if you can keep them up for an extended period of diet. Try sticking at it for one month so you can be sure what works at what doesn’t
- Exercise. Most experts recommend that you get at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week, or 75 minutes of heavy exercise. This not only keeps your body working well, but can also keep your mind in good shape. When you exercise your body releases feel-good chemicals known as endorphins, which can help reduce your levels of depression and anxiety.
- Dietary change. When you eat junk food all the time, you are not providing your body and mind with the nutrients they need to work effectively. Sugars and unhealthy oils can also create inflammation in the body and gut dysbiosis, which can cause problems in your body, particularly in your stomach, pancreas and liver. If your organs stop working well, this will have a knock-on effect on your mental health.
If you are experiencing depression or anxiety, try cutting down on sweet and oily foods, and eat more fruits and vegetables. You should also aim to eat at least 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight.
- Sleep hygiene. Sleep is so important for mental health, so it’s worth getting your nighttime routine right. If you're one of the many people who spend the last couple of hours before you go to sleep staring at a screen, it’s time to stop. Doing this can massively impact how long it takes you to sleep, as well as the quality of your sleep. You should also make sure that you sleep in a room that is entirely quiet and dark. Having a comfortable bed also helps.
- Socialize. When considering depression/anxiety treatments, socializing should be at the top of your list. You should aim to spend at least a couple of others a day around people whose company you enjoy. This can be difficult when you are very depressed or anxious.
If you find yourself unable to be around people at all, it may be time to get professional help. The counselors at Samarpan Health understand the pain you are going through and can help you get to the root cause of your mental health issues, so you can get back to enjoying being around people again.
Mind-Body Interventions
Techniques like yoga, tai-chi and qi gong are also considered excellent depression/anxiety treatments. You can attend classes at yoga shalas and centers for tai-chi or qi gong, but you may also attend online classes if your mental health problems are too severe for you to go to in-person classes.
- Yoga. Yoga ranges from very gentle styles like restorative or yin yoga to high-energy styles such as vinyasa and ashtanga yoga. All types of yoga can release depression and anxiety. The key is finding one that is right for you. If you are unsure of which you will prefer, the staff at a yoga shala will be able to give you some guidance.
- Tai-chi. While tai-chi can be used as a fighting style, it can also be used to calm the mind and bring about peace.
- Qi Gong. A system that allows you to optimize the energy in your body using slow and graceful movements. When qi gong is practiced consistently, the benefits to mental health are often profound.
Support Groups
Attending support groups for people with mental health problems can be a massive help when you have depression or anxiety. Having people around you who know what you are going through and can offer guidance and support can make all the difference in your mental health recovery.
There are mental health support groups in most major cities in India. You can also connect with groups from India and elsewhere in the world online. Check out Anxiety and Depression Association of America and The Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance.
Identifying Triggers
There may be certain events that happen in your life that cause depression or anxiety to occur. If you can figure out what these are, you may be able to avoid them in the future. You can also try changing your relationship to these triggers. The most effective way of doing this is by working with a mental health professional.
Medication
A doctor or mental health practitioner can prescribe you medications like diazepam or alprazolam for anxiety. These reduce anxiety with immediate effect, which means that you can get on with your life again. Medications like these are usually given on a short to medium-term basis.
Doctors can also prescribe antidepressants like Prozac, Effexor and Zoloft for depression. These boost levels of serotonin within your brain, which can lift you out of depression. A doctor may prescribe these for a short term, though some people decide to stay on medications like these for the long term.
You should not take any psychoactive medications without being prescribed them by a doctor, as these medications can be very powerful, and you may experience side effects if they are not taken correctly.
At Samarpan, we believe that medication can be very effective for treating mental health problems. If you are open to taking medication, we will work with you to find one that works best for you, and will continue to evaluate how well your prescription is working, to ensure the best outcome for you.
Therapeutic Interventions
If you have tried all of the above treatments and they have not worked, you should consider seeing a therapist. These mental health professionals can help you get to the root of your mental health problems and depression/anxiety treatments that involve talk therapy are considered the most effective for restoring you back to wellness.
The most common types of talk therapy are cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT). These allow you to tackle your depression and anxiety by helping you to identify negative thought patterns, develop coping skills, and learn to manage stress and emotions effectively.
Samarpan Health Depression/Anxiety Treatments
At Samarpan Health, we provide our clients outpatient depression/anxiety treatments, as well as interventions for all mental health issues. We use psychiatric treatments including CBT and DBT, as we believe these are the best ways of attaining long-term positive mental health outcomes.
Our centre is situated in the Churchgate area of Mumbai. We offer luxurious surroundings that will allow you to deal with your mental health issues in comfort. If you would like to know more about what we do at Samarpan, or would like to visit us, please contact us today.