Adults with Anxiety and Depression

Anxiety and depression are two of the most common mental disorders in the adult stage. Anyone can develop anxiety and depression but its not something to worry about since both can be cured with medication or therapy. It may be caused by different factors and adults more often experience this mental condition.Anxiety and depression are two conditions that should be addressed immediately because it affects people's social life and other life processes. There have also been documented cases that adult who suffered from these commits suicide. This paper discusses the meaning of anxiety and depression among adults and at the same time describe how to get medical treatment before something worse happens.Defining Anxietyâ€Å"Anxiety, in the simplest sense is defined as a form of response or reaction† (Callanan, 1992, p.50). It is one state of emotion wherein individuals tends to feel lesser or more anxious toward a particular event in their life (Callanan, 1992, p.50). Anxiety can be seen as an extreme state of shyness indicated by blushing.Shame occurs when one sees himself as being responsible for negative outcomes or for failing in public. Anxiety is also characterized by a discomfort when performing in front of an audience (stage fright) which can lead to an inhibition of speech.This is one good way to test anxiety because the individual is afraid of being under the scrutiny of others. Both kinds of apprehension in face of tests and interactions share this aspect of evaluation anxiety. The state of anxiety refers to the acute feeling in the process of emotional experiencing.The trait of anxiety refers to a proneness to respond with state anxiety in threatening situations. It can also be defined as excessive worrying which involves fearful reaction (Callanan, 1992, p.50).Although the aforementioned statements cited negativity about the definition of anxiety, Margie Callanan on her book entitled â€Å"Anxiety. In Adult Psychological Problem† (1992) s tated that anxiety is also vital for adult's life survival (Callanan , 1992, p.50).â€Å"It also seems to be a feature of being successful since classic laboratory studies shows that people with moderate levels of anxiety leads them to optimizing task performance and that too much little of anxiety leads to worse performance† (Callanan , 1992, p.50).Defining DepressionDepression is not merely feeling lonely or down. Feeling lonely at times is normal for any person but when this mood persists for weeks or even months, this is no longer a simple case of loneliness. The person experiencing this is under a depressed state (Yip and Lee, 2003, pp.5-11). Depression is a common illness but is also severe.Many people fail to get treatment for this kind of disorder but with proper consultation and treatment, even the worst cases of depression can be cured. Depression in its own meaning is not life threatening but it could have drastic effects on the patient's life as well as the lives of the people around him (Yip and Lee, 2003, p. 157).There are different types of depression but the most common are major depressive disorder and dysthymic disorder (Yip and Lee, 2003, p. 7). Other forms of depression are psychotic depression, postpartum depression, seasonal affective disorder (SAD), and bipolar disorder (Yip and Lee, 2003, p. 19).Describing Adults who experiences Anxiety and DepressionCauses/OriginsNo matter what aspects caused the anxious or depressive state among adults, it is no mere state if mind and it may be traced to some physical changes as a person ages because the brain as undergoes an imbalance of neurotransmitters, which is known as the chemical that carries from in the brain and in the nerves (Goroll, et.al., 2003, p. 807).Trauma and stress from financial problems, failed relationships, the death of someone dear, and other extreme life changes are factors that could result in either anxiety or depression. Pessimistic people are also more prone to thes e (Goroll, et.al., 2003, pp.50-58).Other medical conditions such as heart ailments, obesity, HIV and cancer may also lead to anxiety and depression (Goroll, et.al., 2003, pp.49-54). It may also worsen some medical conditions since it weakens the immune system. Some medications may also constitute depression. Moreover, other psychological disorders like schizophrenia for example have been noted to accompany anxiety and depression (Goroll, et.al., 2003, p.79).DiagnosisMagnetic Resonance Technology (MRI) indicates that the brains of depressed people look different from the brain of normal people (Goroll, et.al., 2003, p.300). The area of the brain that is responsible for mood and behavior do not function normally for adult people with anxiety and depression.Talking to the patient is the best step in the diagnosis of anxiety and depression. The doctor should try to find out if symptoms have began to manifest to figure out if there is anxiety and depression and what stage has been reache d.The symptoms could last for the adult's remaining years and may inevitably affect his/her personality and work habits, in which case, other people could lose empathy for the patient. Depression also causes other various changes in behavior (Goroll, et.al., 2003).TreatmentTreatment is never a problem for anxiety and depression patients since even the most extreme cases can be cured. One other disease has been ruled out, and the doctor is certain that the patient is suffering from anxiety and depression (Goroll, et.al., 2003, p. 109).Adult patients who experiences anxious and depressing conditions are usually given prescriptions for countering the said feelings. There are anti-depressants made in order to normalize the secretion of brain chemicals such as neurotransmitters, serotonin and norepinephrine (Goroll, et.al., 2003, p.49).These chemicals aid in regulating the mood of a person and as previously stated, neurotransmitters are secreted in abnormal levels under depression. Thus, normalizing the secretion of this chemical will help the patient recover from depression. These anti-depressants may however have side effects such as headache, nausea, insomnia and nervousness, agitation and sexual problems.Psychotherapy or â€Å"talk therapy† is also another form of treatment for adult anxiety and depression. Cognitive behavioral-therapy and interpersonal theraphy are two forms of psychotherapy that have been proven to work for adult who has anxiety and depression. These kinds of therapy may, however, only be effective for mild to moderate cases of adult anxiety and depression. More severe cases might call for both anti-depressants and psychotherapy (Callanan, 1992, pp.24-42).   If anti-depressants and psychotherapy do not work, electro convulsive therapy, also know as shock therapy is another treatment option. Shock therapy has gained a negative reputation in the past but it has been proven to provide relief for patients that have severe depression (Cal lanan, 1992, p42).Herbal remedies such have been used by some people for some time but research indicated that it is not effective in the treatment of depression. Other research indicated that the plant has components that produce unfavorable reactions with other medications (Goroll, et.al., 2003, p.641).ConclusionAnxiety and Depression are common mental disorders and yet, many fail to get treatment for it because it often goes undiagnosed. Adult people and their family should be aware that anxiety and depression should be taken seriously and whenever the symptoms occur, professional help should always be sought.The two can easily be cured so enduring it should never be an option since it does not affect only adults, but also the people around them.References:Callanan, M. (1992). Anxiety. In Adult Psychological Problems. Champion, L.A., & Power,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   M.J. (Eds). New York: Routledge.Goroll, A.H., Mulley, A.G., & Mulley, A. Jr. (Eds). (2006). Primary Care Medicine.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Amsterdam: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.Yip, P.S., & Lee, D.T. (2003). Depression Among Elderly and Postpartum Women. In   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Depressive Disorders. Maj, M. & Sartorious, N. (Eds). New Jersey: John Wiley and   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Sons.