How To Stop Myths From Worsening Anxiety and Depression

A speedy recovery from anxiety and depression is often hampered by a number of harmful myths believed by sufferers and practitioners alike. In believing these myths, anxiety and depression are prolonged so it's absolutely vital you are aware of the following myths so you select the correct treatment and get better quickly.

Most people who suffer from anxiety and depression believe that once you have anxiety or depression, you have it for life. I promise you, as someone who suffered terribly with anxiety and depression and who overcame them, that this is completely untrue. Both of these problems can be successfully treated using a variety of techniques that address the root cause - destructive modes of thinking - and that also improve overall well-being. Anxiety and depression certainly aren't incurable that's for sure.

Global industrialization has led to claims that harmful toxins are being released into the atmosphere and are the reason why anxiety and depression have increased so dramatically. This claim is absolute nonsense. If it were true, everybody who lives in major cities - Los Angeles, New York, London, Beijing, Tokyo, Moscow, Mumbai, Berlin, Paris etc. - would ALL suffer from anxiety and depression. Conversely, everybody who lives in rural locations well away from the toxic clouds hovering above our cities would never suffer from anxiety or depression. Clearly, both of these scenarios simply don't ring true.

When it comes to treating anxiety and depression, most sufferers believe antidepressant drugs such as Effexor, Prozac, Zoloft, and Celexa for example - are the most effective treatment. The problem with using drugs to treat anxiety and depression is that they only treat one of the symptoms - reduced levels of serotonin, a "happy chemical" in the brain. As soon as a person stops taking the drug, the root cause will surface and another episode of suffering results. Drugs may help you feel better in the short term, but they cannot offer you a cure.

When you suffer from anxiety and depression, exhaustion is one of the hardest symptoms to deal with. Because of this crushing exhaustion, many sufferers believe that a lack of sleep is the main cause of anxiety, stress and depression. The belief is that the less restful sleep you get the more prone you are to these illnesses. This is putting the cart before the horse. Sleeplessness - or even too much sleep but still feeling exhausted - is a symptom of both anxiety and depression. The exhaustion you feel occurs because you have descended into anxiety or depression and it happens because of a sequence of events common to both anxiety and depression. You don't feel exhausted first, then descend into anxiety or depression after. The good news is that when you treat the root cause of anxiety and depression, the exhaustion eases because you will enjoy restful sleep again.

If you're taking an antidepressant and it isn't working, you will be told that: "some drugs are more effective than others. What works on one person may not be as effective with another. That's why doctors repeatedly change the type of drug. It's simply a matter of finding the drug that is right for you." This simply isn't true. There are other factors - tolerance to a drug, dosage of a drug and the simple fact that chemical imbalances aren't the root cause of your anxiety or depression. Tellingly, Yale University has published results showing that for 70% of people, antidepressant drugs are totally ineffective. Other treatments, especially cognitive therapy, are far more effective.

OK, you can use these myths to help you choose the right course of treatment so you emerge from anxiety and depression without wasting time on things that won't help you. Make your knowledge work for you and take a big step towards lasting, natural anxiety and depression relief.