Prevent These Myths From Fuelling Anxiety and Depression

There are several myths about anxiety and depression that actually make these problems worse. Here are 5 common anxiety and depression myths you need to be aware of so they don't hinder your recovery.

A commonly accepted myth regarding anxiety and depression is the theory that both have their roots in past events, even going back as far as childhood. Repeatedly going over events from the past is a major part of depression, and of course, the past can be a very cruel place to live. But replaying past events is again just one of the symptoms. Therapy that solely focuses on addressing events from the past in a misguided search to attribute the cause of your depression is flawed in two ways: First, one single event from the past will not cause depression or anxiety. Yes, certain events from the past - especially abuse - can cause problems but these problems are not part of anxiety or depression and need specialist counselling. Secondly, replaying events from the past will do nothing whatsoever to help you deal with the problems and circumstances you face here and now. Instead of concentrating on the past, concentrate instead on coping with and solving, the problems and issues you are confronted with at the moment. This will help you far more than digging up the past.

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.

Anxiety and depression are all in the mind. This is another huge myth, mainly believed by people who have never suffered from these problems. There are many other symptoms that are part of anxiety and depression: back ache, muscle cramps, exhaustion, loss of appetite or increase in appetite, sleeplessness, hyper-tension, and loss of sex drive to name but a few. Dismissing anxiety and depression as being "all in the mind" simplifies them and shows a complete lack of understanding about them. All of these symptoms combined make it so very hard for sufferers to do even the simplest of daily tasks and cause so much anguish. If anyone tells you it's "all in your mind" ignore them, they don't know what they're talking about.

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.

For people who don't suffer from depressive illnesses, they will more than likely believe that "depression is just a bad dose of the blues. You just have to snap out of it". Of course, every one of us feels the blues at some point in our lives. We may miss out on a promotion, we break up with a boyfriend or girlfriend, a good friend lets us down or we feel down because things aren't going our way. Eventually, these feelings pass and we feel happy again. Depression is totally different, much more complicated than feeling the blues and it certainly isn't something you can just snap out of. If someone says this to you, ignore them, they have no idea what you're going through and don't let them get to you.

Ensure you put your knowledge into action by avoiding the above myths and choosing effective treatments for anxiety and depression.