Depression Information

What About Drugs for Anxiety and Depression?


As a counselor, I am often asked, "Can drugs be helpful for anxiety and depression?" The answer I give is "Yes" and "No."

Yes, drugs may be useful for short-term help. No, drugs are not a good long-term solution.

Anxiety and depression are not caused by a lack of drugs. Drugs do not heal the underlying causes of anxiety and depression. However, when drugs are temporarily used to give a person a window of relief to do the inner work necessary to heal the underlying causes, they can be useful.

Anxiety and depression generally have two major underlying causes - emotional and physical.

THE PHYSICAL CAUSES OF ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION

Our bodies go into imbalance when we do not eat well or have enough healthy exercise. Our bodies are not made to handle the unnatural substances found in processed food. When we overload our bodies with chemicals, pesticides, sugar, and devitalized foods, our bodies become depleted of vital nutrients and go into stress. Anxiety and depression can be the result of this physical depletion and resulting stress.

Our bodies are designed to thrive on the food and water that God gave us - pure, clean, organic, unaltered food and water. If you take drugs for anxiety and depression and do not clean up your diet and get proper exercise, you are just using a Band Aid for a gaping wound.

THE EMOTIONAL CAUSES OF ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION

Emotionally, anxiety is caused by dysfunctional thoughts - thoughts that are not true. For example, if you tell yourself that you are not good enough or you have to be perfect, you will likely feel anxious. Thoughts of not being good enough and having to be perfect are generally focused on our outer qualities of looks and performance, rather than on the inner qualities of kindness, compassion, and gratitude. When we choose to be kind, loving and compassionate with ourselves and others, we feel good about ourselves. When we choose gratitude for what we do have rather than dwell on what we don't have, we create inner peace. Kindness and gratitude are wonderful antidotes to anxiety!

Anxiety is always a sign that we are telling ourselves a lie. The truth creates peace inside, while lies create fear and anxiety. This is a sure-fire way of knowing what is true and what is not true!

Emotionally, depression is caused by not taking good care of ourselves. If we ignore our needs, don't speak up for ourselves, judge ourselves, and make others responsible for our feelings, the result may be depression. If you have a child whom you ignore and judge, that child will likely be depressed. The same occurs on the inner level when we ignore and judge our own inner child. Putting yourself last and taking care of everyone else but yourself may cause you to feel unworthy and depressed.

There is little point in taking drugs for anxiety and depression without attending to your dysfunctional thinking and to how you are treating yourself. However, if you take drugs for a short time and give yourself the opportunity to do your inner work, they may be helpful. Many of the people I work with find that as soon as they start taking good care of themselves, they don't like the effect of the drugs. They don't like the fact that the drugs take the edge off their feelings. They find that, rather than wanting to be numbed out, they want to feel all of their feelings deeply, both the highs and the lows. The more they learn to take responsibility for their feelings by attending to their thoughts and needs, the more they want to feel all of their feelings. They discover that, while drugs may take the edge off pain, they also take the edge off joy.

Most of the people I work with can avoid drugs completely by learning to take loving care of themselves, both physically and emotionally. Many of the people who practice the Inner Bonding process that we teach find Inner Bonding to be far more powerful in healing anxiety and depression than drugs.

If you are a person who does not want to learn to take personal responsibility for your pain and joy, then drugs may be a way out for you. But if you want to feel true peace and joy, drugs are not the answer.

About The Author

Margaret Paul, Ph.D. is the best-selling author and co-author of eight books, including "Do I Have To Give Up Me To Be Loved By You?" She is the co-creator of the powerful Inner Bonding healing process. Learn Inner Bonding now! Visit her web site for a FREE Inner Bonding course: http://www.innerbonding.com or mailto:margaret@innerbonding.com. Phone sessions available.

margaret@innerbonding.com


MORE RESOURCES:

WHDH-TV

Atlantic hurricane season's 13th tropical depression forms off ...
CNN - 2 hours ago
MIAMI, Florida (CNN) -- The 13th tropical depression of the 2008 Atlantic hurricane season formed Monday in the Bay of Campeche, just off Mexico's Yucatan ...
Depression may form in Mexico's Bay of Campeche - NHC Reuters India
New Tropical Depression forms near Mexico Tampa Bay's 10
Tropical Depression 13 Swirls Near Mexico Central Florida News 13|
Reuters AlertNet - BYM News (press release)
all 1,189 news articles


Many Military Installations Worldwide Participate in National ...
MarketWatch - 1 hour ago
Command Sergeant Major Samuel M. Rhodes, Sr. from Fort Benning, Georgia, speaks to soldiers about his experience with depression and PTSD in order to ...


Poll: 60% say depression 'likely'
CNNMoney.com - 1 hour ago
Poll finds 6 of 10 believe a depression is somewhat or very likely - seeing 25% unemployed and millions homeless and hungry. By Chris Isidore, CNNMoney.com ...
Report: Majority says depression is likely USA Today
all 2 news articles


Times Online

Could Obama be the new Roosevelt?
Times Online, UK - 22 hours ago
These were no more than village halts on the railroad to depression. However, we do know when the last global banking crisis was turned round, ...
Then & now San Diego Union Tribune
More Bank, Less Bucks: A Four Point Plan for the Rescue RGE Monitor
Does the US face Great Depression II? Hindu
USA Today - Dividend.com
all 113 news articles


Daily Mail

No depression, major recession, from US finance crisis: Bill Gates
AFP - 18 hours ago
"It looks like the economy may go down somewhat, but nothing like a big recession or a depression," he added. On some experts' misgivings about the US ...
Bill Gates: US financial crisis won't lead to end of capitalism ... Jerusalem Post
all 77 news articles


Signs of depression
Inquirer.net, Philippines - 59 minutes ago
So what is depression? Affecting 121 million people worldwide, the World Health Organization estimates that by 2020 depression will become the most ...
'Nothing is all in the mind' Inquirer.net
all 2 news articles


BYU joins national day of testing for depression
BYU Newsnet, UT - 3 hours ago
By Jorge Torres - 6 Oct 2008 According to Mental Health America, clinical depression is a common medical illness affecting more than 19 million American ...


Cramer: Preventing Great Depression II
TheStreet.com - Oct 5, 2008
Keep the coming depression -- no, it won't be a mere recession -- shorter than the Great Depression. With that low bar in mind, let me tell you what I would ...
Value Investing 101: Wachovia TheStreet.com
all 77 news articles


Great Depression survivors worried but don't see history repeating
Sun-Sentinel.com, FL - 11 hours ago
But is this economic meltdown anything like the Great Depression? "No, this is nothing," said Boca Raton resident Mary Walsh, who at 96 has vivid memories ...


Depression screening day Wednesday
The Courier News, IL - 9 hours ago
270 N. Grove Ave., marking National Depression Screening Day. That there is a need for such a day should come as no surprise. "It's gotten to the point that ...
GSU National Depression Screening Week eNews Park Forest
all 2 news articles

Depression - Google News

home | site map
Web Site Development - Search Engine Marketing: Dream Team Media