There is a link between Anxiety, long-term Stress, and Depression. So much so that a specific term of Burn-out depression was created.
Depression generally refers to the symptoms associated with the term:
Low mood; sometimes irritability; loss of energy; loss of interest in activities that would previously have made one feel good [termed "anhedonia"]; loss of belief in the self; feelings of helplessness, powerlessness and aloneness, worthlessness; negative view of self, the future and others/the world; increased or decreased appetite [with or without weight gain or weight loss of 5 kg or more]; increased or decreased sleep; ruminative thoughts about negative experiences or events; loss of humour, etc. When several of the symptoms are present continually over some weeks it may be diagnosed as a Major Depressive Episode. If they last or recur over months the diagnosis may be Major Depressive Disorder.
Additionally, when Depression or Anxiety continues over several months, our ability to think clearly and effectively becoms impaired. The brain becomes unable to function adequately as it could usually do. People usually notice problems with Memory functioning first, esp short-term memory functioning, like losing keys, forgetting names or appointments. Other results [symptoms] may be Slowed information processing [your brain seems to work slower and you cant get the same amount of tasks completed as previously, or you struggle to learn things or tomake decisions], Cognitive Fall-off [your IQ would in fact be lower when tested: the brain functions at a lower level intellectually], impaired Attention & Concentration, or impaired Insight & Judgment.
It is important to seek professional help if your symptoms become severe or last longer than a few weeks. Generally you may need to see a Clinical Psychologist [to diagnose the disorder on 5 Axes, determine resources, thinking habits and lifestyle habits that may be contributing to the symptoms, to suggest psychotherapy and - if necessary - medication, that a doctor or psychiatrist would prescribe] or a Psychiatrist [who can prescribe medication and refer you to a psychologist for psychotherapy, or arrange hospitalisation or other treatment like electroconvulsive therapy, in severe cases, etc.].
Of course, if you get the right kind of psychotherapy sooner, and begin to change your patterns of thinking, or lifestyle or diet [etc] that may be contributing to symptoms, you may not need medication or other treatment at all.
Anxiety or stress that is continual tends to sap our resources and can lead to Clinical Depression [symptoms above] if we do not change what we're doing. Usually there is some form of thinking error that causes the high level of distress: two people can have the same negative or frightening experience, but one may be ok and the other not. This is usually a factor of how we've learnt to interpret our world through good or less good emotional containment, esp when we were young [0-6 years old] or later through rejection or trauma experiences.
Cognitive-behavioral Therapy will help you change the way you are thinking. Hypnosis can help support the ego through creating resources. EMDR is a most effective way of dealing with trauma, fears, anxiety, phobias, etc.
For more information, and for workshops in Cape Town, or international webinars on these topics, please see www.selfgrow.co.za .
