Anxiety and Depression

Allied Counseling Group offers therapy for individuals suffering with depression and anxiety. Before making an appointment, please consult with your primary care physician or a psychiatrist in your insurance network for an evaluation to determine an accurate diagnosis and to begin a regimen of prescribed medications if advised by your physician.

Allied Counseling Group does not currently have a staff psychiatrist but can assist you in getting a referral to be evaluated, whether or not you currently have health insurance benefits.

If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts and are in crisis, please call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.

Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety (click here)

Depression can make feel people profoundly discouraged, helpless, and hopeless. Anxiety can make them agitated and overwhelmed by physical symptoms -- a pounding heart, tightness in the chest, and difficulty breathing. People diagnosed with both depression and anxiety tend to have more severe symptoms and more impairment in their day-to-day lives, more trouble finding the right treatment, and a higher risk of suicide

Tips for Depression and Anxiety Treatment (click here)

Depression and anxiety can be harder to treat than either condition on its own. Getting control might take more intensive treatment and closer monitoring, says Ian A. Cook, MD, the director of the Depression Research Program at UCLA. Here are some tips:

Give medicine time to work. Many antidepressants also help with anxiety. You might need other medicines as well. It could take time for the drugs to work -- and time for your doctor to find the ideal medicines for you.

In the meantime, stick with your treatment and take your medication as prescribed.

Put effort into therapy. Although many types of talk therapy might help, cognitive behavioral therapy has the best evidence for treating anxiety and depression. It helps people identify and then change the thought and behavior patterns that add to their distress. Try to do your part: the benefit from therapy is directly related to the work you put into it.

Make some lifestyle changes. As your treatment takes effect, you can do a lot on your own to reinforce it. Breathing exercises, muscle relaxation, and yoga can help. So can the basics, like eating well, getting enough sleep, and exercising. The key is to figure out ways of integrating better habits into your life -- something that you can work on with your therapist.

Get a second opinion: when they're combined, depression and anxiety can be hard to diagnose. It's easy for a doctor to miss some of your symptoms -- and as a result, you could wind up with the wrong treatment. If you have any doubts about your care, it's smart to check in with another expert.

Focus on small steps. If you're grappling with depression and anxiety, making it through the day is hard enough. Anything beyond that might seem impossible. Make small, manageable steps in the right direction, and the cumulative effect is that you will have more confidence to make bigger steps.