anxiety depression and stress

Anxiety
Anxiety is a normal reaction to stress, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. It helps you deal with a tense situation in the office, study harder for an exam, keep focused on an important speech. In general, it helps one cope. But when anxiety becomes an excessive, irrational dread of everyday situations, it has become a disabling disorder.

Anxiety Disorders are the most common mental disorder in the USA affecting 4 million people a year.

Resources
Anxiety Disorders of America - www.ADAA.org
National Mental Health Association - www.NMHA.org

Depression
Depression is a very common but a serious medical disorder. The National Institute of Mental Health estimates 1.8 million adults in the USA struggle with depression each year. It is more than just feeling "blue" for a few days. It is feeling "down" and "low" and "hopeless" for weeks at a time.

	Persistent sad, anxious or "empty" mood
	Changes in sleep habit (too much or not enough)
	Feeling of guilt, worthlessness, helplessness
	Loss of interest or pleasure in what you used to enjoy
	Changes in eating habit (too much or too little appetite)
	Difficulty concentrating
	Fatigue and loss of energy
	Irritability
	Thoughts of suicide

Getting Help
Help is just a phone call away. If you have been experiencing many of the symptoms every day for more than 2 weeks and your daily functions or relationships with people close to you are impaired, you need to call your doctor or community mental health provider. If you are experiencing serious suicidal thoughts, seek immediate emergency care.

If you know someone who might be suicidal
Do you know how to identify symptoms of someone who may be suicidal? Knowing what to look for and what to do may help you save a life.

Take comments about suicide very seriously. Assuming that a person is only seeking attention by talking about taking their own life is a potentially disastrous mistake. It is important to listen closely to the person and let them talk as much as they need to.

If the person indicates they have a plan and the means to carry through with suicide, do not leave them alone, but get help. Ask them to let you take them to the hospital, or to allow you to call 911. Many suicides are the result of depression. A person who is severely depressed may not always be rational. The pain of depression can cause them to think differently than normal. They need professional help.

For information about depression and suicide, see the website www.suicide.org or the site for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) at www.afsp.org.

Depression in Children and Adolescents
It is only in the recent years "depression in children" has been taken very seriously. The depressed child may refuse to go to school, pretend to be sick, cling to the parent or worry that he will lose the parent. The older child may get into trouble at school or with the law, be irritable and feel misunderstood.

It can be difficult for the parent to tell whether a child is just going through a temporary "stage" or is suffering from depression. If the parent or a teacher is concerned about the child, the parent first addresses the concern directly with the child. If the concern persists, and if a visit to the pediatrician rules out physical causes, the doctor will probably recommend evaluation by a therapist.

Resources
www.NMHA.org
www.depression.org