Somehow, after 10 years of living with anxiety, I’ve managed to stay off of medication.  But, for better or for worse, that’s not the case for most people with anxiety and depression.

In fact, researchers believe that up to 10% – or about 30 million people – in the United States alone use an antidepressant. There are also millions more around the world that use antidepressants, beta blockers, sedatives and sometimes even a combination of these drugs to help themselves them cope with their anxiety and depression symptoms.

As you traverse the confusing landscape of anxiety you will likely come upon it’s alter ego depression . In many respects anxiety and depression are different sides of the same coin since both have the capacity to tangle your emotions and leave you feeling utterly hopeless.  Luckily like anxiety, depression tends to also respond well to treatment efforts like self help techniques designed to combat depression.

The issue of whether or not anxiety and depression sufferers should take medication is a hot button issue that I love to press.  As many of you know I don’t take meds and I never have.  I will say that drugs like Paxil and Zoloft do help some people and I won’t and have not denied this.  However, I would like to point out that those of us who use these drugs and others like them should be more aware of their benefits and drawbacks than we currently are.  It just doesn’t make sense not to be as informed as humanly possible when it comes to this important topic.

photo credit: Pdro (GF)

This post comes from a new Anxietyguru.net contributor named Andy.  I hope you enjoy his perspectives on hypnosis and  his experience with this type of therapy. And don’t forget that if you have something to say that you feel may help others who are suffering from anxiety and depression contact me about becoming a contributor today.

Before I dive into this topic I just wanted to point out that I decided to write this post because a reader asked me to (which is great).  His basic question was: Is therapy worth it? And what was your experience? Pretty basic on the face of it, but actually the events leading up to this and the subsequent therapy I underwent were rather profound, at least for me.

If you’ve had anxiety problems for long enough you may have experienced balance problems.  You may have felt like the ground was moving, or like you were going to literally fall down.  This phenomena is in fact a common symptom related to anxiety disorders.  Researchers now believe that if anxiety sufferers improve their balance through phyiscal exercises they may be able to reduce their level of anxiety.

Today I want to explore a basic question: Is there such a thing as a test for a brain-based chemical imbalance?  Sounds simple enough but as you’ll soon see there is nothing simple about the question.  And this is mainly because there is currently a debate raging about the matter, and there seems to be no clear cut answer.

In this post Anxietyconnection.com featured writer Eileen Bailey explores the much mulled over question of whether or not anxiety medications are a good treatment option. Always looking for a fresh perspective Eileen was invited to AnxietyGuru.net to shed more light on this very important topic.

One of the biggest problems I had with unmasking my anxiety disorder and managing the related symptoms was tied to my utter ignorance about anxiety disorder(s) itself. The good news is that if you are reading this post than clearly you have some clue as to what’s bothering you. But don’t stop there because knowing is just half the battle (yes that is a line from G.I Joe).

Many of us spend days, weeks or even years looking for a person that will point us in the right direction. A person that will not only explain our anxiety disorder in clear terms, but also how we can cope with it without going broke. There are so many great ways to cope with anxiety, but unfortunately many of them require a lot of moolah. Dr. Weekes on the other hand provides inexpensive resources that can actually make you feel better.