in the centers of Vertices Psychologists, we treat depression and anxiety with specific therapeutic methodologies, adapted according to the level of depth and rooting of the disorder. Our team of clinical psychologists and psychotherapists, from Madrid and the , in Las Rozas, Pozuelo, Villalba, Galapagar, Boadilla, Majadahonda, Torrelodones and El Escorial, treat depression and anxiety, through the application of third generation therapeutic techniques and advanced psychotherapy, fundamentally using the so-called therapy, with very high bases and proven success rates.
What is depression?
At times, all people have felt, in one way or another, melancholic or sad to a greater or lesser extent. These feelings are usually short-lived and get over in a couple of days. But when these feelings of intense sadness -including feelings of impotence and lack of hope- last many days or weeks, and prevent a normal life, the person may be experiencing something more than sadness and it may be a clinical depression that needs to be treated through psychotherapy.
How to know if you have depression
We can consider that if five or more of the following symptoms occur in the person almost daily, they may be suffering from depression:
- A depressed mood for most of the day, especially in the morning
- Fatigue or loss of energy
- Feelings of worthlessness or guilt
- Concentration problems and indecision
- Insomnia (inability to sleep) or hypersomnia (excess sleep
- Marked decrease in interest or pleasure in almost all daily activities
- Recurring thoughts of death or suicide (death not just from fear)
- A feeling of restlessness or being sluggish
- Significant weight loss or weight gain
A key sign of depression is a loss of interest in activities that the individual once enjoyed. For the diagnosis of depression, these symptoms must be present for most of the day, either daily or almost daily for at least two weeks. In addition, the depressive symptoms must cause clinically significant distress or impairment in the person. These cannot be due to the direct effects of a substance, for example, a drug or medication. They also cannot be the result of a medical condition, such as hypothyroidism.
symptoms of depression
Not all people with depression experience the same symptoms. Depending on the person, the depth, frequency, duration and severity of the symptoms will therefore vary. The most common symptoms experienced by people with depression are usually:
- Difficulty concentrating, remembering details, and making decisions
- Fatigue and lack of energy
- Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, and/or helplessness
- Feelings of hopelessness and/or pessimism
- Insomnia, morning wakefulness, or excessive sleepiness
- irritability, restlessness
- Loss of interest in previously pleasurable activities or hobbies, including sex
- Loss of pleasure in life in general
- Overeating or loss of appetite
- Persistent pain or pain without apparent cause, headaches, cramps or digestive problems that do not subside with treatment
- Persistent feelings of sadness, anxiety, feeling empty
- Suicidal thoughts or suicide attempts
- Although these are the most common symptoms of depression, it can also come mixed with mania or hypomania, a disorder known as manic depression or bipolar disorder. Or the symptoms may also be seasonal, as in the case of seasonal affective disorder.
What is anxiety?
People with anxiety disorders typically display excessive and intense worry on a regular basis. continued and, they can also present a great variety of physical symptoms. Many of these symptoms are similar to those presented by a person suffering from a general illness, such as heart attack or stroke, and this fact tends to increase anxiety even more.
When anxiety states do not subside after a few days and continue continuously or their rate of repetition is very high, preventing the person from leading a normal life, it is advisable to consult a psychologist, in order to analyze and diagnose professionally these symptoms and take the necessary palliative measures and start a psychotherapeutic treatment that seeks the roots of the disorder and helps the patient to find and develop their own resources that allow them to control these states.
How to know if you have anxiety
Everyone gets nervous or anxious from time to time when speaking in public, for example, going through financial difficulties, receiving bad news, etc. For some people, however, anxiety becomes as frequent or as forceful that, begins to dominate and direct their lives.
How can you tell if everyday anxiety has crossed the line and become a disorder? Is not easy. Anxiety comes in many forms shapes such as panic attacks, phobias or social anxiety, for example, and the distinction between an official diagnosis and “normal” anxiety is not always clear
In general, if the person experiences any of the following symptoms continuously for 6 months or more, it is possible that you are suffering from an anxiety disorder and it is necessary to visit a psychologist, to explain the symptoms:
- excessive worry
- Worry is hard to eradicate
- Anxiety prevents a normal or daily life
- Frequent tiredness and for no apparent physical reason
- Concentrates with difficulty
- often feel irritated
- Muscle pain in the jaw or back
- Sleep problems (sleep onset and maintenance)
Anxiety Disorder Symptoms
Although the ways in which this disorder manifests itself may vary from one person to another, there is a generic series of characteristic symptoms that people with some type of anxiety disorder present. On many occasions, these symptoms are confused by medical professionals with other types of disease or pathology, or downplayed because they are considered “something temporary and normal”, with anxiety disorder frequently underdiagnosed.
- tremors
- upset stomach
- Nausea
- Diarrhea
- Headache
- Back pain
- heart palpitations
- Numbness or “pins and needles” in arms, hands, or legs
- sweating, hot flashes
- Concern
- continued tiredness
- Difficult to focus
- Irritability
- Muscle tension
- frequent urination
- Difficulty falling or staying asleep
- scares easily
Those individuals who suffer from panic disorders may experience physical symptoms similar to those with anxiety disorders. They may also experience chest pains, a feeling of suffocation, shortness of breath, and dizziness.
Post-traumatic stress disorder has a series of symptoms that are characteristic of this type of anxiety, such as:
- Flashbacks or nightmares of remembering the trauma
- Avoidance of people, places, and things that are associated with the original event
- Difficulty concentrating or sleeping
- Obsessive observation of the immediate environment (hypervigilance)
- Irritability and decreased feelings or aspirations for the future