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When Panic Attacks - Chapter 2 - Are you anxious? Or depressed? - Coggle…

- - - - You can't feel anxious unless you tell yourself that something terrible is about to happen
    - - You feel miserable, demoralised, and down in the dumps
      - You tell yourself that you're worth, a failure, or not nearly as good as you should be
      - You lose interest in life and other people
      - Activities you once enjoyed seem unrewarding
      - Nothing excites you any more
      - You feel overwhelmed, and life seems like one long procrastination
      - The worst part is the hopelessness.
        
        You feel things will never change, and you'll be miserable forever
  - - - Most people can't distinguish different kinds of emotions
        
        All they know is that they feel upset
      - Depression leads to anxiety
        
        If you've been depressed you may worry about feeling defective, inferior and unmotivated
        
        You may be afraid the depression will interfere with your work or personal life
        
        That you'll never achieve your goals in life
        
        That you'll never feel happy again
      - Anxiety leads to depression
        
        Anxiety, shyness, worrying, phobias and panic attacks can interfere with your work and personal life, especially when the anxiety is severe
        
        This can be demoralising and depressing
        
        Some people have suffered for years, even with therapy and medication
        
        Eventually they feel demoralised and depressed as nothing has worked
        
        Shame is also a central feature of anxiety
        
        You may try to hide your symptoms of insecurity or panic
        
        Thinking other people would look down on you or think you weird if they knew how you really felt inside
        
        The feelings of isolation and defectiveness can easily trigger depression because they make ti so much harder to connect with others in a warm and open way
      - Common Cause theory
        
        According to this, anxiety and depression share at least one common cause, in addition to their unique causes
        
        There could be something which triggers different kinds of emotions at the same time
        
        such as anxiety and depression
        
        This makes sense to the author
        
        Most of his patients have many different negative feelings at the same time
        
        such as depression, guilt, hopelessness, anxiety, anger, and frustration
- - - - This scale measures the emotional symptoms of anxiety
      - The higher the score, the more anxious you're feeling
      - Your scores on this can change rapidly
      - If you take this test repeatedly, you'll see how your scores change over time
      - In addition, anxiety depends a lot on the situation you're in
        
        If you're shy but you avoid people, you probably won't experience much anxiety
      - The severity of your anxiety and the prognosis for recovery are not the same
        
        Author has had many extremely anxious patients who recovered quickly
        
        But also those with mild anxiety who required considerable patience and persistance before they overcame it
    - - The scale measures the physical symptoms of anxiety
      - The higher the score, the more physical symptoms you're feeling.
      - Are high scores dangerous? Do they indicate serious mental problems which you won't be able to get better from?
        
        Not at all
        
        The physical symptoms of anxiety are common, and certain kinds of anxiety tend to be associated with these symptoms.
        
        For example, during a panic attack you might feel dizzy and experience shortness of breath or tightness in the chest.
        
        Most people with panic attacks indicate "A lot" or "Extremely" on these kinds of symptoms.
        
        However, there are techniques which can treat panic attacks, and many patients recover in a few therapy sessions
      - The physical symptoms of anxiety are not nearly as specific as the symptoms on the Anxious Feelings test
        
        For example, if you were feeling very angry, you'd probably experience some muscle tension and rapid breathing along with a racing or pounding heart
        
        However, these symptoms would indicate anger rather than anxiety.
        
        Similarly, you could have an upset stomach due ot the flu rather than anxiety
    - - This scale measures the main symptoms of depression, such as feelings of sadness, discouragement, inferiority, or worthlessness, along with a loss of pleasure or satisfaction in life
      - Higher scores indicate more severe depression
      - If your score is 2 or more, you may also be experiencing some of the other common symptoms of depression, such as guilt, trouble sleeping, fatigue, and a paralysing loss of motivation to do the things you once enjoyed, such as work, hobbies, sports, or just spending time with friends or family.
      - Depression is one of the worst forms of suffering because it robs you of your self-esteem
      - In addition, the feelings of hopelessness create the illusion that your suffering will go on forever
      - The author thinks that depression is the world's oldest and cruelest con, because you fool yourself into believing things that simply aren't true.
      - You tell yourself that you're no good, that you should be better than you are, and that you'll never experience any real joy, satisfaction, creativity, or intimacy again.
      - Furthermore, you may be totally convinced that you're seeing the awful truth about yourself and your life.
      - However, the prognosis for improvement is extremely bright.
        
        Recovery from depression can be one of the most joyful experiences a human being can have
        
        Many of the author's patients have said it's like being born again and that they feel the happiest they've ever felt in their entire lives.
    - - Suicidal urges usually result from feelings of hopelessness
      - When you're depressed, you may develop the overwhelming conviction that things could never change.
      - Then you may turn to suicide as the only possible relief from your suffering
      - The feelings of hopelessness are never valid
        
        The author has had thousands of therapy sessions with seriously depressed individuals who were absolutely convinced that they were worthless and could never get better
        
        Some had been depressed for decades and had taken all kinds of medications which didn't help
        
        And yet, they eventually recovered and experienced joy and self-esteem again
        
        The author is convinced this is possible for anyone
  - - - Not necessarily
        
        Many people with scores in this range have improved or even recovered using the sorts of techniques in this book on their own
      - However
        
        Some people will need professional guidance from a qualified mental health professional
        
        If you've been struggling to overcome these problems without success
        
        If the feelings of anxiety and depression are causing problems in your life
        
        If you're experiencing suicidal thoughts or feelings you such seek professional treatment immediately
  - - - The author would personally shoot for a score of 0
      - Don't settle for half a cup
      - A score of 0 can make a huge difference in how you feel
    - - He's not sure it would even be desirable
      - Life can be stressful, and we all fall into black holes of self-doubt and worry from time to time
      - The important thing is to know you have the tools for dealing with painful mood swings
        
        So you don't have to fear them or get trapped in them