Depression and Anxiety

Depression and Anxiety in San Rafael, CA

Anxiety and depression weigh heavily on people's lives, leading them to avoid normal stressors, lose the desire to do what they once enjoyed, and struggle at school or work and in social situations. Dina Schweitzer Leitch, a licensed marriage and family therapist, encourages people to schedule virtual or in-person visits to her office in San Rafael, CA, for themselves or their teens to improve their self-esteem and overall satisfaction in life if they notice possible symptoms of these disorders. 

Identifying Anxiety and Depression 

The first step toward fixing a problem is recognizing it. These symptoms may be signs of anxiety or depression and merit professional evaluation.

Anxiety

Common symptoms of anxiety include:

• Frequent bouts of irritability
• Trouble focusing
• Excessively worrying and being preoccupied with an issue
• Difficulty falling and/or staying asleep
• Headaches and stomachaches

As you're monitoring your teen for anxiety, you should look for changes in eating habits, frequent restlessness, changes in mood, and avoidance of social situations or once-loved activities. They may also demonstrate insecurity about getting approval from you, other adults in their lives, and their peers. You may also notice signs they're using drugs or alcohol as a coping mechanism.

Depression

The general symptoms of depression include the following:

• Loss of interest in activities and people
• Changes in sleeping habits, such as sleeping longer or less than usual
• Feeling empty, guilty, hopeless, worthless, or pessimistic
• Changes in appetite, either eating more or less than usual
• Trouble concentrating and with memory
• Being irritable or having mood swings

A warning sign of depression in teenagers is a decline in their academic performance or participation in after-school activities. Again, look for signs they're abusing a substance to cope.

Getting Treatment 

Whether you seek it out for yourself or your teen, psychological counseling can help ease the toll these symptoms take. Counseling can help improve work and school performance and make social interactions feel enjoyable instead of draining or scary.

Treatment for anxiety or depression in San Rafael, CA, can also prevent the most serious issues associated with these disorders, like substance abuse, suicide, self-harm, and isolation. 

Cognitive behavioral therapy gives you the tools to identify and change thoughts and behaviors contributing to the disorder. They can help you catch and correct the sort of all-or-nothing thinking and unwarranted assumptions that people with anxiety and depression are prone to.

Psychodynamic therapy, on the other hand, helps you discover repressed or contradictory emotions and thoughts that may be affecting your mood and decisions.  

Schedule an in-person or online visit for depression or anxiety treatment with Dina in San Rafael, CA, for yourself or your teen. Achieving a better quality of life is possible through talk therapy.

Call 415-308-4461.