Anxiety and Depression Together?

Recovery and Feeling Better

There are lots of different ways to treat depression and anxiety effectively. But experts say that they all hinge on one thing: a good relationship with your health care provider. Whether you see a general doctor, psychiatrist, psychologist, or social worker -- or a combination -- you need to work well together. Recovery will be a collaborative project.

"Really, the first treatment people with depression and anxiety need is education," MacKinnon says. "When they come in for treatment, they're often bewildered. But just talking to an expert who takes the time to explain the basics -- to define what depression and anxiety are and how they are treated -- can reduce a lot of the suffering right away."

So find someone whom you trust and can work with. And stick with it.

"Depression and anxiety together can be hard to treat," Cook says. "But the odds are very good that people with these conditions can get their lives back and feel well again. They just need to hang in there while we find the treatment that works."