Depression & Anxiety Therapy in Little Rock, AR

Symptoms must interfere with daily life and occur nearly every day in order to meet the diagnostic criteria. These symptoms include:

• Depressed mood
• Anhedonia, or losing pleasure or interest in activities you previously loved
• Significant fluctuations in weight and/or appetite
• Sleep disruptions, such as insomnia or hypersomnia, which is intense sleepiness during the day, or sleeping too much at night
• Fatigue or loss of energy
• Psychomotor agitation or retardation, significant enough to be observed by others
• Feelings of worthlessness
• Cognitive difficulties, such as trouble focusing or making decisions
• Persistent thoughts of death and/or suidice, with or without a plan to follow through

• Persistent depressive disorder: With this type, depressive symptoms are less intense, though they persist for at least two years.
• Perinatal depression: This condition occurs in pregnancy (prenatal) or after (postpartum).
• Seasonal affective disorder: For many individuals, this depression type intensifies in fall and winter, though a portion of the population experiences seasonal depression during summer.
• Depression with symptoms of psychosis: Individuals with this severe type experience both depressive and psychotic symptoms, such as hallucinations and delusions, which are false beliefs that cannot be swayed by refuting evidence or logic.

• Genetics: How genetics impacts depression is unclear. Individuals with a parent or sibling who have the condition may have a two to three times greater risk of experiencing depression than those without a genetic link. But there are also many people with a family history of depression who never experience symptoms—and many others who develop the condition without genetic cause.
• Trauma/Environment: Experiencing stressors such as violence, neglect, abuse, poverty, substance abuse, the death of a loved one, financial stress or a physical illness such as cancer may increase the likelihood of developing depression.

Psychotherapy

Cognitive Behavior Therapy and Interpersonal Therapy are evidence-based psychotherapies that have been found to be effective in the treatment of depression.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)

CBT is a structured, and didactic form of therapy that focuses on helping individuals identify and modify maladaptive thinking and behavior patterns (16 to 20 sessions). It is based on the premise that patients who are depressed exhibit the “cognitive triad” of depression, which includes a negative view of themselves, the world, and the future. Patients with depression also exhibit cognitive distortions that help to maintain their negative beliefs. CBT for depression typically includes behavioral strategies (i.e., activity scheduling), as well as cognitive restructuring to change negative automatic thoughts and addressing maladaptive schemas.

There is evidence supporting the use of CBT with individuals of all ages. It is also considered being efficacious for the prevention of relapse. It is particularly valuable for elderly patients, who may be more prone to problems or side effects with medications.  

Interpersonal Therapy (IPT)

Interpersonal therapy (IPT) is a time-limited (typically 16 sessions) treatment for major depressive disorder. IPT draws from attachment theory and emphasize the role of interpersonal relationships, focusing on current interpersonal difficulties. Specific areas of emphasis include grief, interpersonal disputes, role transitions, and interpersonal deficits.

Medication

Medication such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) are common pharmacological treatments for depression. The effectiveness of medication can vary among individuals, and it may take time to find the most suitable medication and dosage.

Lifestyle Changes

In addition to therapy and medications, your provider may suggest a number of lifestyle changes to further ease your symptoms, by doing things like limiting sugar intake and eating more colorful foods, excersising moderately and regularly, spending time outside in sunlight and fresh air, planting a garden, etc. 

People with generalized anxiety disorder may experience the following symptoms, according to the American Psychiatric Association:

• Restlessness
• Feeling on edge
• Fatigue
• Difficulty concentrating
• Muscle tension
• Problems sleeping

Clinically, the DSM-5 reports that symptoms of an Anxiety Disorder may look like: 

• Excessive anxiety and worry for at least six months
• Difficulty controlling the worrying.
• The anxiety is associated with three or more of the below symptoms for at least 6 months:
• Restlessness, feeling keyed up or on edge
• Being easily fatigued
• Difficulty in concentrating or mind going blank, irritability
• Muscle tension
• Sleep disturbance
• Irritability
• The anxiety results in significant distress or impairment in social and occupational areas
• The anxiety is not attributable to any physical cause

Meanwhile, the hallmark symptom of panic disorders is recurrent panic attacks in which you may experience a pounding heart, sweating, shaking, feelings of shortness of breath, chest pain and dizziness, among other symptoms. 

If you have a severe phobia, you may typically experience an extreme avoidance of objects or specific situations.

An anxiety disorder is different from occasional anxiety. 

An anxiety disorder is an emotional state during which anxiety, fear, tension and worry become so severe that they get in the way of a person living their life, including the following conditions:

• Generalized anxiety disorder
• Panic disorder.
• Social anxiety disorder
• Phobias

Doctors and researchers aren’t certain about what causes the conditions that make up an anxiety disorder, but studies have shown the following factors may be involved:

• A family history of mental health problems
• Being widowed, separated or divorced
• Having a lower level of formal education and/or low income
• Having a substance use disorder
• Having a personality that reacts strongly to new things, people or experiences
• Having an introverted, or shy, personality
• Having a history of chronic health conditions

• Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a type of counseling that effectively treats panic disorder and anxiety disorders. 
• Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy (EMDR) is a method of treatment that involves remembering a painful or stressful event while a therapist directs the patient to focus their attention on a moving object, such as one of our therapist’s fingers or a pen or pencil. 
• Physical activity is also an effective treatment for both panic disorder and generalized anxiety disorder.
• Medication may be recommended if one of our therapists think you would benefit from the additional help.