Category: Anxiety

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Anxiety Medication Therapy

Primary & Secondary care

Following a recent visit to the GP, I think I have a slightly better understanding of how care operates in the NHS, UK

Initially a patient approaches their Doctor, our General Practitioner (GP) when we feel unwell. The GP can prescribe certain medication for mental health illness, including Citalopram which was prescribed to me initially The GP, Primary Care can also access their own Therapy options, which in my area operate as Well Being Team, who offer Therapy which may include Cognitive Behavior Therapy and Solution Focused Brief Therapy.

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Anxiety Therapy

Solution Focused Brief Therapy

Solution Focused Therapy

Solution Focused Brief Therapy or Brief Therapy or Solution Focus is really a form of coaching. The significance for me is that the focus is on the positive rather than dwelling on the past or the negative

So typical questions are the opener of ‘So, what has gone well in the last 2 weeks?’ A scale is often used as a base to see where you are now and to define what would be a ten, then to identify what would be different if you were to move one place UP the scale. Then focus on how that would make you feel, what would be different, what would others see to tell them you were a 6 instead of a 5 etc.

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Anxiety Medication

SSRI’s & SNRI’s

My Anxiety Blog Post

Medication for Anxiety & Depression seems to fall into 2 groups:

  • Selective Serotonin Reuptake inhibitors (SSRI’s)
  • Serotonin Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors (SNRI’s)

SSRI’s include Citalopram and are supposed to increase the level of serotonin in the brain which lifts mood, as people who are depressed produce less serotonin which is a neurotransmitter, that is it carries signals to the brain. SSRI’s are supposed to reduce the intake of serotonin into the brain so that levels increase over time. Whilst not a cure this is meant to help us to recover by increase serotonin levels for us whilst taking medication.

SNRI’s include Duloxetine and are a newer medication, similar to SSRI’s in that they increase levels of serotonin and norepinephrine both neurotransmitters in the brain meant to lift mood.

MyAnxiety

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Anxiety Medication

My Medication

citalopram medication

My Medication for anxiety and depression is considered below, click on the image for more information from NHS UK about the drug

citalopram medication

Citalopram was initially prescribed and my dose was slowly increased to 40 mg per day. My health got worse, whether this was eased or exacerbated by the Citalopram is unknown, this prescription was changed after 18 months. I found it had no side effects on me.

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Anxiety Medication Therapy

Treatment for Anxiety & Depression

sad man with anxiety

The general principle of treatment seems to be that medication will help you on the road to recovery whilst therapy and/or time will actually enable the recovery; well this is the case for anxiety and depression so they say. I am told to use the analogy of a broken leg, the medication is the plaster cast and pain killers and the time and physiotherapy exercise after the removal of the cast is the therapy. My only observation is that three and a half years is a blasted long time to mend a broken leg!

Below I consider the therapy and medication treatment I have accessed

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Anxiety General Ulcerative Colitis

Welcome to My Anxiety

My Anxiety logo
My Anxiety Logo

I suffered a mental health breakdown in 2009 and I am now living with a mental health illness, in the form of my anxiety and depression.

I also have Inflammatory Bowel Disease in the form of Ulcerative Colitis
MyAnxiety website is maintained by me, an individual living in the United Kingdom. I am a male in my 50’s.

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