holiday depression

What to Do If You Have Holiday Depression

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The holiday season is a joyous time of year, filled with celebrations that men, women, and children worldwide can enjoy. For some people, however, the holiday season brings depression symptoms that can be difficult to manage.

There are many holiday depression triggers, including family gatherings, over-commercialization, and over-committing.

A family gathering during the holiday season can be enjoyable yet taxing. It is a great opportunity to catch up with loved ones, but sometimes triggers bad memories. Or in other cases, tensions may rise and a fight can break out at a family gathering. In either case, coordinating everyone’s plans and attending a family gathering during the holidays can increase stress and anxiety levels.

The over-commercialization of the holiday season can also be problematic. The emphasis on buying gifts can fuel the pressure to find the perfect presents for each of your loved ones, putting tremendous stress one’s shoulders. It may even cause a person to feel sadness, guilt, worthlessness, and other depression symptoms due to the fact that he or she is unable to find the perfect holiday gifts.

Meanwhile, celebrations are wonderful ways to commemorate the holiday season, but committing to too many of these celebrations can cause a person to stretch himself or herself too thin. If this happens, a person is susceptible to increased stress, lack of sleep, and other problems commonly associated with depression.

Is Holiday Depression Preventable?

Holiday depression is not always preventable, but it can be managed. If a person can identify the warning signs of holiday depression, he or she can develop and implement strategies to cope with holiday depression symptoms.

Common symptoms of holiday depression include stress, fatigue, and headaches. People coping with holiday depression are also prone to excessive drinking and over-eating.

Holiday depression can occur at any time during the holiday season, but the symptoms can be managed. At the first sign of holiday depression symptoms, it helps to meet with a doctor. An individual and his or her doctor can work together to safely diagnose these symptoms and then develop and execute coping strategies. If a person coping with holiday depression experiences thoughts of suicide or death, he or she should call 911 or consult with a doctor immediately.

In addition to meeting with a doctor, there are many things that a person can do to cope with his or her holiday depression symptoms, including:

  • Establish modest expectations. Instead of striving for a picture-perfect holiday season, an individual can focus on making the most of the time and resources available to celebrate the holiday season with loved ones as best as possible.
  • Lean on loved ones for extra support. Loved ones are available during tough times, and reaching out to them to express thoughts and feelings can help a person manage his or her depression symptoms during the holiday season.
  • Create a holiday shopping budget. With a budget in place, an individual can spend up to a certain amount on holiday gifts. Also, if a person is concerned about finances during the holiday season, he or she can always craft a homemade gift or offer quality time as a substitute for a purchased gift.
  • Maintain a healthy diet and exercise regularly. A healthy diet and regular exercise can help a person feel better emotionally and physically during the holiday season.

Finally, the medical clinicians at Achieve Concierge are available to provide support to people dealing with depression during the holidays. Our clinicians take a collaborative approach to address depression symptoms, and provide each patient with a personalized depression therapy program.

Holiday depression can have a serious impact on an individual as well as his or her loved ones, but help is available to manage this problem. At Achieve Concierge, we provide comprehensive mental wellness services to help patients cope with holiday depression and its related symptoms. To learn more or to schedule a consultation, please contact us online, or call us today at (858) 221-0344.

What Does Anxiety Look Like in the Brain?

What Does Anxiety Look Like in the Brain? [Infographic]

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What Does Anxiety Look Like in the Brain?

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Anxiety refers to the body’s natural response to stress. If persistent anxiety goes unaddressed, it may interfere with a person’s everyday life.

What Is Anxiety?

Anxiety triggers worry or fear of potential harm. It causes a rush of adrenalin in the brain, a hormone that activates the body’s “fight-or-flight” response to danger.

How Does Anxiety Affect the Brain?

Generalized Anxiety Disorder has been linked to disruption of the amygdala, which consists of neurons that help the brain process emotions. The amygdala’s basolateral complex is involved in the brain’s fear response. Additionally, the amygdala’s central nucleus manages fear responses in conjunction with the brainstem, hypothalamus, and cerebellum.

What Is an Anxiety Disorder?

An anxiety disorder causes recurring feelings of worry or fear of potential harm, and is characterized by anxiety that is often out of proportion to the situation. In this instance, an anxiety disorder hampers an individual’s ability to function.

What Causes Anxiety Disorders?

Causes of anxiety disorders include:

  • Brain Chemistry: An imbalance of various hormones in the brain may contribute to an anxiety disorder.
  • Environmental Factors: Relationship and/or family issues and other environmental stressors may result in an anxiety disorder.
  • Genetics: A person may be more prone to an anxiety disorder if a blood relative was previously diagnosed with an anxiety disorder.
  • Medical Issues: Disease symptoms or medication side effects may lead to an anxiety disorder.

What Are the Symptoms of an Anxiety Disorder?

Common anxiety disorder symptoms include:

  • Irritability
  • Difficulty concentrating
  • Restlessness
  • Insomnia
  • Fatigue

What Are the Different Types of Anxiety Disorders?

Common types of anxiety disorders include:

  • Generalized Anxiety Disorder: Causes anxiety due to a nonspecific life event, object, and/or situation.
  • Panic Disorder: Leads to intense feelings of terror and apprehension, as well as panic attacks that result in confusion, dizziness, nausea, and other physical symptoms.
  • Social Anxiety Disorder: Results in a fear of negative judgment by others and causes a person to avoid social situations.

Are Anxiety Disorders Common?

Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the United States, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. While they affect 40 million U.S. adults, only 37% of individuals dealing with an anxiety disorder receive treatment.

How Are Anxiety Disorders Treated?

Common anxiety disorder treatments include:

  • Self-Care: Stress management exercises and relaxation techniques may help an individual treat anxiety disorder symptoms.
  • Counseling: Psychotherapy enables an individual to work with a mental health counselor to find ways to cope with an anxiety disorder.
  • Medication: Antidepressants and other medications may help a person manage his or her anxiety disorder symptoms.

Are Anxiety Disorders Preventable?

Common ways to reduce the risk of developing an anxiety disorder include:

  • Avoid excess consumption of caffeine and/or alcohol.
  • Maintain a nutrient-rich diet that includes fruits, vegetables, and other healthy foods.
  • Develop a consistent sleep regimen and prioritize getting a good night’s sleep.

Schedule an Anxiety Disorder Treatment Consultation Today

Achieve Concierge offers a wide range of anxiety disorder treatments. To schedule an anxiety disorder treatment consultation with Achieve Concierge, please contact us online or call us today at (858) 221-0344.

genetic testing

The Ethics of Genetic Testing

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Genetic testing helps people identify changes in chromosomes, genes, and proteins. It is commonly used to evaluate a number of variations in genetic code, associated with everything from cancer risk to drug metabolism. In other cases, people will use genetic tests to learn about their family history and genealogy.

Genetic testing is performed voluntarily and requires informed consent. The testing is usually conducted by a doctor, medical geneticist, or nurse practitioner, though it can also be done with a self-administered at-home genetic test. Upon completion, an at-home genetic test is mailed to a laboratory for results.

Two measurements are commonly used to assess the validity of genetic test results: analytical and clinical validity. Analytical validity refers to a genetic test’s ability to measure the presence or absence of a gene or genetic change. Clinical validity is used to measure a genetic variant’s relation to the presence, absence, or risk of a specific disease.

The physical risks associated with genetic testing are minimal. Conversely, genetic test results sometimes cause emotional, social, and financial distress, and so should not be performed without counseling from an appropriate medical provider. Genetic tests raise many ethical and accuracy issues as well, which are worth considering.

Genetic testing can help people reduce the risk of certain diseases, but it may also impact a person’s freedom of choice, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). For example, genetic testing is sometimes performed before marriage or on a fetus during pregnancy to analyze the risk of disease and determine what preventative treatment should be taken. And in some countries, couples are required to undergo testing for thalassemia (group of inherited conditions that affect hemoglobin in the blood) before they get married.

While these tests help people identify genetic health risks, this can also lead to stress or conflict with loved ones. To better understand why this would happen, consider how people may feel if they received results indicating they were carriers of genes associated with an incurable or debilitating health condition. They may begin to feel depressed, anxious, and upset about their results, which could also impact their interpersonal relationships.

In addition to the ethical issues surrounding genetic testing, there are many concerns about the accuracy of genetic test results. At-home genetic tests offer no guarantees, despite various claims made by at-home genetic test providers. For instance, one at-home genetic test company claimed that its test could help people determine which medications to take, while another stated that the test could deliver accurate dieting advice. An at-home genetic test company even indicated that its test could help people determine their susceptibility to certain diseases. To date, research has shown that all of the aforementioned at-home genetic test claims are invalid on one level or another.

People may pursue genetic testing and other solutions to quickly identify potential medical issues, but there is no quick-fix solution to most genetic conditions. At Achieve Concierge, we account for the personal mental wellness, work, and lifestyle of our patients, and this allows us to provide a total wellness experience unlike any other. To learn more or to schedule a consultation with Achieve Concierge, please contact us online or call us at (858) 221-0344.