Anxiety and Depression
What are Anxiety and Depression?
Living with chronic respiratory diseases can be challenging, so it’s common for people with chronic respiratory diseases to experience anxiety and depression.
Clinical anxiety is persistent, excessive worrying and negative thoughtsthat make it hard to function day-to-day. Clinical depression is an ongoing feeling of deep sadness or emptiness that lasts longer than a few weeks and impacts your ability to enjoy your family, work, and other activities.
Only a physician can make a diagnosis of clinical anxiety or clinical depression.
In This Article:
How Anxiety and Depression Affect Lung Health
The relationship between anxiety and depression and respiratory disease is bidirectional, meaning they influence each other. Living with respiratory diseases can cause anxiety and depression, and anxiety and depression can worsen chronic respiratory symptoms.
For example, anxiety can make you breathe faster, which can increase shortness of breath. Anxiety about shortness of breath can keep you from being active, and inactivity can worsen respiratory symptoms.
Coping with Anxiety and Depression
If you are concerned that you may be experiencing clinical anxiety or clinical depression, talk to your healthcare provider.They can talk to you about your treatment options, which include:
- Therapy—there are many different kinds, like talk therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy. Cognitive behavioral therapy is a type of talk therapy that helps you identifyand manage negative thoughtand behavioral patterns. Therapy can help you work through negative emotions, break destructive thought patterns, and learn new coping strategies.
- Support groups— if you are experiencing anxiety and/or depression, know that you are not alone.Many people living with chronic respiratory diseases experience one or both at some point in their journey with chronic lung disease. Support groups allow you to connect with people who are facing the same challenges and share solutions.
- Medication—there are several effective pharmacological solutions for anxiety and depression. Talk to your doctor about what medication might be best for you.
And of course, practicing healthy lifestyle habits and coping strategies can help you feel empowered to manage lung health. These include practicing pursed lip and diaphragmatic breathing, meditating or practicing mindfulness exercises, getting enough exercise, eating a healthy diet, and quitting smoking.
What You Can Do Today
If you think you may be experiencing anxiety or depression, make an appointment with your healthcare provider.You can also talk to your Wellinks coach about adopting healthy lifestyle changes and practicing healthy coping strategies.
Additionally, the National Suicide Hotline is also available 24/7for anyone experiencing thoughts of suicide. The number is 988 and it is free to call.