Dealing with anxiety and depression requires a skill set. The main difference between people who feel like they are stuck in the mud with their mental illness and the people who have essentially moved beyond their symptoms is that the first group continues to grapple with techniques that do not work and the second group is willing to try new things.

First, be aware that if you are dealing with either of these conditions, anxiety or depression, you are not alone. It is estimated that more than 100 million people worldwide suffer from one or both. Of these people there are two subsets. One group has tried "traditional" therapy and accepted the results. The other group looked beyond and sought out other methods of therapy other than the traditional.

Let's look at the first group first. If you are suffering from anxiety and depression and are not sure where to turn you will take the first option that you hear of. In this case, this is the most popular option which is to see a therapist. Therapists vary wildly in their effectiveness and training and since you do not know which one to see you will probably just pick out of the phone book. The problem with this approach is that most therapists are lousy with dealing with anxiety and depression. You'd think this would not be the case since they have degrees and attend workshops, etc. However, the reason why most therapists are severely lacking is that they have never actually dealt with anxiety and depression themselves.

They are aware of theories that are supposed to be effective but they do not have any first hand knowledge of what works and what doesn't. So, when you visit a therapist, they will suggest some form of therapy -- almost always CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy). You will be instructed on certain techniques that are supposedly useful to correct thinking errors... And when your symptoms do not improve you will be referred to a psychiatrist and a follow up appointment(s) will be made for processing. This is problematic in and of itself.

By sending you to a psychiatrist, your therapist is essentially admitting that they are baffled. But, of course, they can not tell you this. And you like having someone with an interest in your life so you will continue to see him because he is so "nice" and so "caring" and so "interesting". He is never going to recommend that you stop seeing him for a couple of reasons. One, he truly believes that he is helping you. And two, you pay his bills. His recommended prescription will be for you to consider seeing him (the "expert") indefinitely and also start seeing a psychiatrist regularly for medication management. In the end this will start to get rather expensive even if you have a top of the line insurance policy.

Now, your psychiatrist may be helpful or may not. Like the therapist, it is highly unlikely that your doctor has actually tried the medications that he will recommend to you. He is aware of the side effects as reported in the literature and he is aware of things that his patients will have said. He will have no first hand experience in what he preaches. So your progress with your anxiety and depression symptoms will be very slow going. Your doctor will likely try you a medication or medication. You will likely experience some side effects and few benefits so he will try a different combination. He will continue to do this until you are so exhausted and financially tapped that you just settle on a treatment protocol even though you are still suffering from symptoms. And you will pay at every step along the way.

So if you want to begin dealing with anxiety and depression, I recommend that you start taking some other options into consideration. Most of the people that I know who have successfully dealt with their anxiety and depression have done the majority of the work on their own. They did not run to a high priced expert every time they encountered a hardship. They learned of techniques from other people just like -- people who suffer from anxiety and depression and don't make a living off it.

You see, there is a very vibrant community of people who have learned how to deal with their anxiety and depression. These people exist on forums and blogs throughout the internet and they share techniques that have actually worked for them with others. These people know what works, not because they learned it in a weekend workshop, but because the techniques have actually made a huge difference in their lives.

I learned far, FAR more about dealing with anxiety and depression from other people that have walked in my shoes than I ever could have from professional advice-doctors. If you are serious about treating and minimizing your symptoms start to open your eyes. Educate yourself and learn the things that are actually working.

To this day, I do not see a therapist and I am so happy not to have the obligation. Now, I don't disparage therapists because they can not help. They sometimes can and nearly all are very caring people who have good listening skills. However, they simply can not do the most important work for you. You have to do that work yourself if you really want to see progress. But it absolutely can be done, especially if you open your eyes and start looking.