Have you noticed that every other advertisement you see lately is for some form of anti-depressant or another? Do you ever ask yourself why that is? We ask ourselves that question all the time. It’s one of our jobs to be in the know about those sorts of things. That makes sense, right?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “[A]bout 1 out of every 6 adults will have depression at some time in their life” and “Depression affects about 16 million American adults every year. Anyone can get depressed, and depression can happen at any age and in any type of person.”
These numbers are troubling to us here at Clearview Girls Academy, which is why we work so hard to help our students recover early, so these issues don’t plague them throughout their lives.
Why Do So Many People Struggle With Depression and Anxiety?
We, of course, don’t have all the answers as to why anxiety and depression are so prevalent in our society today. Some of it seems to lie in the way social media now permeates our everyday lives. Some of it seems to lie in how spiritual and family values have slowly disintegrated over the last few decades. Some of it might even lie in the way that parts of society have begun accepting illicit substance use as safe and normal.
However, we do feel we have some of the answers on how to treat anxiety and depression. It seems that adolescents are especially susceptible to struggling more and more with anxiety and depression. One of Clearview Girls Academy’s goals is to investigate some of the root causes for why that is, and more importantly, how we can help.
Defining Anxiety and Depression
Many people may dismiss anxiety and depression because the terms have become so commonplace in today’s vernacular. No, anxiety is not simply “feeling anxious,” and no, depression is not just “feeling sad” sometimes. There is a spectrum of severity when it comes to these issues. However, they should never be dismissed or taken lightly. These can be severe emotional problems.
Common symptoms of depression and anxiety include:
- Not wanting to do activities that used to be fun
- Feeling irritable‚ easily frustrated, or restless
- Having trouble falling asleep or staying asleep
- Difficulty controlling feelings of worry
- Eating more or less than usual or having no appetite
- Feeling guilty, worthless, or helpless
- Thinking about suicide or hurting yourself
You can see how that list elevates in severity. This is why we feel it is important to treat anxiety and depression as soon as even the seemingly minor symptoms or warning signs begin to appear.
Why Anxiety and Depression Go Hand in Hand
According to the American Psychological Association Division of Clinical Psychology, several factors may cause anxiety and depression to overlap or exist as co-morbidities. Some of these factors may be social. They may be chemical. They may even be genetic. However, ultimately it is not just the causes that we are concerned with. We are also concerned with the potential for the best care and treatment.
According to the National Comorbidity Survey, “58% of those with lifetime depression were also observed to have at least one anxiety disorder.” The two occur in tandem so often that it is becoming rarer and rarer that we see one morbidity without the other. That is why we often treat anxiety and depression together.
Sadly struggles with anxiety and depression are becoming more and more common in many teenage girls’ lives. The good news is that these emotional ailments can be treated in many ways. Here at Clearview Girls Academy, we believe that a program that focuses on academic achievement, spiritual growth, and emotional well-being can give your daughter the best chance at making a healthy and strong recovery. We know that considering treatment for your child can be confusing and scary, but it doesn’t have to be. We want to be here to help you with any concerns or questions you may have. Contact Clearview Girls Academy at (888) 796-5484 for more information.
If you feel your daughter is struggling with anxiety and depression, we have an excellent “risk assessment” resource on our website.
Treating Both Symptoms for a Healthy Recovery
Here at Clearview Girls Academy, we believe in a well-balanced program of recovery. That balance includes four tenets.
#1 Academic Achievements
One, we focus on our student’s academic achievements. This is why it is important to us to be a fully accredited middle school and high school. We also utilize academics to treat anxiety and depression by restoring self-confidence in our student’s lives.
#2 Emotional Well-Being
Two, we focus on our student’s emotional well-being. Here we may utilize therapy to help our students get to the root causes of why they feel what they are feeling.
This may be the most commonly thought approach to treating anxiety and depression. Many people may imagine Freud speaking to someone lying on a chaise lounge. However, that is not the case at Clearview Girls Academy. We provide standard therapies such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). However, we also have equine therapy, art therapy, neurofeedback therapy, and reality therapy.
#3 Connection to Nature
Three, we utilize something we have that few other recovery centers have: the beauty of mother nature that only Montana can provide. It has been shown that connecting to nature can have both positive mental and physical effects on our bodies.
We have found that the mountains, rivers, and plains surrounding us here on our Montana ranch can bring a new perspective to our students struggling with the isolation and solitude that anxiety and depression can bring.
#4 Spiritual Wisdom
Four, we believe in imparting spiritual wisdom and practices in the lives of our students. We feel that helping our students build a strong spiritual foundation and connection to God (or whatever Higher Power they may find) will help them cope with their emotional problems moving forward.
Get Help Today With Clearview Girls Academy
Those anti-depressant commercials on television don’t have to be a reminder of how your daughter is struggling. You can change the channel by getting the help your daughter needs. Then those commercials can instead be a reminder of what she has overcome.
