Last Updated on April 28, 2023

Anyone with depression or anxiety understands it can be a challenge to find precise information and get the best help. The endeavor can become simpler, though, together with the aid of stress and depression support made available online by the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA).

The organization intends to help people with stress, major depressive disorder (MDD), or the same condition — also as their family members — become more knowledgeable about and learn to deal with their condition.

From Phobias to Depression and Anxiety Disorders

The ADAA has its origins in a group which was founded in 1980 and known as the Phobia Society of America. At the time, the term “anxiety disorder” wasn’t used, and clinicians and the public equally used “phobias” as an umbrella designation instead. Nevertheless, as mental health research evolved, so did the society

Now, said Alies Muskin, the ADAA’s executive director, “one of the things we strive to do is help people distinguish what is ordinary anxiety — what to anticipate when you’re overwhelmed and stressed by your program, going, starting a brand new occupation, or beginning school — versus stress that is chronic, persistent, and could be disabling.” In precisely the same vein, info and services the association offers aim to greatly help people recognize that “depression is more than feeling depressed or blue…and wants treatment to feel much better,” she said. “We believe education is a very huge service for the public.”

Having the Most Out of the ADAA Web site

The organization’s extensive Web site offers precise, in depth info on many different subjects related to depression, anxiety disorders, along with other mental illnesses — from generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, and agoraphobia to major depressive disorder, stress, specific phobias, and posttraumatic stress disorder.

ADAA’s stress and depression support online contains comprehensive information on condition symptoms and several types of treatment, like talk therapy, medication, cognitive behavioral therapy, and exposure. The ADAA, Muskin explained, comprehends that treatments are extremely individualized and that what works for one individual might not work for another person.

All treatment information on the Web site — from self help techniques like mindfulness or yoga to medication and psychotherapy — is backed by the newest scientific research demonstrating that the tactics were effective for large quantities of men and women.

Benefiting From Technology

As thinking and research about depression and stress went into the 21st century, so have the manners ADAA interacts together with people. Its Web site today is populated by podcasts, webinars, videos, animations, and multimedia demonstrations, as well as articles that are conventional, publications, reading lists, and much more.

“The podcasts cover everything from helping family members understand how you can help and support an individual who has one of the illnesses to how to talk to teachers about a young child’s anxiety disorder,” Muskin said.

New podcasts are added monthly, and also the range of topics contains:

• Anxiety Disorders in Elderly Adults
• Stomachaches and Stress in Children
• Stress — and the Way To Reduce It
• What Parents Must Know About Treatment for Children With Anxiety Disorders
• Helping the Families of People Who Refuse Treatment
• Complicated Grief
• Treating Children With PTSD
• What Is CBT?

Webinars generally add a Q&A session. along with a live audiovisual presentation and additionally are available monthly Contribution is free to those that sign up on the ADAA Web site. Also, recorded variations of previous webinars may be seen through the Web site. Issues in 2013 have included:

• The best way to Help Someone You Love Get the Advantages of Treatment
• Common Myths About Anxiety Disorders
• Drug for Stress: Benefits and Side Effects
• PTSD: What I Should Find Out About Present Treatments

The Web site also contains animations and videos to help folks better understand depression and stress -associated ailments. For instance, a short film entitled “Glass People,” composed and produced at the University of Southern California’s film school, focuses on college students with all the message that everyone feels overwhelmed and stressed at times, but help is available.

Finding a Therapist

To that end, the ADAA provides a tool that will help you find a therapist who specializes in anxiety disorders and depression. After you complete the internet form, suggesting such things as desired place and certain states that the person ought to be qualified to treat, the program will search for ADAA member therapists who meet your requirements. This section of the Web site offers guidance on choosing a therapist.

“We frequently get questions about what treatment’s going to be like,” Muskin said, “and we try and give folks questions to ask” — sample questions you need to use to screen therapists and doctors, and data on what you could expect from treatment. You can even download booklets and take self help evaluations to start the dialog at the next appointment together with your healthcare provider.