Dr. Gerhard Francois Gomez, M.D.

Sorry to hear you are going through this. Depression can affect some of the components that are involved in our memory. It can affect our sleep, our concentration, our motivation, our perception, and other factors that involve our cognition (brain functioning). Rest assured that depression does not damage our brain and memory in a permanent manner but it is important to address your depression before it impairs your life even further. There are ways to get better. You deserve it.

Consider your breathing as the center of all our body’s functioning. If you learn to gain control of your breathing in situations like this, it will then slow your heart rate, you won’t have that pressure in your chest, the tingling in your fingers and toes will subside and your sense of panic will get better. Try this breathing exercise….inhale through your nose for 3 seconds, hold it in for 7 seconds, then exhale through your mouth slowly for a period of 8 seconds. Do that 4 times in a row to practice. Careful not to do it too much initially or you’ll get dizzy.

That is a difficult question because there are so many other factors besides medications that have to line up as well to help with your illness. Ideally, one antipsychotic should address your symptoms of schizophrenia, optimizing the dosage to measure effectiveness. Second generation antipsychotic medications have been shown to target the negative symptoms better than first generation. Two antipsychotic medications in the same class has not been shown to be more effective than one medication (despite the belief of many psychiatrists). OCD is an anxiety disorder that often presents similar to psychosis in terms of the perseverating and obsessive thoughts. SSRI medications are first line treatment for OCD and you'll have extra coverage for your obsessive thoughts with the antipsychotic medication. It's a matter of finding the right combo that fits with your genetic makeup and optimizing the medications. That along with therapeutic interventions to help with the psychological components will give you a better chance to decrease your symptoms. Good luck.

The recommendation has been that if you are experiencing your first depressive episode, as categorized through a formal evaluation, then you take the antidepressant for 6 months and then have your doctor evaluate the need to continue. If you then experience your 2nd depressive episode, then the recommendation is to continue an antidepressant medication long term or possibly indefinetly depending on your treatment course.

Sorry to hear about your anxiety. We all suffer from some levels of anxiety as it sometimes is the drive to get us to accomplish tasks. When it is excessive, our brains do tend to take it to the extreme. Antidepressants are the top choice for long-term management of anxiety in terms of medication options. There are short term anxiety meds that are also helpful but that's another lengthy topic. More than antidepressants, I would focus on therapeutic options to help you identify and incorporate tools that will have a profound and lasting benefit for your anxious thoughts. It's all about building resilience and consistency in your approach to your mental health that will provide that sustainability. I would encourage you to consider the idea of "managing" your anxiety as opposed to "healing" your anxiety to set yourself up with a more realistic perspective. Good luck.