Can Antidepressants Help Treat Anxiety? Does it make sense?

It may. Anxiety may be a prominent feature of an underlying depressive disorder and, in such instances, going right to the heart of the matter and treating the depression makes sense. When the depression improves, anxiety usually does too. Also, certain antidepressants have sedative properties that may be useful in reducing anxiety.

Another reason for using an antidepressant drug is that people with Anxiety Disorders sometimes become depressed because of, or in addition to, the anxiety disorder. Here, the antidepressant would be directed at the depression while other treatments (usually behavior therapy) would be used to relieve the Anxiety Disorder. In the presence of depression, Anxiety Disorders are often more resistant to treatment; in these cases, then, treatment of depression is quite important.

Finally, some doctors believe that certain Anxiety Disorders respond well to treatment with antidepressant drugs, even if depression is not present. In such conditions, the drugs may work in a way that is unrelated to their antidepressant activity. The Anxiety Disorders that some treat with antidepressant drugs include Panic Disorder (with or without Agoraphobia) and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. The an¬tidepressant drugs might also be called “antipanic” drugs much as aspirin is used both for its antipyretic (fever-reducing), antiinflammatory, and analgesic (pain-relieving) properties.