Dear Arjun,

It is important to understand that anxiety and sadness are normal emotions; we all feel anxious or sad from time to time. When diagnosing anxiety and mood (e.g., depression), we consider many factors, including how much these symptoms are impacting the person's ability to function at home, at work, in school, etc. When someone is properly diagnosed with an anxiety or mood disorder, it tells us that they have many of the symptoms and are having difficulty functioning on a day-to-day basis. The treatments for these challenges can include medication, counseling, or both. While medication chemically treats the symptoms, counseling provides the person with skills and strategies to improve their ability to cope with these issues moving forward. The prognosis, or predicted outcome of these treatments, is a function of several factors.

While most people can be successfully treated for these issues, some benefit more from medication and/or counseling than others. One advantage of counseling is that it tries to provide the tools necessary to reduce the symptoms, to the point where medication and counseling may no longer be necessary. Typically, if there is a family history of the specific disorder, it increases the risk of having it and may indicate a more biochemical explanation for the symptoms. In these cases, longer-term use of medication may be necessary. There are also lifestyle changes that can help to reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression, like exercise and eating healthy foods.

Finally, just by being seventeen years old, you are more at risk for symptoms of anxiety and depression, because of all the developmental, social, parental, academic, vocational, and other challenges that are a normal part of being seventeen.

In order to minimize your risk for needing long-term treatment, work closely with your health care professionals and try to get as much out of treatment as you can, eat healthy, and exercise regularly.