When anxiety is moderate to severe or herbal medicines are ineffective, synthetic antidepressants may be necessary. Anti-depressants can be effective for 60 to 80 percent of those with panic attacks or other anxiety disorders.

The drugs proven to be most effective in treating obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are four antidepressants—Anafranil (clomipramine), Luvox (fluvox), Prozac (fluoxetine), and Zoloft (sertraline). There has been no research on herbal treatment for OCD.

There are roughly a dozen antidepressants from which to choose if synthetic antidepressants are prescribed. None are addictive or habit-forming. Antidepressant medications are usually taken for two to three weeks before benefits are derived.

Question from a reader:

I have had bipolar disorder since my late teens. I have been on lithium for a year and a half now. Tried a host of other drugs before that to no avail. But now I am stable and functioning well. Do you think it could come back if I stick with treatment?

Question from a reader who has bipolar disorder. He asks if it affects sexual desire:

I have had bipolar disorder for five years and now I’m seeing that I don’t have the push to have sex with women. I did for the past few years but over the past year, my drive is down. I am currently 24 years old.

Anxiety can become progressively disabling at work and in personal relationships. Anxious people have frequent feelings of guilt and worthlessness about not being able to cope successfully with situations that other people have no difficulty with and about being dependent on family and friends, thereby restricting their lives.

The longer anxiety persists without effective treatment, the more likely it is that those who suffer will become depressed. As anxiety becomes progressively more disabling, it can significantly hamper the ability to live a full and enjoyable life.

Recent scientific research suggests that anxiety is the result of a biochemical imbalance in the brain’s alarm center—the amygdala—and a psychological imbalance in thinking. The combination of a biochemically overreactive amygdala and fearful, worrisome thinking causes an exaggerated and persistent stress response. As to which comes first, this is a little like the chicken-or-the-egg question. The answer is both, in a circular pattern of causation. This is the mind-body principle: every change in the mind (anxiety) produces a corresponding change in the body (alarm) and vice versa.

Mood responses in children and adults are profoundly affected by diet and environment. Chemicals in food and environmental pollution have been shown to have a deleterious impact on the brain and neurological functions, leading to everything from attention deficit disorder to obsessive-compulsive disorder. It makes sense that foods that contribute to physical illness would contribute to mental and emotional imbalances as well.

To whatever extent you are ready, I also highly recommend removing the non-food environmental obstacles to your joy, such as the audio and visual stimulation in the form of magazines, television, and movies that degrade your thoughts with vulgarity, graphic imagery, gossip, and violence. Don’t be afraid to try a media fast for a day, a week, or even a month—whatever would be a stretch for your media lifestyle.