I teach psychopharmacology for a major university and have studied medications and the brain, extensively. Most people do not understand how medications can help against anxiety and depression, so I will break it down to the basics.
Your brain needs the use of a variety of neurotransmitters to function properly and help the rest of your body to do the same. The primary transmitters include Glutamate, the one that excites the brain (hold the MSG). Another is GABA, the one that helps calm down the mind and other nerve endings of the body. If either is out of alignment, you need supplementation, from medications like Gabapentin, or SNRIs (which help you use Norepinephrine properly). Norepinephine is the new name for something called Adren*****, as somebody copyrighted the word ADREN*****.
If your brain is not effectively using Norepinephrine ("Nor"meaning to lessen in Latin, so Norephinephrine reduces the impact of ADREN***** by controlling Epinephrine), you need medication to help. Pharmaceuticals like Effexor and Duloxetine can reverse the jitters of anxiety from the Norepinephrine deficiency.
Your brain's cells exchange neurotransmitters through a little gap between their connections. When ADREN***** or Cortisol, another stress hormone, take control, they actually block the neurotransmitters of Serotonin and Dopamine from exchanging between cells. The hormones either push the other transmitters back up into the exchanging cell or destroy the neurotransmitter.
This causes anxiety, being low on Serotonin and Dopamine and possibly GABA, and that anxiety leads to ruminations, hopeless feelings and, then, depression.
Much of this situation is genetic, so, a counselor can help you manage the anxiety, stress and depression but it takes years and years to really get it managed well. Medications can stop the neurotransmitter assassin hormones from making you miserable. Why not talk with a medication provider and see what they have to say.
I encounter people who refuse to consider medication but that is much like a diabetic, a victim of hormone and enzyme imbalance, refusing to use Insulin.
Sometimes, an SSRI (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor) can help a great deal. See the name? The medication limits the "reuptake" of your Serotonin and blunts the impact of the enzyme assassins. If your anxiety is quite bad, an SNRI (Serotonin and Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitor) may be in order. Sometimes supplementation of GABA helps, therefore, Gabapentin or another GABA protecting medication.
If you are really set against this, consider simple supplementation of GABA from OTC products. Olly makes a gummy called "Goodbye Stress", which contains GABA (something your brain naturally makes). It has helped some of my more obstinate patients. But, talk with a psychiatrist or nurse prescriber about medications because they are faster and more effective.
