Over the last decade, advances in neuroscience have demonstrated that anxiety and depression, often thought of as separate psychological problems, are in fact interrelated brain disorders.
What we think of as anxiety and depression is actually a spectrum of problems related to at least five major highly interconnected brain circuits. These circuits are the basal ganglia, the deep limbic system, the anterior cingulate gyrus, the temporal lobes, and the prefrontal cortex.
Related dysfunctions in these circuits explain why anxiety and depression are so commonly diagnosed together, as well as why many treatments for one ailment have beneficial effects on the other.
Analysis of brain SPECT (Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography) scans and fMRI (functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging) scans by the Daniel Amen Clinics and other research centers have pioneered more specific diagnosis and treatment of anxiety and depression.
