ABSTRACT
Both anxiety and depression may have multiple causes. At the outset it is important to check whether there are medical or lifestyle contributing factors to the condition, such as the intake of caffeine, and whether these have received attention so that you do not attempt to treat psychologically a condition that requires medical or dietary intervention. In treating both anxiety and depression, an integrated treatment plan will address both the `management' of the symptoms and the opportunity to explore the deeper-seated and often complex levels of the problem in a relational therapy. We agree with Schore (2003a) that affect dysregulation is at the heart of all Axis I and Axis II disorders, so both an immediate and a long-term focus to achieve self soothing and better affect regulation are relevant in anxiety and depressive states.
