Is Anxiety A Form Of Depression

The Differences Between The Two Disorders

The best way to understand the difference between the two disorders is with the primary symptoms, starting with the mental symptoms.

Anxiety:

• Apprehension over what’s about to happen and what could happen in the future.
• Worried thoughts, or a belief that something could go wrong.
• Feeling like you need to run away or avoid things that could cause further anxiety.

Depression:

• Feeling of sadness about the future, as though it’s hopeless.
• Listlessness, and a lack of belief that positive things will occur.
• Little worry, but instead a certainty of future negative emotions. Possible suicidal thoughts.

Those with anxiety often find themselves feeling like something bad might happen and they’re worried it will. Those with depression often assume a bad future and don’t expect anything else or think there’s anything worth preventing.

Depression can occur after someone experiences anxiety, because someone that deals with severe anxiety may end up feeling drained and hopeless once their anxiety or anxiety attack is over. That’s why the two conditions can be difficult to tell apart. Similarly, those with depression can still fear certain things getting worse, despite already being of the belief that the future is less positive or bright.

Anxiety:

Depression:

• Severe lack of energy or drive.
• Flat affect along with slowed thinking and behaviors.
• Severe appetite changes, headaches, and sleep problems.

Symptoms Of Major Depression

• sleep disturbance
• muscle tension.

If youve experienced these symptoms most days for more than six months, and they cause distress in your daily life, then you may receive a diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder. Other types of anxiety disorders include separation anxiety, panic disorder, or phobias, among others.

If you compare the two lists of symptoms, you can see that there is some overlap. Sleep problems, trouble concentrating, and fatigue are all symptoms of both anxiety and depression. Irritability may also manifest in forms of anxiety or depression .

There are however, some distinguishing features. People with depression move slowly, and their reactions can seem flattened or dulled. People with anxiety tend to be more keyed up, as they struggle to manage their racing thoughts. Another distinguishing feature is the presence of fear about the future in people with anxiety. Depressed people who do not have anxiety are less likely to be fraught with worry about future events, as they are often resigned to believing that things will continue to be bad. In other words, they may predict the future based on how they feel in the moment.

How To Tell The Difference Between Mania And Anxiety

Depression isn’t just a single condition. Bipolar disorder, for example, can also cause what’s known as “mania,” which is a period of pronounced, intense energy that can also come with what resembles anxiety symptoms.

Commonalities Between Anxiety and Depression

One of the reasons that the two have a great deal in common is because both cause changes in neurotransmitter function – especially serotonin. Low serotonin levels play a role in both anxiety and depression. Dopamine and epinephrine play a role in both as well.

Because of these shared neurotransmitters, they can also share symptoms, and the two can contribute to the development of each other. The most common is anxiety eventually causing depression. Poor coping combined with intense anxiety symptoms can commonly lead to a feeling of hopelessness that creates depressive symptoms, and when left unchecked it’s possible that the depression becomes more severe.

It’s also important to note that both anxiety and depression – because of the neurotransmitters involved – can feel natural, and thus both often do not receive adequate treatment. Someone with depression rarely thinks to themselves “I have depression” because their mind genuinely believes the emotions they feel are “true.” Someone with anxiety often feels the same way, though with anxiety people are a bit more prone to realize they have a problem.

When To See A Doctor For Anxiety Or Depression

Sometimes anxiety can be self-managed and easily resolved, but it is important to know when its time to see a doctor. If anxiety is affecting more than one area of your life and persists for more than six months, it may be a sign that you have an anxiety disorder or something else serious going on and would be a good time to check in with your doctor. 

If you start having any of the symptoms of depression, such as feelings of sadness or loss of interest in daily life, it may be time to see a doctor. Having these feelings sporadically is a normal part of life, but experiencing them frequently may be a sign that you have depression. Depression that goes untreated can become serious and sometimes leads to suicidal thoughts or behaviors. If you have any of these symptoms, its best to seek medical advice as soon as possible.  

Different Types Of Depression

Your doctor may diagnose you with depression and say that its mild, moderate or severe depending on your symptoms and how severe they are. Or you may be diagnosed with a specific type of depression, such as:

• dysthymia mild depression that lasts for several years
• seasonal affective disorder depression that comes and goes in a seasonal pattern
• postnatal depression depression that many parents experience after having a baby. Some people experience antenatal depression during pregnancy.

What Are Anxiety Disorders

Anxiety is a normal emotion. Itâs your brainâs way of reacting to stress and alerting you of potential danger ahead. 

Everyone feels anxious now and then. For example, you may worry when faced with a problem at work, before taking a test, or before making an important decision.

Occasional anxiety is OK. But anxiety disorders are different. Theyâre a group of mental illnesses that cause constant and overwhelming anxiety and fear.  The excessive anxiety can make you avoid work, school, family get-togethers, and other social situations that might trigger or worsen your symptoms. 

With treatment, many people with anxiety disorders can manage their feelings.

Q: Can You Have Both Anxiety And Depression At The Same Time

A: Anxiety and depression commonly occur together, but you can experience them separately as well. While anxiety and depression have their own symptoms and clinical features, there is some overlap.

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Feeling depressed can cause us to worry and worrying can cause us to become depressed.  

If were working with someone who seems to have a lot of depressive symptoms, but there is a high degree of anxiety there as well, its almost like were trying to sort out the chicken and the egg. Were trying to figure out which one was first and did one cause the other?

Hallmark signs of depression can include: feelings of sadness and hopelessness, loss of interest, trouble sleeping, feeling exhausted, a change in appetite, unexplained physical pain or aches and feeling like small tasks take extra effort.  

Symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder can include: persistent and severe worrying , overthinking and envisioning worse-case scenarios, obsessing over situations or outcomes, indecisiveness, fear, inability to relax, feelings of restlessness, trouble focusing or physical agitation.

Depression and anxiety are treatable, whether they occur together or separately. Most people benefit from psychotherapy , cognitive-behavioral therapy medication or a combination.

Treating A Mood Disorder Takes Time

What’s most important, psychiatrists say, is to recognize that something is wrong. Then see a doctor regularly.

“It’s a good sign if your doctor wants to see you more than once before prescribing something,” says Goodstein. “It’s better if your doctor wants to see you regularly, rather than prescribe the medication and say, ‘check back with me in six months.'”

Because bipolar disorder is condition that is ongoing but not always evident, the National Institute of Mental Health recommends long-term preventive treatment. The institute notes that a combination of medication and psychotherapy works best to keep the disorder under control over time.

With most people, “things are more complicated than they seem on the first visit,” Goodstein tells WebMD. “Almost always, there’s something more going on, and a doctor just can’t know all that in one visit. It’s erroneous if they think they can.”

It’s important to get treated for any mood disorder, because it can affect your own quality of life — as well as the people around you, Goodstein adds. When you’re depressed — for any reason — “You don’t care about yourself. You don’t care about those around you. And often, you don’t have the motivation to get help because you feel hopeless,” he says. “You might think there’s no way to solve your problems. But that’s not true. We can treat your depression, so you’ll be better able to find solutions to your problems.”

What’s The Difference Between Anxiety And Depression

One in four people in the UK experience a mental health problem each year. This means theres a chance you may know somebody affected by either depression or anxiety, two of the most common mental health conditions. You may have heard these terms a lot, possibly used alongside each other. But how well do you understand them? And do you know the key differences between anxiety and depression?

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When To Talk To Someone About Your Symptoms

Once anxiety or depression impacts your life, you should seek help from a mental health professional. The psychological conditions can lead to social isolation, worsening performance at school or work, and substance abuse as a coping mechanism.

If you rely on drugs or alcohol as a response to anxiousness or depression, consider rehabilitation. The Recovery Village has centers throughout the country that provide co-occurring disorder treatment when a mental illness pairs with addiction. The team of experts can help you attain a substance-free lifestyle and treat your mental condition.

Related:Starting Treatment for Addiction & Mental Health through Teletherapy

If youre looking for healthy ways to manage anxiety and depression, the Nobu app can help. It is free and for anyone that is looking to reduce anxiety, work through depression, build self-esteem, get aftercare following treatment, attend teletherapy sessions and so much more. Download the Nobu app today!

Facts & Statistics. Anxiety and Depression Association of America. Accessed January 10, 2019.

Disconnection From A Rewarding Work Life

For many people, an unfulfilling and unhappy work life leads to depression. Most people sleepwalk through their work day or actively dread going to work, often because they feel they have little control over their responsibilities and thus disengage from their work. In 2011 and 2012, a Gallup poll surveyed millions of people all over the world. Only 13% said they are enthusiastic about and committed to their work. The rest were not engaged or actively disengaged . At the same time, work hours are expandingthe nine to five is now more of a seven to sevenwhich means that many people spend more time working than doing things they actually enjoy. 

It might seem obvious that spending most of your life in a job where you have little control and arent actively engaged could make you depressed, but scientists resisted recognizing unhappy work life as one of the causes of depression and anxiety for years. The tide began to change after a landmark study of British civil servants showed that the higher your status at work, the lower your risk of heart attacks and depression. 

Feeling Depressed In Reaction Toyour Problems With Anxiety

It’s also common for people who are having a difficult time with an anxiety disorder to feel depressed as a result of the way anxiety is interfering with their lives. It’s my experience that most patients who experience this will find that their depression lifts naturally as a result of doing better with anxiety, and no special treatment for the depression is necessary.

There are two circumstances under which an anxiety patient may need specific help for depression. One is if he or she has become so depressed in response to anxiety that they no longer have the energy and motivation to overcome the anxiety disorder. In this case, either medication or cognitive behavioral methods can be used to help overcome the depression. The second is the case of a person who experienced a severe depression before the anxiety disorder appeared, a depression which was not just a reaction to the troubles imposed by the anxiety disorder. This depression, called a primary depression, is likely to require medication treatment.

If you find yourself confused about your symptoms of anxiety and depression, and what kind of trouble they may indicate, don’t struggle in silence with the confusion. Ask your doctor or therapist directly about your diagnosis.

Is It Anxiety Or Depression

If you often feel anxious or depressed for no apparent reason, you may have an anxiety disorder, depression, or both. Its not unusual for someone to suffer from both conditions at the same time. In fact, just about half of those diagnosed with depression are also diagnosed with an anxiety disorder.

Depression and anxiety are serious but treatable illnesses. The same medications may be used to ease symptoms of each condition. The two also share similar symptoms, like nervousness, irritability, insomnia and problems concentrating, but each has its own causes. 

Anxiety: If you have an anxiety disorder, you may experience:

• Fear, panic or anxiety in situations where most people would not feel anxious or threatened
• A constant nagging worry or anxiousness
• Sudden panic or anxiety attacks without any clear trigger

Untreated, these disorders can limit your ability to work, maintain relationships or even leave the house. 

Depression: When youre depressed, it affects just about everything in your life how you think, feel, behave and function. You may experience one or more of these symptoms:

• Discouragement
• Lack of motivation or interest in life in general
• Low energy level
• Insomnia
• Feeling overwhelmed by daily tasks and personal interactions

If these feelings last longer than two weeks, and interfere with daily activities like spending time with friends, caring for your family or going to work, most likely youre experiencing a major depressive episode. 

Causes Of Anxiety Disorder

Some causes of anxiety disorders are: 

• Genetics. Anxiety disorders can run in families. 
• Brain chemistry. Some research suggests anxiety disorders may be linked to faulty circuits in the brain that control fear and emotions. 
• Environmental stress. This refers to stressful events you have seen or lived through. Life events often linked to anxiety disorders include childhood abuse and neglect, a death of a loved one, or being attacked or seeing violence.  
• Drug withdrawal or misuse. Certain drugs may be used to hide or decrease certain anxiety symptoms. Anxiety disorder often goes hand in hand with alcohol and substance use.
• Medical conditions. Some heart, lung, and thyroid conditions can cause symptoms similar to anxiety disorders or make anxiety symptoms worse. Itâs important to get a full physical exam to rule out other medical conditions when talking to your doctor about anxiety. 

Ways You Can Look After Yourself

If youre depressed, there are steps you can take to lift your mood and help your recovery. These steps can help if youve been depressed in the past and want to stay well.

• Talk about how youre feeling. Talking to someone you trust, or finding peer support, can help you feel better and less alone.
• Eat well. A healthy diet can lift your mood and maintain your mental health.
• Stay physically active. Exercise may feel like the last thing you want to do, but it can ease the symptoms of depression. Research suggests it may be as effective as antidepressants in helping you feel better.
• Spend time in nature. Research shows that being in nature can make us feel happier, feel our lives are more worthwhile, and reduce our levels of depression
• Avoid cigarettes and alcohol. They may feel like theyre helping at first, but they make things worse in the long run.
• Try talking therapy to stay well. NICE guidelines recommend CBT or mindfulness-based cognitive therapy if youve been depressed in the past.

Can You Have Anxiety And Depression At The Same Time

Its a complex picture. Depression and generalised anxiety disorder have some distinct features, and some that overlap. To complicate things further, its actually possible for someone to experience depression and anxiety at the same time.

In fact its not just possible; its quite common. Around half of people with generalised anxiety disorder will also have depression. When the conditions coexist like this, they can be more severe and long-lasting than usual.

Its also possible to be diagnosed with one of the conditions, and to have symptoms of the other . The way symptoms overlap make it hard to be precise with numbers. But estimates of the number of people with depression who also experience symptoms of anxiety range as high as 85 per cent.

Many experts actually view mixed anxiety and depressive disorder as a separate category in itself. This is where someone may have symptoms of both conditions, but not severe enough to have a formal diagnosis of either condition. But this combination can still cause considerable distress and affect someones daily life.

When Does Anxiety Need Treatment

While anxiety can cause distress, it is not always a medical condition.

Anxiety

When an individual faces potentially harmful or worrying triggers, feelings of anxiety are not only normal but necessary for survival.

Since the earliest days of humanity, the approach of predators and incoming danger sets off alarms in the body and allows evasive action. These alarms become noticeable in the form of a raised heartbeat, sweating, and increased sensitivity to surroundings.

The danger causes a rush of adrenalin, a hormone and chemical messenger in the brain, which in turn triggers these anxious reactions in a process called the fight-or-flight response. This prepares humans to physically confront or flee any potential threats to safety.

For many people, running from larger animals and imminent danger is a less pressing concern than it would have been for early humans. Anxieties now revolve around work, money, family life, health, and other crucial issues that demand a persons attention without necessarily requiring the fight-or-flight reaction.

The nervous feeling before an important life event or during a difficult situation is a natural echo of the original fight-or-flight reaction. It can still be essential to survival anxiety about being hit by a car when crossing the street, for example, means that a person will instinctively look both ways to avoid danger.

Anxiety disorders

Anxiety disorders now include the following diagnoses.

Possible causes include:

Talking To Your Doctor

If you have anxiety, depression, or both, chances are that your doctor will recommend medication, therapy, or a combination of the two. Keep track your symptoms and keep a log of how you feel each day, as this can help in the diagnostic process. Its also important to speak up and ask your doctor whether they think you have depression, anxiety, or both. This clarity can help you understand the treatment focus and how to manage your symptoms. For example, a patient who is prescribed an antidepressant like a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor may not realize that the medication has been prescribed for their anxiety, as SSRIs are used to treat both anxiety and depression.4 Never hesitate to ask about your diagnosis, as you have a right to your personal health information.

The most important quality that anxiety and depression share is that they are both very treatable conditions. Never hesitate to find people to help you stayed informed and on the right track towards a healthier mind and body. Who can you recruit to help you with your anxiety or depression today?

What Might Indicate That Both Anxiety And Depression Are Present

Traits that may signal the presence of both anxiety disorder and depression include:

• Irrational worries or fears that wont go away
• Physical symptoms, such as fatigue, headaches, rapid heartbeat, labored breathing or abdominal pain
• Difficulty going to sleep or staying asleep
• Changes in eating habits either too much or too little
• Trouble remembering, making decisions or concentrating
• Constant feelings of sadness or worthlessness
• Loss of usual interest in activities or hobbies
• Feeling often tired and cranky
• Inability to relax and live in the moment
• Suffering from panic attacks, including the sense of losing inner control2

How Ocd And Anxiety Relate To Depression

As an anxiety-based condition, OCD and anxiety disorders stem from the same core symptom. But how do either anxiety or OCD relate to depression?

One rather intuitive link between both of these anxiety-centric categories and depression is based on causation: an individual who suffers from either OCD or anxiety may find themselves feeling hopeless, saddened or unable to enjoy lifeall symptoms of depression. As such, facing either of these disorders for long can eventually cause them to develop depression as well.

Second, all three disorder families often appear together. As such, depression, anxiety, and OCD all show a high level of comorbidity with one another, with the probability of developing two or more of them together being significantly higher than chance. Unfortunately for those facing several of these conditions at once, comorbidity the chances of a symptom-free recovery when compared to those battling singular disorders.

Genetics also seem to shape the relationship between these three conditions. The connection here seems to pass through neuroticism, a personality trait that causes intense, adverse reactions to internal and external stressors, resulting in feelings of sadness, guilt and anger. Since neuroticism has been found to be both highly hereditary and a risk factor for anxiety, depression, and OCD, researchers of this characteristic have hypothesized that it acts as a mediator between the three conditions. 

Anxiety Vs Depression Prevalence

• About of U.S. adults will experience some form of anxiety in their lives
• Anxiety disorders affect more than 40 million U.S. adults
• 1 in 13 people have anxiety globally
• A third of the global population will be affected by an anxiety disorder at some point 

• More than 260 million people have depression globally
• Depression is a leading cause of disability worldwide 
• 16 million U.S. adults have major depressive disorder 
• 10% of youth in the U.S. have severe depression

Major Depressive Disorder: Key Aspects

The American Psychiatric Association defines depression as a mood disorder that causes a substantial decrease in well-being, in regard to several different areas of life. On an emotional level, depression brings with it feelings of sadness, loneliness, emptiness, a lack of pleasure or energy, and hopelessness. On a cognitive level, depression engenders detrimental beliefs that negative experiences are the individuals fault, that the world around them is a lonely and scary place, and that things will never improve. On an interpersonal level, depression is marked by actions and responses to others that destabilize their relationships and create a rift between the individual suffering from depression and those around them.

Depression can often severely hinder an individuals sense of self-worth, their place in society, and their day-to-day functioning.

Depression Demographics: Depressionis a relatively prevalent mental health disorder,affecting about one in 15 adults of the adult population. In the US, 17.3 million adults have reportedly experienced one or more depressive episodes during their lifetime.

Several risk factors have been shown to increase the chance of developing MDD. These include genetics, childhood environment, a temperamental inclination, later life events, and the existence of additional mental or medical conditions.