Depression and anxiety are different conditions, but they commonly occur together. They also have similar treatments. Feeling down or having the blues now and then is normal. And everyone feels anxious from time to time — it's a normal response to stressful situations.
Anxiety disorders often go hand in hand with depression. People who have anxiety disorders struggle with intense and uncontrollable feelings of anxiety, fear, worry, and/or panic. These feelings can interfere with daily activities and may last for a long time.
Anxiety disorders are characterized by thoughts of worry and a general belief that something will go wrong. Depression is a feeling of sadness. Most of those who suffer from depression have a general sense of hopelessness. Depressed individuals are listless, dwell on the negative and sometimes have suicidal thoughts.
Anxiety and depression are different conditions, but it isn't uncommon for them to occur together. People with depression often experience symptoms similar to people experiencing anxiety and vice versa. As such, it can be difficult to distinguish between the two.
In mental health, one of the more common comorbidities is that of depression and anxiety. Some estimates show that 60% of those with anxiety will also have symptoms of depression, and the numbers are similar for those with depression also experiencing anxiety.
The condition that's most often comorbid with depression is any type of anxiety disorder. These disorders include generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety, panic disorder, agoraphobia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and PTSD, according to one study.
People with anxiety may avoid potentially stressful situations and become isolated, which can then lead to depression. On the other hand, low mood and lack of energy can cause people with depression to become withdrawn and stop doing what they enjoy.
Since anxiety symptoms are symptoms of stress, other sources of stress could be causing your symptoms even though you don't feel anxious. For example, rigorous physical exertion, such as hard physical work or strenuous exercise, stresses the body.
Anxiety can be caused by a variety of things: stress, genetics, brain chemistry, traumatic events, or environmental factors. Symptoms can be reduced with anti-anxiety medication. But even with medication, people may still experience some anxiety or even panic attacks.
The chance of acquiring depression is much higher when an anxiety disorder already exists. Nearly half of those with major depression also suffer from severe and persistent anxiety. People who are depressed often feel anxious and worried. One can easily trigger the other, with anxiety often preceding depression.
Women are twice as likely to be diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, and the prevalence of anxiety disorders is significantly higher for women (23.4 percent) than men (14.3 percent).
Anxiety becomes a disorder when it's irrational, excessive and when it interferes with a person's ability to function in daily life. Anxiety disorders include: Generalised anxiety disorder. Social phobias – fear of social situations.
A big event or a buildup of smaller stressful life situations may trigger excessive anxiety — for example, a death in the family, work stress or ongoing worry about finances. Personality. People with certain personality types are more prone to anxiety disorders than others are.
Anxiety causes a heavy head feeling because of tension headaches common in people living with the disorder. Most people describe these headaches as feeling like a tight band wrapped around their heads. A tightening of the scalp and neck muscles also causes an anxiety headache.
Instead, high-functioning anxiety typically refers to someone who experiences anxiety while still managing daily life quite well. Generally, a person with high-functioning anxiety may appear put together and well- accomplished on the outside, yet experience worry, stress or have obsessive thoughts on the inside.
What is subconscious anxiety? Subconscious anxiety is a type of anxiety that exists without your being fully aware of it. It often manifests as a persistent feeling of nervousness and discomfort, which isn't connected to anything specific or identifiable.
Bipolar disorder
During a depressed period, you may feel sadness, hopelessness, and loss of interest in activities. But then it will switch to a period of mania, when you feel euphoric, energetic, or irritable. Those are not symptoms of clinical depression.
It's not uncommon for someone with an anxiety disorder to also suffer from depression or vice versa. Nearly one-half of those diagnosed with depression are also diagnosed with an anxiety disorder.
Depression is closely related to and affected by physical health. Many of the factors that influence depression (such as physical inactivity or harmful use of alcohol) are also known risk factors for diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and respiratory diseases.