Allow Yourself To Feel What Youre Feeling
Depression and anxiety are medical conditions, not the result of failure or weakness, and theyre absolutely not your fault.
Without a doubt, the unwanted emotions they cause can lead to plenty of distress. But knowing depression and anxiety result from underlying causes and triggers, not anything you did or didnt do, can promote self-compassion instead of criticism or self-punishment.
Thinking There’s Something Physically Wrong With You
Is this pain in my chest a sign that I’m having a heart attack? Does my skin rash mean I have cancer? Anxiety can often stem from worry that there is something wrong with your body.
Everyone has concerns about their health from time to time, but depending on someone’s history and personality, Dr. McCann said that physical symptoms can be a sign of an anxiety disorder if the worrying interferes with daily functioning.
The physical symptoms that first made you start feeling anxious about your health can also be very similar to some of the symptoms of anxiety itselfincreased heart rate, hyperventilation, sweating, and feeling weakwhich can lead to a cycle of anxiety.
Onset Of Depression More Complex Than A Brain Chemical Imbalance
It’s often said that depression results from a chemical imbalance, but that figure of speech doesn’t capture how complex the disease is. Research suggests that depression doesn’t spring from simply having too much or too little of certain brain chemicals. Rather, there are many possible causes of depression, including faulty mood regulation by the brain, genetic vulnerability, and stressful life events. It’s believed that several of these forces interact to bring on depression.
To be sure, chemicals are involved in this process, but it is not a simple matter of one chemical being too low and another too high. Rather, many chemicals are involved, working both inside and outside nerve cells. There are millions, even billions, of chemical reactions that make up the dynamic system that is responsible for your mood, perceptions, and how you experience life.
With this level of complexity, you can see how two people might have similar symptoms of depression, but the problem on the inside, and therefore what treatments will work best, may be entirely different.
This article will address the how different parts of the brain affect mood.
Don’t Miss: How To Tell If Someone Has Anxiety
How Is Genetics Linked To The Risk Of Depression
We know that depression can sometimes run in families. This suggests that there’s at least a partial genetic link to depression. Children, siblings, and parents of people with severe depression are somewhat more likely to have depression than are members of the general population. Multiple genes interacting with one another in special ways probably contribute to the various types of depression that run in families. Yet despite the evidence of a family link to depression, it is unlikely that there is a single “depression” gene, but rather, many genes that each contribute small effects toward depression when they interact with the environment.
Stress Anxiety And Anxiety Disorders
Lets start by clarifying the commonly misstated difference between stress and anxiety. Simply put, stress is the set of exterior stimuli that trigger anxiety, which is the corresponding response within your body.
For example, imagine that your boss emails you with an unexpected and urgent project thats on a tight deadline. That is stress. When your body responds to this stressful situation by putting you into the fight or flight state described above, thats anxiety.
As you can see, this control helps answer the question of whether stress can cause anxiety. When the state of anxiety persists over a longer period , that is chronic anxiety.
Chronic anxiety can lead to chronic anxiety disorders, some of which, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders , include:
Read Also: How To Stop Social Anxiety
Common Tms Therapy Side Effects
- Headaches : sometimes reported after TMS treatment sessions. This is particularly common early during the treatment and typically decreases as the treatment progresses.
- Facial Twitching: slight movement of the eyelid or jaw during stimulation. This happens because of superficial nerve branches and muscle groups being stimulated.
- Scalp Discomfort: fleeting discomfort in the head or scalp where the TMS pulses are applied.
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.
Read Also: Does Nac Help With Anxiety
Other Causes Of Depression
There are a number of things that can lead to developing depression.
- Stressful events big changes in your life, like bereavement, the end of a relationship or the loss of a job, can be difficult to deal with. When these things happen, it’s important to keep seeing friends and family instead of trying to deal with problems alone this increases your risk of developing depression.
- Giving birth pregnancy and birth can make some people vulnerable to depression. Postnatal depression can happen as the result of physical changes, hormonal changes, and the responsibility of taking care of a new baby.
- Loneliness your risk of depression gets higher if you aren’t in contact or spending time with family and friends.
- Personality some personality traits can put you at a higher risk of developing depression. These include low-self esteem or a habit of criticising yourself too much. These personality traits can come from your genes, which you get from your parents, or they can be as a result of experiences in your early life.
- Family history it’s more likely for someone to develop depression if a family member, like a sibling or parent, has experienced it before.
Is Depression Linked To Chronic Pain
When pain lingers for weeks to months, it’s called “chronic.” Not only does chronic pain hurt, it disturbs your sleep, your ability to exercise and be active, your relationships, and your productivity at work. Can you see how chronic pain may also leave you feeling sad, isolated, and depressed?
There is help for chronic pain and depression. A multifaceted program of medicine, psychotherapy, support groups, and more can help you manage your pain, ease your depression, and get your life back on track.
Don’t Miss: What To Do After An Anxiety Attack
Psychological Depression Symptoms Include:
- doing poorly at work
- difficulties with your family or home life
It’s not always possible to tell that you’re having symptoms of depression right away it can start and progress gradually. A lot of people don’t realise they’re ill and try to carry on and cope with their symptoms. Sometimes it takes a friend or family member to notice that there’s a problem.
Electroconvulsive Therapy Electric Shock Treatment
If you have severe depression and other treatments, like medication, haven’t worked, ECT might be recommended for you.
When receiving ECT, you will be given an anaesthetic and medication that relaxes your muscles to begin with. Electrodes will be placed on your head that give an electrical “shock” to your brain.
ECT is given over a series of sessions, normally twice a week for three to six weeks.
ECT can cause side effects including nausea, headaches, aches in the muscles and memory problems.
Most people find that ECT is good for relieving severe depression, but the beneficial effects tend to wear off when several months have passed.
Recommended Reading: What Causes Anxiety Attacks For No Reason
The Relationship Between Anxiety And Depression
Helpful Links
While anxiety is generally considered a high-energy state and depression a low-energy state, anxiety and depression are more closely related than you might think. A person with depression often experiences a lot of anxiety, possibly even to the extent of having panic attacks.1
Anxiety disorders involve more than common nervousness and worry. They can cause terrifying fear about things other people wouldnt think twice about. Many people with anxiety disorders fully comprehend that their thoughts are irrational. But they still cant stop them. Feelings of losing inner control haunt them. This angst is one of the entry ways for depression.2
Who Has Dissociative Seizures
Dissociative seizures can happen to anyone, at any age, although some factors make dissociative seizures more likely. Dissociative seizures are:
- more common in women
- more likely to start in young adults
- more likely to happen to people who have had an injury or disease or who have had severe emotional upset or stressful life events
- more common in people with other psychiatric conditions .
Read Also: What Does Anxiety Feel Like Mentally
Also Check: Can Anxiety Cause Abdominal Pain
Reach Out To Loved Ones
Strong relationships can go a long way toward improving your outlook and emotional well-being when you live with mental health conditions.
Friends and family can:
- provide encouragement and emotional support
- join you in hobbies or activities that offer a positive distraction
- offer rides, grocery runs, and other more tangible forms of support when you have trouble getting things done
Simply knowing you have someone you trust in your life can often help you feel less alone, whether you actually want to talk about your symptoms or not.
Treating co-occurring depression and anxiety can sometimes be more complicated than treating one condition alone. Even when you get treatment for one condition, some symptoms might persist or seem to play off the others.
For example:
- You cant stop worrying about all the things going wrong in your life, or thinking about the ways things could get worse. These fears eventually drain your energy and motivation to keep trying, leaving you feeling low and hopeless.
- Social anxiety keeps you from connecting with people in the ways youd like. You want to make new friends but generally end up avoiding interactions instead. This leaves you feeling lonely, sad, and guilty, especially when thinking of those missed opportunities, but helpless to do anything differently.
A mental health care professional may recommend combining treatment approaches, since what helps ease depression symptoms may not always relieve anxiety symptoms, and vice versa.
Finding The Right Resources To Answer Your Questions And Meet Your Complex Needs
Just as anxiety and depression tend to be worse when occurring together, treatment of these disorders is most effective when both conditions are addressed at the same time.1
Hartgrove Behavioral Health System provides integrated care that treats these and other mental health issues simultaneously. As part of our comprehensive care, medical specialists and therapists work together to help bring healing and balance in our patients lives a feeling of being in charge of their inner self again.
2 How to Cope With Anxiety and Depression. Everyday Health, August 27, 2015.
3 Anxiety Disorders. National Institute on Mental Health, March 2016.
4 Depression. National Institute on Mental Health, October 2016.
Recommended Reading: Do Video Games Help With Anxiety
Causes Of Anxiety And Depression
Each person experiences anxiety and depression differently, and the contributing factors to both conditions are going to be unique for each individual.
60% of people living with depression do not seek help for it.
Yet, major depressive disorder is a condition that often warrants support and treatment, especially when coupled with an anxiety disorder.
If you believe you may be living with depression, its highly advisable to seek the guidance of a mental health professional.
Theyll be able to assess whether or not you meet the diagnostic criteria for depression, as listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition, text revision .
In order to receive a diagnosis, at least five of nine formal symptoms must be present for longer than 2 weeks.
The formal symptoms of depression include:
- persistent low mood that may include sadness, hopelessness, and irritability
- disinterest in things you used to love
- trouble with concentration and memory
- changes in the way you talk and move, usually to a slower pace
- changes in sleep patterns
Triggers Of Panic Attacks
Anxiety is a condition that often develops gradually, and it’s not that common for one item to simply trigger an increase in anxiety that’s pronounced enough to matter. The same is not true for anxiety attacks, where various issues can trigger anxiety attacks with some regularity.
Panic attacks are so unpredictable that they can be caused by fear of panic attacks – or simply by thinking about your panic attacks. They can be caused by exercise, by dehydration, and by what feels like nothing at all. The first panic attack often comes at a time of considerable stress, but some people have been known to get their first panic attack for no apparent reason.
Once that first panic attack occurs, some of the symptoms of panic attacks can create full-blown attacks due to health fears and fear of another panic attack.
Some people still get panic attacks when they’re under extreme stress. But some people develop what’s known as “hypersensitivity,” where they notice every single feeling and change in their body and experience a flood of anxiety when these sensations occur, ultimately leading to a panic attack.
These types of triggers can also be exacerbated by health fear. Some of the individuals that struggle with panic disorder often find that they either develop health anxiety or that health anxiety is a trigger. For someone with a health anxiety trigger, any fears related to their health could trigger an attack.
Read Also: Can Anxiety Cause Heart Problems
Does Anxiety Cause Depression
It depends. If your anxiety is a temporary emotional response, its not likely it may lead to symptoms of depression.
But if you notice that your signs of anxiety become a recurring experience, you may be living with an anxiety disorder. In this case, suggests that its possible that anxiety leads to depression, or makes the existing symptoms of depression feel worse.
In that case, depression may be a side effect of anxiety.
Heres why and how the untreated effects of anxiety may cause depression symptoms to develop:
There’s No One Reason For Depression
Lots of things influence whether a person gets depressed. Some of it is biology things like our genes, brain chemistry, and hormones. Some is environment, including daylight and seasons, or social and family situations we face. And some is personality, like how we react to life events or the support systems we create for ourselves. All these things can help shape whether or not a person becomes depressed.
Genes
Research shows that depression runs in families. Some people inherit genes that contribute to depression. But not everyone who has a family member with depression will develop it too. And many people with no family history of depression still get depressed. So genes are one factor, but they aren’t the only reason for depression.
Brain Chemistry
Chemicals called neurotransmitters help send messages between nerve cells in the brain. Some neurotransmitters regulate mood. When a person is depressed, these neurotransmitters might be in low supply or not effective enough.
Genes and brain chemistry can be connected: Having the genes for depression may make a person more likely to have the neurotransmitter problem that is part of depression.
Stress, Health, and Hormones
Things like stress, using alcohol or drugs, and hormone changes also affect the brain’s delicate chemistry and mood.
Getting enough sleep and regular exercise often has a positive effect on neurotransmitter activity and mood.
Daylight and Seasons
Life Events
Family and Social Environment
Recommended Reading: Can I Go To My Primary Care Doctor For Anxiety
Different Types Of Depression
There are different types of depression, and there are some conditions where depression is a symptom. These conditions include:
- Bipolar disorder people with bipolar disorder, which is also known as “manic depression”, experience times of depression, where the symptoms are similar to clinical depression. They also go through phases when they have excessively high moods . Bouts of mania can include harmful behaviour like unsafe sex, spending sprees and gambling.
- Seasonal affective disorder is also called “winter depression”. It’s depression that is related to weather, usually winter, so it happens seasonally.
- Postnatal depression happens to some women after they’ve had a baby. It’s treated similarly to other types of depression, with antidepressant medication and talking therapy.
Learn more about how depression is diagnosed here.
Common Causes Of Anxiety & Depression
Most people with anxiety and depression cant provide an exact reason why they developed it in the first place. Aside from an individual experiencing a traumatic event, comprehending what exactly happened to cause it is often a futile endeavor.
In most instances, depression and uneasiness do not have a single cause. Medical professionals state that depression and anxiety surface from a few factors, including genes, past experiences, current circumstances, and others.
Understanding why one is suffering is not the most important thing. People with the disorders must understand that it is not their fault, as it can happen to anyone.
However, some lifestyle choices or experiences can contribute to or directly cause mental health concerns. The condition may be acute or chronic , depending on the underlying cause. Knowing this is powerful, as we can counteract some things that instigate the conditions.
Dont believe everything you hear even in your own mind. Dr. Daniel Amen
Read Also: How Can I Help Someone With Anxiety