Anxiety And Depression: What Are The Possible Links
Although clearly not identical emotional states, mental health research suggests that depression and anxiety often coexist because they can be caused by the same or similar factors. According to an article published May 2020 in the American Journal of Psychiatry, those overlapping causes can include:
- Genetic Factors Genetic factors contribute to 40 percent of the predisposition to depressive and anxious symptoms, with 60 percent being attributed to environmental, noninherited factors. “Especially with anxiety, more so than depression, there often is some family history, and so therefore we think that there may be some genetic predisposition to this,” Connolly explains.
- Environmental Factors Also referred to as social factors, these include experiences like trauma or neglect in early childhood, and current stressors such as relationship difficulties, unemployment, social isolation, and physical illness. People who have post-traumatic stress disorder , an anxiety disorder, are particularly likely to also develop depression, according to the National Institute of Mental Health .
- Pain Chronic pain, and particularly disabling pain syndromes such as fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome , low back pain, headaches, and nerve pain, are closely linked to psychological distress, including both anxiety and depression, notes Harvard Health. In fact, they say, research suggests that pain shares some biological mechanisms with anxiety and depression.
Inheritance Of Traits And Disorders
Since many behavioral traits and psychiatric disorders are heritable, it follows that the structure of these traits or disorders in populations should follow rules of genetic inheritance like other complex traits like height or weight. Twin studies continue to provide the critical observational design: any genetic condition will be more present in identical twins than nonidentical twins . Indeed, such genetic data in a large study of female twins was the first surprisingly strong evidence for genetic overlap between major depression and GAD.10
Anxiety And Depression: Which One Do I Have
People are often unclear about the differences between anxiety anddepression, and confused as to which is their primary problem. Here’s anexplanation of the differences between anxiety and depression, and somecomments on the recovery process. However, as always, if you have thetroubles described in this article, you are well advised to discussthese problems with a professional therapist.
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What Happens If I Dont Get Treatment For My Child With An Anxiety Disorder
Getting your child help for an anxiety disorder can improve their development and self-esteem. But untreated anxiety disorders can harm:
- Family relationships.
- School performance.
- Social functioning.
Your child may also end up with more serious mental and physical health problems. Fortunately, there are several treatments for anxiety disorders. The right treatment can help your child manage their symptoms and feel their best.
Prevalence Of Anxiety And Depression In Men
On average, one in 8 men will have depression and one in 5 men will experience anxiety at some stage of their lives.
Men are less likely to experience anxiety and depression than women. They are also less likely to talk about it. This increases the risk of their anxiety or depression going unrecognised and untreated.
Untreated depression is a high risk factor for suicide. In Australia, there are about 3,000 suicides each year. Around 75% of people who take their lives are men, with an average of almost 7 men taking their lives every day.
Its important to remember that anxiety and depression are conditions, not weaknesses, and effective treatments are available.
and depression not only for you, but for your friends and family. Visit Beyond Blue to find out more about anxiety.
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What Are Some Coping Methods You Recommend For Anxiety
If you have an idea of where anxiety is coming from, or have been able to identify that you have anxiety, you can get help. The first step, and the hardest, is reaching out, Lily points out.
During their first appointment, often called an intake appointment, she says a lot of people really just unload. From there, you can begin to learn skills to help manage your anxiety.
Therapy for anxiety starts with stabilization, which means the therapist will teach you coping skills, grounding skills, and mindfulness. While it may seem simple, knowing how to stabilize yourself is important for anxious people because anxiety is anticipation, so we want to be able to ground clients in the present moment.
When you learn the skills, and practice using them, they can have an impact all the way down to your nervous system. In fact, theyre an intervention for relaxing and soothing the nervous system.
Some of Lilys favorite anxiety coping methods are:
Although these are often go-tos for Lily, there are more client specific activities based on the severity of someones anxiety.
Many of these coping activities can also work for people who have anxiety and depression, which are two biggest concerns that people come in with. Lily explains that anxiety is definitely comorbid with depression which means they can occur at the same time, often because the symptoms overlap.
Lily estimates that probably well over half have both anxiety and depression.
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:
- Lack of motivation or interest in life in general
- Low energy level
- 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.
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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.
It’s Easy To Get The Care You Need
See a Premier Physician Network provider near you.
Anxiety, depression and stress just about everyone feels these emotions at some time. All are common reactions to lifes challenges, from losing a loved one to going through a divorce. On the surface they can look a lot alike, but there are distinct differences.
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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 resultof the way anxiety is interfering with their lives. It’s my experiencethat most patients who experience this will find that their depressionlifts naturally as a result of doing better with anxiety, and no specialtreatment for the depression is necessary.
There are two circumstances under which an anxiety patient mayneed specific help for depression. One is if he or she has become sodepressed in response to anxiety that they no longer have the energy andmotivation to overcome the anxiety disorder. In this case, eithermedication or cognitive behavioral methods can be used to help overcomethe depression. The second is the case of a person who experienced asevere depression before the anxiety disorder appeared, adepression which was not just a reaction to the troubles imposed by theanxiety disorder. This depression, called a primary depression, islikely to require medication treatment.
If you find yourself confused about your symptoms of anxiety anddepression, and what kind of trouble they may indicate, don’t strugglein silence with the confusion. Ask your doctor or therapist directlyabout your diagnosis.
What To Do If You Have Both Depression And Anxiety
One of the most important things to realize is that it’s genuinely possible to cure both anxiety and depression. But both disorders cause a feeling of there being no hope. It’s crucial that you realize that depression and anxiety are going to make you feel like you can’t get relief because that’s what the disorders do.
That said, there is still a long road ahead. Both of these conditions require lifestyle changes, commitment to your recovery, and smart treatment decisions. Anxiety and depression often reinforce each other, so while you’re recovering, both conditions may set you back and make it feel like the treatments aren’t working. But thousands upon thousands of studies have confirmed that treating both conditions is possible for everyone.
Anywhere from 20 to 40 million people suffer from anxiety and depression in the United States alone, and millions more have recovered. While it may often feel like you’re the only one that understands your pain and suffering, the truth is that these conditions are unfortunately very common. Yet millions have been able to recover by committing to effective, long-term treatment choices.
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Whats The Best Way To Think About Stress
Stress can actually help you focus better and can be positive. Having small amounts of stress can stimulate you to think. Being able to manage your stress is key. Frank Long 24. some stress is necessary in our lives when we want to stimulate creativity, or to promote learning. Christian J. Borg 25.
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How Is Depression Different From Anxiety
Depression is different from anxiety. Rather than feeling anxious and nervous, feelings of gloom and melancholy overwhelm. Feeling sad or down after experiencing a loss or disappointment is an emotion that everyone feels at one time or another. But when low mood and sadness is severe and lasts for long periods of time, it could be due to depression.
There are two main types of depression: Major Depressive Disorder and Persistent Depressive Disorder . While the signs and symptoms of both are similar, the intensity and duration differ. Symptoms of both Major Depressive Disorder and dysthymia include:
- Sleep disruptions
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Stress Can Ruin Your Heart
Stress can physically damage your heart muscle.
Stress damages your heart because stress hormones increase your heart rate and constrict your blood vessels. This forces your heart to work harder, and increases your blood pressure.
According to the American Institute of Stress, the incidence rate of heart attacks and sudden death increases after major stress inducing incidents, like hurricanes, earthquakes, and tsunamis.
In the ancient days of hunter-gatherers, harsh conditions forced people to eat as much as possible when food was available in order to store up for lean times.
That compulsion lives on inside us, and comes out when we are stressed.
Researchers at the University of Miami found that when people find themselves in stressful situations, they are likely to consume 40 percent more food than normal.
Those scientists recommended turning off the nightly newscast before eating dinner, to keep bad news and overeating at bay.
Does Personality Play A Role In Anxiety
There is a type of personality consistently associated with anxietythose who exhibit the trait of neuroticism. One of the so-called Big Five personality traits, it describes a broad tendency to respond to experience with negative emotions and to be roiled by them. In study after study, neuroticism predicts susceptibility to both anxiety and depression and, to a lesser degree, all other mental disorders. Scientists believe that neuroticism reflects emotional reactivity that is especially attuned to threat. Some facets of neuroticism perfectionism stands outare virtually free tickets to anxiety. Perfectionists may seem like theyre on a path to success but in fact they are driven by a desire to avoid failure as a result, much of their mental life is devoted to worrying about mistakes they could possibly make and imagining dire consequences of those mistakes..
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Tips On Eating A Healthy Well
- Make sure that the bulk of your food choices are raw, natural, or whole foodsfoods that your grandmother would recognize and even prepare.
- Plan your meals. If you dont plan ahead, chances are you will resort to the convenient option, which often means less healthy, and if you do find a healthy option, it can be quite expensive. In a pinch, if you are grabbing a meal on the fly, try to go to a supermarket where you can grab some fruits or veggies to hold you over or opt for a whole-grain salad.
The Connection Between Depression And Anxiety
Although they are distinct mental health disorders, anxiety and depression often occur together. The rate of people with both depression and anxiety is about 40 to 50 percent. When two conditions occur together, they are said to be comorbid or have a high comorbidity. This simply means having one of the disorders or conditions makes a person more likely to suffer from the other condition.
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Can Anxiety Disorders Be Prevented
You cant prevent anxiety disorders. But you can take steps to control or reduce your symptoms:
- Check out medications: Talk to a healthcare provider or pharmacist before taking over-the-counter medications or herbal remedies. Some of these contain chemicals that may make anxiety symptoms worse.
- Limit caffeine: Stop or limit how much caffeine you consume, including coffee, tea, cola and chocolate.
- Live a healthy lifestyle: Exercise regularly and eat a healthy, balanced diet.
- Seek help: Get counseling and support if you experienced a traumatic or disturbing event. Doing so can help prevent anxiety and other unpleasant feelings from disrupting your life.
Ways To Manage A Sense Of Impending Doom
Treatment for feelings of impending doom will depend on the root cause.
If the sense of impending doom stems from an anxiety condition, stress management techniques, medication, psychotherapy, or a combination thereof may help. A therapist can help you learn how to cope with these feelings when they come on.
For people experiencing a sense of impending doom due to anaphylaxis, heart attack, focal seizures, or poisoning, treatment of the underlying condition should help lessen the feeling.
Speak to your health care provider if youre experiencing feelings of impending doom. This feeling isnt something to ignore and can indicate other health conditions that need to be addressed.
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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
Anxiety: Causes And Effects
Like depression, anxiety may be caused by a whole host of different factors. There are also numerous types of anxiety, including:
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder
- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Because of the broad range of anxiety disorders, there is an even broader range of anxiety symptoms. But anxiety can best be described by three issues:
- Emotional Anxiety, of course, is a mental health disorder, and that means it affects your emotions and your thoughts. You’ll often have fears or worries, and develop a type of negative thinking .
- Physical Anxiety often comes with physical symptoms. Some of them are common, like an increased heart rate, sweating, and nausea. Others are less common, like leg pain, shoulder pain, and trouble holding your head up. It’s also possible to experience physical symptoms of anxiety when no thoughts or emotional symptoms are present.
- Behaviors Anxiety also has a tendency to affect behaviors. In some cases, these may be obvious like compulsions that you need to complete to reduce your anxiety. Others may be less obvious, like avoiding various situations because you’re afraid of the potential for anxiety.
Anxiety is one of the most diverse disorders in the mental health world, causing a host of different problems and comprising of numerous physical, emotional, and behavioral symptoms. Its broad range of symptoms is one of the reasons that anxiety may cause depression.
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