Differences Between Anxiety And Depression
Anxiety and depression are in different classes of mental health disorders. Depression is a mood disorder while anxiety is its own class of conditions. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition distinguishes anxiety and depression by listing each as a separate classification of mental conditions. There are many types of anxiety disorders, such as generalized anxiety, social anxiety and specific phobia. There are also different types of depression-related conditions, including major depressive disorder, seasonal depression and bipolar disorder.
Another difference between anxiety and depression is their definitions. Depression is a mood disorder characterized by despondency and overwhelming sadness. Anxiety is an overwhelming worry or stress related to the perceived inevitability that an adverse event or outcome will occur. Additional differences between depression and anxiety include the symptoms of the disorders and the drugs used for their treatment.
What Is Stress Vs Anxiety
Stress has many different synonyms like stressors, strains, stressfulness, stress-inducing situations, stressors. It is created when our bodies react to stressors in our environment. Stress is also known as the bodys fight or flight response. When an organism is confronted with stressors, they go into a stress mode where they are ready to either fight the stressor off or run away from it.
Anxiety stress is different from stress in that stress can be caused by stressors that are controllable. There are also stressors that are uncontrollable, which can include an illness or death. Anxiety stress happens when someone worries about something uncontrollable. Stress happens when our bodies react to stressors in their environment. Stress is known as the bodys fight or flight response. Anxiety stress is different from stress in women where stress can be caused by stressors that are controllable.
An example of stress is that stress can be caused by stressors that are controllable, like taking a test or meeting new people. There are also stressors that are uncontrollable, which can include an illness or death.
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Symptoms Of Anxiety And Depression
According to the current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders , the standard classification of mental disorders used by mental health professionals in the United States, anxiety and depression can share several common symptoms, including, but not limited to:
- Being easily fatigued
- Sleep disturbance
Other signs that a person may suffer from both anxiety disorder and depression include:
- Constant, irrational fear and worry
- Physical symptoms like rapid heartbeat, headaches, hot flashes, sweating, abdominal pain, and/or difficulty breathing
- Changes in eating, either too much or too little
- Persistent feelings of sadness or worthlessness
- Loss of interest in hobbies and activities
- Inability to relax
- Panic attacks
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The Difference Between Paranoia And Anxiety
Oftentimes, confusion occurs when trying to discern anxiety from paranoia. The symptoms of anxiety and paranoia may appear similar.
However, paranoia is the irrational or persistent belief that others are out to get you. People with paranoia believe that other people are targeting them.
Severe anxiety and paranoia can lead to one or the other, as they are both associated with feeling stressed and overwhelmed. A key distinction is that those who suffer from paranoia hone in on a single external source for their anxiety. Neighbors, police officers, or even the government are valid targets.
People with anxiety still worry, but their stress is more general. Not all people with anxiety believe that someone is going to attack them. People with anxiety often get overwhelmed by the possible things that could go wrong.
This lack of specific dangers is an important distinction. People with anxiety are also more likely to see potential dangers and things that could go wrong.
They focus on the group at large, whereas people with paranoia only focus on themselves. An important marker of anxiety is mistrusting yourself.
Triple-checking that if you locked the door, and stressing if you forget, is an example of anxiety. Worrying that someone is waiting for you to forget to check so that they can attack you is a sign of paranoia.
These differences between paranoia and anxiety may not be that noticeable to the untrained eye, but they do exist.
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Depression Vs Anxiety: Do You Have One Or Both
While the two terms are often utilized interchangeably, anxiety and depression are distinctly different. However, you can have both at the same time. When acute, they may pass once circumstances improve. If chronic, they both can be classified as a mood disorder. Whether acute or chronic, there is hope. Heres a closer look at depression vs anxiety.
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What Are Depression And Anxiety
Depression and anxiety are the two most common mental health disorders affecting Americans each year. Research by the Anxiety and Depression Association of America indicates that around 16 million Americans are suffering from depression, and around 40 million Americans have an anxiety disorder. Despite the fact that anxiety and depression often co-occur, they are indeed separate conditions.
Because depression and anxiety can share many of the same symptoms, it can sometimes be difficult to differentiate between the two. Additionally, many people assign incorrect symptoms to either depression or anxiety. Finding the correct treatment for depression or anxiety greatly depends on understanding the differences between the two disorders and the distinguishing characteristics of each.
Depression and anxiety may share an underlying biological basis. Both depression and persistent feelings of anxiety, the symptoms most commonly found in both depressive and anxiety disorders, are marked by changes in neurotransmitter function. The other neurotransmitters include serotonin, dopamine, or nor-epinephrine, may also play a role.
While there are biological similarities in how these mental health disorders spring up, depression and anxiety feel very different to people affected. From a certain point of view, depression and anxiety may actually be considered opposites or flipsides of each other.
How Are Anxiety And Depression Different How Are The Two Mental Conditions The Same Understand How To Tell Them Apart And Why Many People Associate The Two Together
Anxiety and depression are two of the most common mental health disorders. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, approximately 40 million American adults have at least one type of anxiety disorder. Around 16 million American adults have major depressive disorder. While those two types of disorders are prevalent and frequently co-occur, they are different conditions.
Determining if someone has anxiety versus depression can be difficult because the two share many symptoms. Distinguishing between depression versus anxiety can be challenging and many assign incorrect symptoms to each. There are distinguishable characteristics for each, and understanding the differences is essential to understanding the disorders.
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Why Are Anxiety And Depression Often Co
Its a cycle, says Sally R. Connolly, LCSW and therapist. When you get anxious, you tend to have this pervasive thinking about some worry or some problem. You feel bad about it. Then you feel like youve failed. You move to depression.
These two disorders anxiety and depression have a complicated relationship:
- 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.
- People with post-traumatic stress disorder are especially prone to developing depression.
- A biological predisposition for both of these conditions if often at the root of an individuals battle. This seems to be true with anxiety disorders even more than with depression. Connolly explains, Some people are just worriers and pass it down.
People with an anxiety disorder should speak with a psychiatrist, therapist or other healthcare professional about their symptoms. Treatment for an anxiety disorder should not be delayed. If not caught in time, depression may find the door wide open for moving in and setting up house in those individuals.2
Why People Get Confusedabout Anxiety And Depression
People get confused about the distinction between anxiety and depression for several reasons. The first is that, if they are receiving medication for an anxiety disorder, they’re probably getting an anti-depressant medication. A group of anti-depressant medications known as the Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors have been demonstrated to be helpful with both anxiety and depression, and are now the preferred medication treatment for people who receive medication for anxiety disorders. Sometimes people with anxiety disorders receive these medications, find out they’re taking an anti-depressant, and then wonder if that means they’re depressed. It doesn’t, not by itself.
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How Effective Are Treatments For Anxiety
Studies have shown that psychotherapy and medications are more effective at treating anxiety compared to control groups. Frontiers in Psychiatry has even called cognitive behavioral therapy the current gold standard of psychotherapy because of how effective it is.
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Anxiety And Depression: Which One Do I Have
People are often unclear about the differences between anxiety and depression, and confused as to which is their primary problem. Here’s an explanation of the differences between anxiety and depression, and some comments on the recovery process. However, as always, if you have the troubles described in this article, you are well advised to discuss these problems with a professional therapist.
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What Is Psychological Treatment About Then
Our brains naturally try to create meaning or patterns from our experience. Ambiguity and uncertainty arise from the brain/minds desire to understand and it is the tolerance or lack of tolerance for these uncertainties that can partly explain anxiety or depressive reaction. Our perspective on life which is called our attributional style can affect how we deal with events and experiences. So negative attributional styles include seeing events as global or stable or internal or external . All of these things then predict progress in treatment, recovery and proneness to relapse in mental health.
One of the first goals of treatment is to help the client shift to a position of contemplating change and therefore to be experiencing an unstable attributional style that is to create a sense of realistic hopefulness
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.
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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!
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What Is The Difference Between Anxiety And Depression
Part of the reason why anxiety vs depression can be difficult for many people to identify is that there are overlapping symptoms in the two conditions. Also, keep in mind that many people diagnosed with major depressive disorder may also have an anxiety disorder. In fact, nearly half of all people diagnosed with depression are also diagnosed with an anxiety disorder.
So, what is the difference between anxiety and depression?
While there are many common symptoms between anxiety and depression such as fatigue, changes in appetite, and difficulty concentrating there are also some blatant differences. For example, excessive worry is more common with anxiety, whereas thoughts of suicide are more prevalent with depression.
Anxiety and depression also fall into different classifications of disorders. Anxiety is its own class, and depression is a separate mood disorder. Finally, another difference between the two conditions is that theyre sometimes treated with different medications.
To best understand the differences listed above, its important to review these disorders in-depth.
How Are They Related
Both depression and anxiety are very common and often happen together. About 60% of people with anxiety also have symptoms of depression, and vice versa. Each condition can make symptoms of the other get worse or last longer.
The same genes may be behind both conditions. Anxiety and depression could also stem from the same structures or processes in the brain. Stress and trauma early in life can trigger both depression and anxiety.
If you have anxiety, you may be at greater risk for depression. Experts say avoiding the things you fear might lead to depression.
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How To Cope With Anxiety And Depression
Anxiety and depression often go hand in hand. Heres what you need to know if they strike simultaneously.
Do you sometimes worry so much that it interferes with your everyday activities? Or feel so blue that it completely clouds your outlook? Do you often experience these or similar feelings together? Youre not the only one.
According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America , anxiety disorders which include generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and social anxiety disorder are the most common mental health problem among U.S. adults, affecting 18.1 percent of the population each year. And mood disorders which include major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, and seasonal affective disorder are the leading cause of disability.
Moreover, the incidence of developing depression in addition to an anxiety disorder or vice versa is high. Many people with major depression also suffer from severe and persistent anxiety, notes Sally R. Connolly, LCSW, in Louisville, Kentucky. And some experts estimate that 60 percent of people with anxiety will also have symptoms of depression, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness .
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Risk Factors For Depression
Depression can affect anyoneeven a person who appears to live in relatively ideal circumstances.
Several factors can play a role in depression:
- Biochemistry: Differences in certain chemicals in the brain may contribute to symptoms of depression.
- Genetics: Depression can run in families. For example, if one identical twin has depression, the other has a 70 percent chance of having the illness sometime in life.
- Personality: People with low self-esteem, who are easily overwhelmed by stress, or who are generally pessimistic appear to be more likely to experience depression.
- Environmental factors: Continuous exposure to violence, neglect, abuse or poverty may make some people more vulnerable to depression.
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How To Know If You Have Anxiety Or Depression
Despite being different conditions, its so common for anxiety and depression to occur simultaneously. Therefore, knowing which you have can be tricky. The answer may be both.
Its normal to experience symptoms of anxiety during stressful times, like if youre moving or about to give a big presentation. But if youre noticing youre feeling anxious for a more prolonged period of time, it might be helpful to consult with a trained mental health professional for an assessment. From there, you can ask for treatment options and recommendations. Theres lots of support out there for you, and you deserve it, Kate Rosenblatt, MA, LPC, LMHC said.
Diagnosis of either anxiety or depression requires a persistent time period of experienced symptoms and an appointment from a licensed therapist. Anxiety symptoms will likely be present for several months, and depressive symptoms generally must exist for at least several weeks. Additionally, symptoms must cause impairment. That is, they need to be interfering with your daily life and your ability to function.
Wondering if you have anxiety? Take our free anxiety test. If youre wondering if its depression, you can also take our depression test.
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.
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What Are The Treatments For Anxiety And Depression
While anxiety and depression feel different, theyre both treated through the same methods.
Anxiety and depression can be helped through psychological therapies, including counselling sessions and cognitive behavioural therapy .
We offer both of these therapies through our private counselling, so if you would like help overcoming your anxiety or depression, contact us today to book your first appointment. We are able to offer support to individuals throughout the UK via telephone and video call appointments.
Not sure whether youre going through anxiety or depression? Your first appointment with us will be a consultation in which well get to know you and find out about your situation so we can offer you the right counselling to help you overcome your issues. Well make sure that you have your initial consultation within a week of ringing us, and it will cost £25 for your initial consultation and then £40 per session thereafter.