How Anxiety & Depression are Related
Two emotions that are commonly used a lot in casual conversation are “anxious” and “depressed.” It’s not uncommon that someone diagnosed with depression could later or concurrently be diagnosed with anxiety and vice versa.
These two emotions can go hand-in-hand, and their clinical conditions can be complex or have a ripple effect.
For example, someone with anxiety may tend to self-isolate or avoid others. Once this occurs, it’s not uncommon to have depressive thoughts. It can also occur the other way around, where someone feeling down or depressed tries to reengage with those around them, leading to feeling nervous or anxious in social settings.
Although anxiety and depression are two separate disorders with separate symptoms and causes, they can occur together. Throughout this article, we will discuss how anxiety and depression are related.
The Connection Between Anxiety and Depression
Depression and anxiety share the same biological base. Those who suffer from clinical anxiety or mood disorders typically have changes in their neurotransmitter function. This means they have low serotonin levels.
According to studies, those who suffer from a generalized anxiety disorder may also experience a major depressive disorder at some point. This can occur in up to 61% of people, proving that the connection between depression and anxiety is strong.
In many cases, those who are first diagnosed with depression are often also diagnosed with anxiety since they share similar symptoms, including difficulty concentrating, trouble sleeping, and irritability.
Psychological Similarities and Differences
Depression and anxiety have distinct psychological features; however, their symptoms are different.
For example, someone with anxiety will struggle with worrying about their future, whether that’s long-term or short-term. They tend to avoid situations that trigger their anxiety. Some ruminate about death, fear, and danger. They can also have racing and uncontrollable thoughts about something going wrong, even if there’s no evidence that this could occurred.
Someone with depression may feel worthless if they’re not doing enough or what they’re doing is not valuable. They can feel hopeless, as if nothing positive will happen for them, and they’re doomed. Building off that, they can believe it’s not worth trying to do better or succeed because they’ll fail no matter what. They can also ruminate about death, but their perception is more that life is not worth living or something will go wrong.
Physical Signs of Anxiety and Depression
Both anxiety and depression can exhibit similar physical signs and characteristics, including:
Difficulty concentrating
Feeling overly tired. For someone with anxiety, that’s due to having trouble falling or staying asleep. For someone with depression, this can be due to a lack of energy.
Muscle tension and physical pain
Changes in weight, either weight loss or weight gain
Noticeable changes to their daily behavior, including missing events, poor school or work performance
How to Manage Anxiety and Depression
The good news is that there are ways to deal with anxiety and depression. Some of those things include:
Staying in touch with family and friends. They can help you with encouragement and support. Spending time with others that you know and trust can help you feel less anxious and alone.
Make lifestyle changes such as eating, a well-balanced and healthy diet. Focus on getting seven hours of sleep at night. Limiting your caffeine and alcohol intake
Exercising can also have many benefits for your mental health. This doesn’t need to be going from doing nothing to exercising daily. This can be small changes, such as going for walks, taking the stairs instead of an elevator, trying yoga, or another activity you enjoy.
If you or someone you know is struggling, help is available. Talking to a therapist can help you work through anxiety or depression. Reach out today to schedule your first appointment for anxiety or depression therapy.
