One out of three Australians experiences stress and anxiety throughout their life time. If you are looking for someone to guide you through and ready to take some steps forward, then HealthMint doctor is here to lend a helping hand and a non-judgmental ear.
Table of Contents
What Are Anxiety And Depression?
Anxiety and depression are two separate conditions. People have issues in trying to tell the difference between anxiety and depression but they share a lot in common.
- Anxiety – is a feeling of nervousness, unease or worry about something with an uncertain outcome. It’s not just the feeling of being stressed or worried but it’s the feelings that don’t go away. Without any reason or cause, it just happens at a time that you wouldn’t expect to feel anxious.
- Depression – is a mood disorder affecting how you behave and think. Without any reason, you can feel persistently sad and low for a long period of time and lose interest in things when having a depression.
Commonalities Between Anxiety And Depression
Both anxiety and depression cause changes in neurotransmitter function especially serotonin and that’s one of the reasons that the two have a great deal in common because low in serotonin levels play a role in both of them. Dopamine and epinephrine play a role in both as well. Anxiety eventually causing depression. When left unchecked it’s possible that the depression becomes more severe especially when poor coping combined with intense anxiety symptoms can commonly lead to a feeling of hopelessness that creates depressive symptoms. Because of the neurotransmitters involved, it is also important to note that both anxiety and depression can feel natural and often do not receive adequate treatment.
Symptoms Of Anxiety And Depression
These are signs that a person may suffer from both anxiety disorder and depression:
- Constant irrational, fear and worry
- Insomnia
- Changes in eating, either too much or too little
- Physical symptoms like rapid heartbeat, fatigue, sweating, difficulty in breathing, headaches, hot flashes, and abdominal pain
- Constant feelings of sadness or worthlessness
- Difficulty with concentration, decision making, and memory
- Panic attacks
- Inability to relax
- Feeling tired and cranky
- Loss of interest in hobbies and activities
Warning Signs You Shouldn’t Ignore
Loved ones of those struggling with anxiety and depression should be on the lookout for these warning signs of a mental health crisis:
- Sudden and extreme changes in mood
- Appearing confused or having hallucinations
- Becoming violent, aggressive or threatening
- Poor daily self-care, such as refusing to perform personal hygiene habits, get out of bed or eat
- Talking about suicide or about not having a reason to live
- Abusing substances
- Sudden and extreme changes in mood
Treatment for anxiety disorders and depression needs to be administered and managed by a psychiatrist. Bipolar disorder is a condition in which emotions can swing from very low to very high levels of mania and depression and is treated much differently than anxiety disorder with depression. No one has to suffer from an anxiety disorder or depression, and certainly not both.
