What Is the Relationship Between Depression and Anxiety?

Millions of people in the United States have mental health issues. Depression and anxiety are two of the most common. However, do these disorders have a connection? Learning more about them can help you understand the importance of getting treatment.

About Anxiety and Depression

As mental health conditions, anxiety and depression do have similarities. However, they’re pretty different.

Anxiety is a natural stress response, and everybody experiences it at some point in their lives. It becomes a disorder when it affects your physical and mental well-being. People with anxiety disorders feel fear or panic in situations that wouldn’t normally cause anxiety. Some symptoms include aches and pains, muscle tension, and rapid heartbeat.

Different anxiety disorders include generalized anxiety, panic disorder, social anxiety, and phobias. These issues affect women more than men, but men can also suffer from them. Not getting treatment can cause unnecessary suffering for yourself and your family if you suffer from anxiety.

Like anxiety, depression is a common response to negative life events. Everyone feels low or sad at some point in their lives. It becomes a problem when they lose interest in normal activities and have symptoms for at least two weeks.

The main symptoms of depression include feelings of anger, despair, and hopelessness. In addition, insomnia, lack of energy, poor concentration, weight loss or gain, and suicidal thoughts are other symptoms.

The Link Between Depression and Anxiety

While a state of low energy is a trait of depression, a state of high energy is a trait of anxiety. Although these are opposite, there’s a relationship between the two. For example, people with depression tend to have anxiety disorder symptoms too. Sometimes, they have panic attacks, which can make their depression worse.

The presence of both disorders, or comorbidity, has serious consequences. It significantly impacts overall physical and mental health, preventing people from functioning as normal. It also compounds the symptoms of each condition.

According to researchers and clinicians, however, depression and anxiety may not be two different disorders. Instead, they could be two sides of the same disorder. They note that genetics are the same, neurobiology overlaps, and the biological and psychological natures are the same. In certain situations, though, some people react with anxiety, while others react with depression.

Furthermore, the same treatments work well for both mental health problems. For instance, antidepressants and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) can ease symptoms of both anxiety and depression. In addition, cognitive behavioral therapy can also address common patterns in both conditions.

Quality Mental Health Treatment

Do you need an anxiety and depression treatment program? Ocean Recovery can help you manage your conditions so you can function like normal again. We offer several programs and services to achieve that end, including:

• Dual diagnosis treatment
• Individual counseling
• Trauma therapy
• Family therapy
• Cognitive behavioral therapy

Don’t ignore your mental health any longer. Get treatment for depression and anxiety today. Reach out to us today to learn more about our programs.

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