Similarities and Differences between Anxiety and Depression

The words depression and anxiety can have many meanings depending on the context, but in psychiatry and clinical psychology they refer to two groups of disorders, Anxiety Disorders (among which we find Generalized Anxiety, Anxiety Crises or Phobias) and Depressive Disorders (where we have Major Depression or Dysthymia, for example).

Simplifying it to the maximum, we could say that anxiety has to do with pathological fear and depression with pathological sadness.

What similarities are there between anxiety and depression?

There are a number of symptoms that are very similar in people who suffer from depression or anxiety, for example, in both cases sleep is usually altered so that they sleep less and find it difficult to fall asleep, the ability to concentrate and be attentive decreases, their appetite is affected, they feel tired and restless.

Is it possible to feel sad and down, in addition to feeling constantly anxious?

Of course, in fact, in a large number of patients with depressive symptoms, we find high levels of anxiety and anguish. Physicians call this “comorbidity”, which means something like “having two diseases at the same time”. Well, in the case of anxiety and depression it is almost the norm. In fact, the brain structures and biological mechanisms underlying both types of processes are largely common.

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What is the difference between anxiety and depression, and how are they properly diagnosed?

For there are some symptoms that point more towards one disorder than the other, especially those we call “core symptoms”. In depression these would be pathological sadness and loss of interest in the environment. Also more typical of depression are inappropriate feelings of guilt or ideas related to death and suicide.

In anxiety, pathological worry or fear, as well as hyperarousal symptoms (tremors, palpitations, feeling of suffocation, etc.) are nuclear.

What factors can influence depression and anxiety?

In both cases many different types of factors such as genetics, personality, childhood traumas, styles of education received, etc. can influence. However, probably the most important are stressful situations in the broad sense of the term, so in situations such as the current pandemic, in which we are surrounded by stressors such as bad news, loss of loved ones and social isolation, both anxiety and depressive symptoms increase.

For more information, consult a psychiatric expert.