Anxiety v’s Depression
While in mental health circles anxiety and depression display symptoms, causes and treatments which overlap they are actually two separate conditions.
What adds to the difficulty in separating anxiety from depression and depression from anxiety is that many people with anxiety develop depression and visa versa.
With anxiety v’s depression the best way to determine which of these might apply is to be evaluated by your doctor or a mental health professional.
| Symptoms of Anxiety | Symptoms of Depression |
| – excessive worry – restlessness – being easily fatigued – trouble concentrating – irritability – sleep disturbance – muscle tension |
– depressed mood – lack of interest in enjoyable activities – increase or decrease in appetite – insomnia or hypersomnia – slowing of movement – lack of energy – feelings of guilt or worthlessness – trouble concentrating – suicidal thoughts or behaviours |
For a diagnosis of major depressive disorder, a person needs to have experienced five or more of these symptoms for at least two weeks.
People experiencing some of these symptoms might also be diagnosed with persistent depressive disorder (dysthymia), premenstrual dysphoric disorder, or a depressive disorder due to another condition.
They may also meet the criteria for bipolar disorder if they also experience symptoms of mania.
If you’ve experienced symptoms of anxiety most days for more than six months, and they cause distress in your daily life, then you may receive a diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder.
Other types of anxiety disorders include separation anxiety, panic disorder, or phobias, among others.