What You Should Know About Having Anxiety and Depression
Anxiety and depression are both very common. In 2022, about 1 in 5 adults in the United States experienced symptoms of anxiety or depression. In addition, anxiety and depression often occur together. Some estimates find that over half of patients with depression also have an anxiety disorder, and about two-third of patients with an anxiety disorder experience depression. How do you know if you have anxiety or depression, and why could you have both at once? We’ll answer these questions and more!
About Anxiety Disorders
Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health conditions. There are several different types of anxiety disorders, including panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, phobias, and generalized anxiety disorder.
Anxiety disorders may include frequent experiences of both fear and anxiety. Anxiety refers to preparation for upcoming negative events, whereas fear is usually alarm in response to an imminent danger.
Panic disorder involves recurrent panic attacks. Panic attacks are episodes of anxiety that have physical symptoms including a rapid heart beat, sweating, shaking, trouble breathing, or nausea. People with panic disorder usually also worry about having panic attacks and may fear being in places where they might have a panic attack.
In the case of generalized anxiety disorder, people often have anxiety related to their daily life. People also have symptoms like restlessness, being easily worn out, trouble concentrating, tension in muscles, or sleep disturbances.
About Depression
Types of depression include major depressive disorder and premenstrual dysphoric disorder. Depression often revolves around an inability to feel pleasure, which may include a sad, irritable, or flat mood. Other common manifestations of depression are feeling guilty or worthless, or having trouble concentrating and remembering information. Many people with depression also experience physical symptoms like changes in appetite, sleep disturbances, fidgeting or having slow movements, and feeling weak and easily tired out.
The connection between anxiety and depression
In some ways, anxiety and depression are very different. Some theories note that anxiety, but not depression, includes arousal and fear. Conversely, a lack of positive emotions occurs in depression, but not anxiety. In addition, anxiety involves more of an orientation toward the future, whereas depression involves disengagement from current goals, reflecting an orientation toward the past.
However, anxiety and depression are also linked. In fact, historically, anxiety and depression were considered part of the same disorder. Now, many people have symptoms of both disorders. Sometimes one disorder might occur before the other one. More often, anxiety will come before depression. Here are a few reasons anxiety and depression often occur together:
The disorders themselves have shared mental symptoms, including negative emotions, trouble concentrating, and general distress. The physical symptoms can also be similar. For example, both disorders might involve appetite changes or sleep disturbances.
The mental states involved in anxiety and depression can feed into each other. Anxiety symptoms can cause self-criticism and repetitive negative thoughts. In turn, this can cause depression. Conversely, depression often causes self-blame, which can contribute to anxiety.
Anxiety and depression also change people’s behavior in ways that can feed on each other. People who are anxious might use strategies of avoidance to limit their exposure to perceived threats. For instance, they might avoid participating in certain activities, such as social events. In turn, this lack of engagement can lead to isolation and fewer positive experiences.
How therapy helps
Therapy can help treat both anxiety and depression. Sometimes, if one condition is much more prominent than the other, therapists can treat the more influential condition first, and in turn help the other condition.
However, generally, therapy can treat depression and anxiety at the same time. Here are a few types of therapy for anxiety and depression that providers at Dyad Psychology in Providence, Rhode Island specialize in.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) operates on the premise that people should not attempt to control painful emotions, as efforts to suppress their feelings increases distress. Therefore, in ACT, clients will learn to accept unpleasant experiences, live in the present, and act based on their values. ACT is an effective treatment for anxiety and depression. For example, ACT can help people with anxiety and depression stop struggling with unwanted thoughts and feelings.
Expressive Arts Therapy
Expressive arts therapy involves using art forms such as storytelling, painting, or dancing to help people express themselves. Studies have found that expressive arts therapy helps people manage their emotions, increase their self-confidence, and relax, all of which can help alleviate symptoms of anxiety and depression.
Group Therapy
Group therapy can also help people manage anxiety and depression. Group therapy involves confidential discussions among a small group of people, led by a trained psychotherapist. One study of mindfulness-based group therapy found it to be as effective as individual therapy in reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression.
Conclusion
We’ve covered some major symptoms of anxiety and depression, and discussed how these disorders relate. Although they have different symptoms, they can often feed into each other. Luckily, therapists like Dyad Psychology’s talented team in Providence, Rhode Island can help people dealing with anxiety and depression at the same time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I have both anxiety and depression at the same time?
Yes, it is very common for the two conditions to occur together. The symptoms of one can often feed into the other.
What are the shared symptoms of anxiety and depression?
Both disorders can involve negative emotions, difficulty concentrating, general distress, and similar physical symptoms like sleep disturbances and changes in appetite.
Can anxiety cause depression, and can depression cause anxiety?
Yes, the mental states and behavioral changes associated with anxiety and depression can influence each other. For example, avoidance behaviors caused by anxiety can lead to isolation and depression, and self-blame from depression can contribute to anxiety.