Knowing More about Anxiety and Depression

Some people say they are feeling anxious when in fact they are already depressed.  This is because a lot of people tend to use the terms anxiety and depression interchangeably.  However, mental health care experts refer to anxiety and depression as two different types of disorders.  But, to every layman’s point of view, anxiety and depression would mean just the same. Furthermore, research reveals that there are already so many people who are suffering from both anxiety and depression at the same time. Statistics also show that majority of those cases of mood disorders show a mixture of anxiety and depression symptoms. It has been found out that almost 70% of people who have depression also manifest some symptoms of anxiety. On the other hand, almost 50% of people with chronic anxiety have been clinically proven to have the symptoms of depression.

The Adverse Effects of Anxiety and Depression

Those who have been found to suffer from both anxiety and depression are at risk of suffering from serious health problems. This coexistence of depression and anxiety also makes the condition of an individual more chronic.  Add to that its debilitating effects that make the sufferer incapable of performing well at work and in forming healthy personal relationships.  The comorbidity of anxiety and depression also increases the individual’s suicidal tendencies.

Anxiety and Depression as Two Faces of the Same Condition

During those past few years, clinical psychologists, mental health experts and researchers have finally agreed to one conclusion.  They all agreed that anxiety and depression are not two different conditions.  But, rather these two conditions are two faces of exactly the same kind of disorder. They even refer to depression and anxiety as two sides of the same coin.

The Similarities of Anxiety and Depression

This conclusion was based on the findings that anxiety and depression have the same genetics.  It was also based on the overlapping of the neurobiology of anxiety and depression.  Their conclusion was also strengthened by their findings that those people who have the biological as well as psychological vulnerabilities do react anxiously to different types of stressors.  Their research also proved that some of those people with anxiety find themselves also suffering from depression.

What Works for Depression also Works for Anxiety

Moreover, mental health care experts explained that when anxiety plagues an individual it makes him constantly anticipate for negative things to happen.  On the other hand, depression acts as a switch that turns off every individual’s hope of seeing a better future. But, studies have shown that those treatments being used for people with depression were also found to be very beneficial for anxiety sufferers.  These findings have made doctors and therapists extra careful in diagnosing people with anxiety and depression.  Researchers and mental health care experts are also continuously working towards finding the best cure for people with anxiety and depression.