Anxiety and Depression: Understanding These Common Mental Health Conditions

March 25, 2020

8 min read

Everyone feels anxious and depressed from time to time. But not everyone has anxiety or depression!

That's because anxiety and depression are considered medical conditions. If you're diagnosed with one (or both), it means you experience something more significant than the occasional everyday blues and worries.

The good news is that having anxiety or depression doesn't necessarily prevent you from living a productive and satisfying life. Both of these mental health conditions have been studied a lot, and we now know of many effective ways to treat and manage them.

In this ebook, you'll learn some basics about anxiety and depression, including what they are and how someone gets diagnosed. By understanding more about these conditions, you'll be better able to:

Recognize the warning signs and symptoms in yourself or your loved ones
Know what factors lead to or increase the risk of anxiety and depression
Understand how these conditions are managed effectively

Let's get started.

What is Anxiety?

Anxiety is like one of your body's alarm systems. The system becomes activated when your body or mind are exposed to stressful situations. Some level of anxiety can help you stay more aware and ready to respond to possible threats. But when anxiety spirals out of control, it can become harmful instead of helpful.

A person with an anxiety disorder has excessive fear or worry about a perceived, real, or future threat. Their excessive fear and worrying leads to strong emotional responses and negative behavioral consequences. For instance, they may struggle to function at work or take care of themselves.

Different types of anxiety disorders exist. These include:

Generalized anxiety disorder
Panic disorder (including panic attacks)
Phobias, including agoraphobia and other specific phobias
Social anxiety disorder

Related conditions include obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Common signs and symptoms of an anxiety disorder include:

Persistent, distressing, and extreme worry that interferes with daily life
Having an irrational fear of an object, place, person, or situation that poses little or no real threat
Avoidance of social situations, especially due to a fear of being embarrassed or judged
Recurring flashbacks and nightmares of traumatic events from the past
Feelings of irritability, restless, or hypervigiliance (being "on edge")
Trouble concentrating
Having unwanted or racing thoughts
Physical symptoms like sweating, fatigue, nausea and other digestive problems, feeling like the heart is racing or skipping a beat, trouble sleeping, headaches, dizziness, shakiness

What is Depression?

Like anxiety, depression is one of the most common mental health conditions in the world. A person with depression persistently feels sad, down, and disinterested in things they used to enjoy. Depression interferes with the way a person feels, thinks, and functions.

Different types of depression exist. These include:

Major depression or major depressive disorder (MDD), or called clinical depression
Mild or moderate recurring depression (dysthymia or persistent depressive disorder)
Seasonal affective disorder (SAD)
Postpartum depression (PPD)

Bipolar disorder features periods of depression, but the condition is also associated with periods of elevated mood and energy, or "manic" episodes. People with depression tend to feel down and stay down, and they don't experience manic episodes.

Common signs and symptoms of depression include:

Feelings of helplessness, hopelessness, worthlessness, and guilt
Feelings of irritability, angry, and agitation
Changes in weight and appetite (e.g., eating more, eating less, or losing or gaining a significant amount of weight)
Changes in sleep habits, such as sleeping too much or too little
Feelings of fatigue, sluggishness, and exhaustion
Unusually risky behaviors, such as speeding, overspending, misusing drugs and alcohol, compulsive gambling, truancy (in school-aged children), or promiscuity
Trouble concentrating, making decisions, remembering things, and focusing
Suicidal thoughts or frequent talk about death and dying (in severe cases of depression, a person may start to formulate a suicide plan or try to give their belongings away)
Physical symptoms, especially when they can't be explained by some other medical condition, such as headaches, achy muscles, stomach aches, back pain, and a feeling of "heaviness" throughout the body

Depression doesn't always present in the same way from person to person. This is especially true in people of different age groups. Here are some examples of how depression may present differently in children, teens, and older adults, according to Mayo Clinic:

Children: clinginess, unusual aches and pains, not wanting to go to school, or being underweight
Teens: feeling irritable and angry, skipping school, poor academic performance, eating or sleeping too much or too little, self-harm, reduced social interaction, increased participation in risky behaviors
Older adults: memory problems, personality changes, social isolation, physical aches and pains, sleep problems, neglect of personal appearance, non-compliance with medications

Men and women tend to experience and express depression differently, too. Men are more likely to have irritability, fatigue, loss of interest in activities, anger, aggression, and reckless behavior. Women are more likely to have excessive guilt, excessive sleeping, excessive eating, and weight gain.

Who Has Anxiety and Depression?

According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, about 18 percent of Americans (40 million people) have anxiety in any given year, and about 8 percent of kids and teens will experience an anxiety disorder before turning 21. Globally, about 1 in 13 people experience anxiety.

Depression is also highly prevalent. According to the United Nations, depression is a top cause of disability, and affects about 4 .4 percent of the global population. That's more than 300 million people!

Older adults seem to have a greater risk of depression, in part because they are more likely to have one or more chronic health conditions. Older adults are also likely to be misdiagnosed. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that up to 5 percent of community-dwelling older adults have depression. That said, depression is not considered a "normal" part of aging. So, if you or a loved one is older, or if you're a caregiver for an aging parent, it's helpful to be aware of depression signs and symptoms.

Depression is also on the rise among teens, especially among teen girls. According to the Pew Research Foundation, teenage girls are three times more likely to have depression than teenage boys.

Anxiety and depression share a lot of the same risk factors. These can include:

Genetics (having a family history of anxiety and depression)
Being lonely or socially isolated
Differences in chemicals and function in the brain and nervous system
Stressful life events or a history of traumatic experiences
Certain personality traits including pessimism and low self-esteem
Having a chronic health condition or chronic pain, such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and rheumatoid arthritis
Misusing or abusing alcohol and drugs
Being lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT), especially among young LGBT people
Certain medications, including high blood pressure medications or sleeping pills

Studies also show that having a lower socioeconomic status (as measured by education, income, and employment) may also be linked to a higher risk of depression.

Anxiety and depression often occur together. We don't fully know why, but some research indicates that 60 percent of people with anxiety also show signs of depression. Plus, having depression can make anxiety worse, and vice versa. That's why it's good to educate yourself about both, because if you've been diagnosed with one of these conditions, you're likely at an increased risk for the other.

Diagnosing Anxiety and Depression

Anxiety and depression are manageable conditions with proper treatment. And the first step in any treatment plan is getting a correct and timely diagnosis.

Only a licensed medical professional can diagnose anxiety and depression. In order to make a diagnosis, a doctor may run lab tests (like blood work) to rule out other conditions which may be causing symptoms. They may also perform a physical examination and personal and family history questionnaire.

Your doctor may also use diagnostic criteria described in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition, or DSM-5. This manual is published by the American Psychiatric Association and used to define, diagnose, and treat mental health conditions.

Living With Anxiety and Depression

No two people living with anxiety or depression are the exact same. This means treatment isn't always the exact same, either. Fortunately, there are many tools and techniques that can help you or your loved one manage your symptoms and meet your needs and goals.

Mental health professionals often recommend medications or psychotherapy for people with anxiety or depression. Lots of studies suggest that combining medication with therapy is the most effective, such as for children with severe anxiety.

Other interventions shown to benefit people living with anxiety and depression include:

A healthy diet, especially one that's rich in real food like whole grains, fish, olive oil, and fruits and vegetables. This makes sense, because the brain needs certain vitamins and minerals to function. Depletions in certain nutrients like vitamin D are also linked with depression. On the other hand, research shows that poor diets containing lots of processed food and alcohol increases the risk of depression.
Exercise: we don't know exactly how much or what type of exercise is best for managing depression and anxiety. But most health experts agree that some exercise is better than none when it comes to improving your mental health. Some studies even show that exercise can be as effective as medication. According to the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, most adults should get 30 minutes of moderately intense aerobic exercise every day, plus resistance training once or twice per week. Just don't make any changes to your medication or physical activity routine before talking to your doctor.
Meditation and mindfulness practices. Scientific research shows meditation and mindfulness exercises may provide natural relief from anxiety and depression, reduce stress, and improve a person's quality of life.

Did you know many people with anxiety and depression don't seek treatment? Some of this is because of stigma associated with mental health conditions. Under-treatment may also be caused by barriers to access, like high cost. This is unfortunate, because we know that untreated anxiety and depression can increase your risk for a variety of consequences, including substance abuse, disability, chronic health conditions, and suicide.

Untreated anxiety and depression may also increase caregiver burden. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, around 8.4 million people in the U.S. are caregivers for adults with mental health issues. On average, these caregivers provide about 32 hours per week of unpaid care.

Additionally, research indicates that a lack of healthy social relationships is correlated with an increased risk of mental health conditions like depression. With all this in mind, it's clear that both people with mental health conditions and their loved ones deserve support and resources to help them manage their emotional and physical well-being.

Conclusion

Anxiety and depression are potentially serious conditions—but with the right treatment, they don't have to stop you or your loved one from enjoying daily life.

To get more information, more support, and more opportunities to share your experiences, visit Healthread.com today.