Depression and anxiety are two separate and distinct conditions. Depression is commonly characterized by intense sadness, low energy, lack of interest in normal activities, difficulty concentrating and a host of physical conditions. Normal everyday activities can feel like a tremendous chore. It can feel as if you are trudging through thick mud just to get through the day. A hopeless and melancholy mood can hover over your day.
Anxiety, on the other hand, manifests quite differently. It can be experienced as a persistent feeling of worry, nervousness, dread, fear or panic about the future.. Gripped by paralyzing anxiety a person can also experience and array of physical symptoms such as difficulty breathing, sweating, shaking, increased heart rate, and more. Both disorders can be manifest in mild to severe forms. And both depression and anxiety can exist together. The woman who suffers both depression and anxiety faces a double burden.
Researchers and clinicians have long observed that anxiety and depression frequently exist together. If you are experiencing both you may have what is currently called mixed anxiety and depression. So many people suffer from these two conditions at the same time that leading expert Dr. R.E. Zinberg suggested that a new diagnostic category be established for this problem. But we are left to wonder why anxiety tends to lead to depression and why depression can lead to anxiety?
While depression and anxiety manifest differently, the symptoms can overlap. It has been suggested that they form a cycle. A woman who is struggles with social anxiety and has difficulty meeting people and maintaining relationships may feel the deep despair and loneliness of depression. A woman who is is suffering from postpartum depression may begin worrying excessively about her ability to relate to her new baby. Depression and anxiety have a complicated and potentially interconnected and cyclical relationship. While we don’t know how, it is believed that one condition can trigger the other.
Depression and anxiety experienced separately can be emotionally painful and challenging. When faced with both at the same time a woman can be overwhelmed. This mixed state can spiral downward and cause profound distress and devastation. Researchers suggest that both conditions are affected by genetic predisposition, biology, life events, and temperament. We need to learn a lot more about the links between anxiety and depression. But for now, we know the connection exists and relief is possible.
