Two of the most common mental health disorders are depression and anxiety. Both of these problems can distort the mind and lead to a wide range of destructive behaviors and life problems without the help of a women’s dual diagnosis treatment program in San Diego CA. Although depressions and anxiety do overlap in some aspects, they quite different in others. Let’s take a closer look at depression vs anxiety and how they differ.
Depression
Depression is a clinical medical condition that negatively impacts many areas of your life. It can manipulate how you feel, what you believe, and how you behave. When you are severely depressed, you feel overwhelmingly sad and cannot seem to ‘snap out of it.
Depression causes you to lose interest in daily activities, relationships, or even your career. It can lead to a wide range of psychological and physical issues. At its worst, depression can paralyze mentally to the point that you do not even want to get out bed in the morning, let alone get yourself to a depression treatment program.
The symptoms of depression may include:
- Feeling sad or living under a mental cloud
- Zero interest in doing anything that you would usually enjoy
- An increase or loss of appetite
- Feeling overwhelmingly tired with zero energy
- Feeling guilty, angry, stressed out, or even suicidal
- Inability to focus or concentrate on anything
When you suffer from depression, it is difficult to get a handle on it, because it can arise as a result of a chemical imbalance, stressful situation, or a negative environment.
Anxiety
Anxiety is an intense emotion that you feel when you are worried or stressed out. While many things can trigger anxiety – a life situation, finances, bad relationship, trauma – anxiety can exist apart from these things. An anxiety attack can happen without warning and for no apparent reason.
The main difference between anxiety and depression is that anxiety normally does not linger. It typically takes on the same characteristics as an adrenaline rush. It can come and go in a flash.
Symptoms of anxiety may include:
- Feeling on edge
- Intense worry and stress
- Feeling agitated or irritable
- Fixating on a thought – usually a negative thought
- Having difficulty concentrating
- Restless sleep or inability to sleep
Anxiety can take on different forms, such as anxiety disorder, panic disorder, phobias, social disorder, or separation anxiety. Several factors play into your anxiety, such as your environment, genetics, medical conditions, brain chemistry, or life situations. An anxiety treatment program can help you control it in day to day life.
Depression vs Anxiety
Some elements distinguish anxiety vs depression. For instance, if you have depression, you are likely to function slowly with little energy. It seems to slow everything down. By contrast, if you have anxiety, everything seems to speed up. Your thoughts race, you become more agitated, and you worry about everything.
Depression can keep you focused on the present moment, but not in a good way. You have an overall view that things will stay bad. On the other hand, anxiety usually stems from worrying about things that you perceive will happen in the future.
Seeking Treatment for Depression and Anxiety
Now that you know the difference between depression vs anxiety, you can do something about it. Soledad House can help you overcome your mental disorder through our trauma-informed care program. For more information, call us today at 866.314.3222.
