Anxiety And Depression

Are Anxiety and Depression Connected?

Although often confused Anxiety and Depression are completely different and separate conditions. Anxiety disorders arelearnt behaviour. We often, through our own personal experiences, have programmed ourselves to behave in a certain way or to react in a certain way to stress. Depression on the other hand is a physiological condition where there is a chemical imbalance in the brain that causes us to think and behave differently. Where anxiety can respond well to treatments such as CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy), depression can only really be treated with anti-depressant drugs to help the body to recover the correct chemical balance in the brain.
Even medical professionslathe professionals can make mistakes and anxiety and depression are often mis-diagnosed. If you are suffering from depression it is very easy to blame anxiety for your symptoms, especially if they are going through difficult times and have a lot to worry about. For Example Post Traumatic Stress disorder , a type of anxiety can often be thought to be simply being depression following a trauma or sad event such as a bereavement.
Research has shown that there are a huge number of of links between different types of anxiety disorders and depression. Anything up to half of people who experience depression can then develop some kind of anxiety disorder in their lifetime and not always at the same time as the depressive episode. These can vary from ptsd, social anxiety, OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder as well as panic attacks and phobias. So it appears that there is definietlya link between anxiety and depression.
Some people who experience depression can end up having an anxiety disorder at the same time. The problem with this is that symptoms of both conditions can be made worse if they happen simultaneously. Someone who is suffering from depression and an anxiety disorder at the same time is at an increased risk of self harm or suicide.It is vital that the correct diagnosis is arrived at quickly which is why yu should pay a visit to a medical professional for a professional diagnosis if you are suffering from either depression or an anxiety disorder.
If you are suffering from anxiety or an anxiety disorder it will usually respond quickly to treatment once you have found theright treatment program. Depression, on the other hand can often take much longer to cure and you may well end up on anti-depressants for a number of months whilst the chemical balance in the brain readjusts. If someone is suffering from both Anxiety And Depression it is important to deal with the depression first to ensure that the anxiety is not just a symptom of the depression. A lot of the time where someone is suffering from depression and anxiety, the symptoms of the anxiety disorder will stop once the depression has been treated or may be greatly reduced making treatment of the underlying anxiety disorder a lot easier.

If you would like to know more aboutanxiety and depression visit www.selfhelpanxietycures.com

Asperger's: Struggling with Anxiety and Depression

Next page: Anxiety Effects

Bookmark/Share This Page:

Anxiety And Depression News