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The relationship between these emotions and their associated clinical conditions, anxiety disorders, and mood disorders is complex and somewhat specific.
For a person, anxiety leads to avoidance and isolation, which leads to a lack of opportunities for pleasant experiences, which in turn leads to low mood. For others, emotions may flow in the opposite direction. Low mood can deprive someone of the energy to do things they normally enjoy, and trying to get back in touch with the world after stopping practice can lead to tension.
Understanding the difference between these two emotions and describing the severity of the problem can help you determine how to feel better. Below, Professor Rong Xinqi, a new concept psychology expert, will talk to you about the "connection, difference and treatment between anxiety and depression".
Association of anxiety and depression
Anxiety and depression share a common biological basis.
The constant state of anxiety or depression experienced by patients with clinical anxiety and mood disorders, which involves changes in neurotransmitter function — low serotonin levels, is thought to work with other brain chemicals such as dopamine and epinephrine.
While the biological basis for these problems is similar, the experiences of anxiety and depression are different, as if they were two sides of the same coin.
Anxiety and depression can occur sequentially (one with another) or at the same time. When anxiety and depression reach the threshold of clinical diagnosis at the same time, a specific diagnosis is considered comorbid.
Psychological differences between anxiety and depression
Anxiety and depression have distinct psychological characteristics, and their psychological markers (i.e., symptoms or manifestations) are different.
Psychological markers of anxiety
People with anxiety disorders may:
Worry about what has not happened in the near or long term;
Uncontrollable, worrying thoughts about things that could go wrong;
Avoid situations that can lead to anxiety so that feelings and thoughts don't become consuming;
Fear of death due to dangerous physical symptoms or expected dangerous outcomes, etc.
Depending on the nature of the anxiety, these psychological markers may vary. For example, people with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) may be worried about a variety of topics, events, or activities; on the other hand, people with social anxiety disorder (SAD) are more likely to be afraid of negative reviews or rejections from others and worry about meeting new people or other socially challenging situations.
In short, people with anxiety disorders are mentally preoccupied with a degree that is disproportionate to the actual risk or reality.
Psychological marker of depression
People with depression may:
Despair, assuming that nothing positive will happen to oneself, others, or the world in the future;
Believing that it is not worth trying to think or feel in a different way because of this despair;
Feel worthless as if who they are or what they do is worthless;
You may insist that life is not worth living, or feel that you are someone else's burden, and in the case of moderate to severe depression, more specific suicidal thoughts may appear.
In major depressive disorder (MDD), thoughts similar to these persist for most of the day, and last for weeks more than not.
If a person is torn between a very low and very high emotional state, a diagnosis of bipolar disorder may be applicable. For any variant of mood disorders, low emotional states are likely to be characterized by the above types of thinking.
Physiological differences between anxiety and depression
Physical symptoms of anxiety or depression can be exhausting for the afflicted person.
Signs of anxiety
The physical state of anxiety, in general, can be conceptualized as a state of "high awakening". Specific features include:
Difficulty concentrating due to agitation or rushing thoughts;
Difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep due to rapid thinking or other physical symptoms;
Dizziness;
gastrointestinal discomfort (eg, nausea, diarrhea or constipation);
increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, sweating;
Muscle tension;
Shortness of breath, etc.
Signs of depression
The main features of depression are changes in usual physical processes compared to baseline, such as:
Difficulty concentrating, attention, and memory due to ruminant thought processes or other physical symptoms;
Energy shortage, no motivation, looks "sick";
Loss of appetite or significant increase in appetite;
Move or speak slower than usual;
Unprovoked physical discomfort;
Due to ruminant thought processes or low energy, sleep is much or much less than normal, etc.
Severity of symptoms
It's not uncommon to experience brief periods of emotional depression or anxiety, especially when dealing with certain life stressors (e.g., losing a loved one, being diagnosed with a physical illness, starting a new job or school, experiencing financial problems or other emergencies, etc.).
However, in order to meet the diagnostic criteria for an anxiety disorder, symptoms must persist (usually last for months) and cause damage.
Mood disorders are diagnosed when the associated symptoms often occur for at least a few weeks.
How do I assess the severity of my symptoms? Refer to the following recommendations:
Ask yourself some key questions: To what extent do these symptoms affect your daily functioning? You can also ask trusted friends and family if they noticed a change in your behavior and yours? If so, what are these changes?
Read about typical manifestations of mild, moderate, and major depression or anxiety disorders.
Track your mental and physical symptoms for a week or two to get an accurate performance of mood and anxiety fluctuations.
Treatment of anxiety and depression
Even if you think your anxiety or emotional problems are "not worth mentioning" to you, you still need to be extremely careful. Consider how much it interferes with your life, and how you can determine which intervention might help.
1. Self-help method
If your symptoms are mild, slightly ups and downs, or if you have previously received regular treatment and are concerned about relapse, then self-help intervention may be a good option.
These methods can include self-help books and mobile apps that adapt to evidence-based psychotherapy or provide a symptom-specific approach to skill practice (such as mindfulness meditation for anger or anxiety).
If your symptoms persist and are affecting your relationships and ability to perform various duties, or if others are visibly noticed, then you need to consider a more formal approach to treatment.
2. Psychotherapy
For depression or anxiety problems, there are several types of talk therapy.
For anxiety, the goal is to minimize avoidance behavior and help you identify the terrible consequences; for depression, the goal is to help you experience positive emotions, surges in energy (even if they are short-lived), or another pleasant interaction with the world. The theory is that activating behavior produces some sort of positive reward even when your energy or mood is low— especially when you're depressed.
In psychodynamic talk therapy, treatments for anxiety and depression may look more like than different. You will be asked to talk freely about the past and present to understand the unconscious thoughts, conflicts, or psychological traumas behind your symptoms.
3. Medication
Drugs for selective-reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) have been shown to help with both anxiety and depression.
Depending on your symptoms, other medications you may use include tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), and anxiolytics.
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