Anxiety and depression: What’s the difference?

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Anxiety and depression often go hand in hand. Because of this, it is sometimes tough to know whether someone is experiencing one of these mental illnesses versus the other.

Depression can sound like being in a bottomless hole whereas anxiety can seem like a condition in which affected individuals are full of energy.

For this reason, it seems counterintuitive that someone could experience them simultaneously. And yet, it is not only possible but also common.

Anxiety is a general apprehension about what is going to happen or could possibly happen in the future. Anxiety disorders are characterized by thoughts of worry and a general belief that something will go wrong.

Depression is a feeling of sadness. Most of those who suffer from depression have a general sense of hopelessness. Depressed individuals are listless, dwell on the negative and sometimes have suicidal thoughts.

To reduce some of the confusion about the similarities and differences between depression and anxiety, here is a quick reference guide on how these illnesses manifest themselves in life.

This video is created for educational purposes and awareness around different topics. Video may or may not be able to go fully in-depth in such a limited time.

Please seek out a professional if you need help.

If you care about mental health, please read studies that drinking tea may cut depression in older people, and taking this supplement once a day may reduce anxiety.

Source: Psych2Go (Shared via CC-BY)