Things to Know About Depression & Anxiety – Difference

Depression Symptoms, Causes & Treatment | Depression vs. Anxiety

The new generation experiences depression and anxiety in different means. It is very common these days. It can interfere in your routine work that results in low productivity. It can also affect the relationship with your loved ones. It can also result in bad health conditions.

Depression

Depression is called a mood disorder. It can be explained as different feelings such as anger, sadness, and loss that impedes a person from different activities. The CDC has calculated that 10.2% of adults aged 20 are going through severe depression in recent years.

People are experiencing depression in dissimilar ways that result in wasting time without doing anything. Depression conflicts with the mental health of people. It also has a great influence on affairs.

Health conditions that can be affected badly due to depression are given below:

• Diabetes.
• Asthma.
• Cancer.
• Blood pressure.
• Obesity.
• Arthritis.
• Fever.

These health conditions can get worse if a person is suffering from depression. It is okay if a person is feeling down sometimes. It is completely normal and a part of life. But if a person is feeling low and helpless daily basis, this means that you are dealing with severe depression.

Depression is known as a severe medical problem that has to be treated properly. It needs a fine treatment. The ones who visit psychologists for treatment, they do see the improvement in their medical condition in several weeks.

Symptoms of Depression

Depression is a continual state of feeling hopeless or feeling sad. Depression can be of different kinds. It can change your mood. It can affect your body. These symptoms can be constant or come and go.

The intensity of symptoms can be seen differently in men, women, and children.

Symptoms seen in Men

1. The emotional condition gets worse. They may feel helpless, empty, emotionally broken, hopeless, or sad.
2. Behavior gets change. They may behave like tired. They may get suicidal thoughts. They lost their interest in anything. They don’t find anything pleasant. They may start using drugs. They start engaging in bad activities. They start drinking alcohol. They don’t want to communicate with anyone.
3. Sexual interest gets change. They don’t find pleasure in sex. They lost their interest in sex. They try to avoid it.
4. Mood gets worse easily. They feel angry all the time. They don’t want to communicate with anyone. They get irritated easily. They feel tired and restless all the time.
5. Sleep patterns get change. They can’t sleep properly. They feel like insomnia. They can’t get excessive sleep. They can’t sleep throughout the night.
6. Their physical health conditions get worse. They feel headache and pain in the body. They feel a problem in indigestion.
7. They can’t concentrate on their work. They can’t give the presentation properly. They lack cognitive abilities. They can’t complete tasks on time. They don’t give feedback properly.

Symptoms seen in Women

1. They may get irritated easily without any reason. Their mood can get worse.
2. They start feeling emotionally weak. They lack social engagements.
3. They can’t make a conversation properly and lacks communication.
4. They may feel sad all the time. They can get angry easily. They feel hopeless and helpless.
5. They can’t be able to do creative things. They can’t think creatively.
6. They find difficulty in sleeping through the night. They wake up early and start thinking. They don’t get relaxed. Some may start sleeping too much to get rid of depression.
7. They lost their activeness. They don’t get the energy to talk and work. They lose weight. Some may gain weight.
8. They feel aches and headache problems. Their cramps also increase.

Symptoms seen in Children

1. A child starts crying easily. Their mood gets changes such as sad or angry. They get irritated from the surrounding. They have a lot of mood swings.
2. They feel incomplete. They feel like hopeless. They lost their interest in things.
3. They feel trouble in concentrating on the things. They lack good performance in school. Their grade gets change.
4. They feel difficulty in sleeping throughout the night. They can’t wake up early.
5. They lost their energy and get inactive. They feel stomach issues. They lose their weight.

These symptoms in men, women, and children can be increased according to the insensitivity of medical problems.

Causes of Depression

There are a few common circumstantial and biological causes of depression that are given below:

• Family

You can get depression if it’s in your family history and you can develop easily.

• Trauma

You may get depression due to trauma in childhood. If a child sees stressful conditions in his/her early age, is one of the main causes of depression.

• Medical Issues

You may get depression due to insomnia, ADHD, poor illness, and headache pain.

• Drugs Intake

If a person is excessively using drugs, it’s one of the major causes of depression.

• Brain

You can get depression of your frontal lobe is less active.

Almost 23% of people face depression due to the mentioned causes.

Risk Factors of Depression

Some of the risk factors that can influence depression are given below:

• Low self-esteem.
• Loss of a closed loved one.
• Mentally sick.
• Use of different medications.
• Divorce.
• A self-critical person.
• Stress.
• Financial Issues.

These factors can affect the depression worse.

Test for Depression

There is no single test available in medical history that can diagnose depression. But it can be diagnosed if the doctor or psychologist identifies the symptoms.

Few questions are asked to identify the depression by psychologists.

1. They can ask about your mood.
2. They can ask about your sleeping patterns.
3. They can ask about your appetite.
4. They can ask about your thoughts.
5. They can ask about your energy level.
6. They can ask about your activities.

Depression can cause different health problems. Psychologist may ask for thyroid test. If there is a deficiency of vitamin D, It can be easily linked with depression.

You need to focus on your symptoms. If your mood is getting worse day by day, you need to ask for medical help. You need to know that you are suffering from depression.

It is a severe mental medical problem that has to be treated properly. It can get complicated f you don’t get quality treatment.

Complications in Depression

• A person can self-harm his/her self.
• A person can gain weight.
• A person can lose weight.
• A person can isolate his/her self.
• A person can get panic attacks.
• A person can get suicidal thoughts.
• A person can’t communicate easily.
• A person faces problems in relationships with family and friends.

Two Major Types of Depression

Depression can be classified into two major types on the basis of its insensitivity. Some may go through mild symptoms. Some may go through severe symptoms. There are different depressing episodes that a person can experience.

• Depression Disorder

This is the major form of depression when a person experiences severe depressive disorders. It is classified by variety of feelings such as helpless, worthlessness, hopeless, sadness and many more.

Further Symptoms that are related to depressive disorder are given below:

• Feeling of depression all the time.
• Feeling of losing interest in things.
• Feeling of inactiveness.
• Feeling like to attempt suicide.
• Feeling of indecisiveness.
• Feeling like unable to think properly.
• Difficulty in digestion of food.
• Difficulty in sleeping patterns.

There are further subtypes of depressive disorder that can be faced by specific people. These are psychotic features, atypical features, and melancholic features.

Persistent Depression

This is a mild form of depression. A person experiences chronic depressive disorder. it is also known as dysthymia.

It can affect your body and mental health conditions worse. It is constant and it stays for a long-term period. It needs to be treated quickly.

Further Symptoms that are related to persistent depressive disorder are given below:

• A person gets a feeling of low self-esteem.
• A person lacks productivity and creativity.
• A person feels down and hopeless.
• People lost interest in daily life activities.
• Depression can be treated but you have to take treatment properly.

Depression Treatment

You don’t need to live with depression. It is difficult. Treatment can help you in surviving. You can have a better life. You can seek help from psychologists. You can ask for different possible options. You can pick the best one that suits you.

Your psychologist may ask you for different medications. These includes:

• Antipsychotic medications.
• Antidepressants.
• Anti-anxiety.

Therapies for Depression

There are different therapies that you can do to treat depression.

• Light Therapy

Exposure to white light can affect your mood swings. Doses of white light can help in changing your mood in a better way. It can improve your health conditions as well.

• Psychotherapy

You can take a few sessions and can speak to a psychologist. You need to vent out negative feelings.

• Supplements

You can eat some supplements that will help you in feeling better. One thing you need to keep in mind that you have to ask it from your doctor first.

• Workout

You can do a workout for 30 minutes. It will relax your body and you will feel active.

• Self Care

You need to take care of your health. You need to take plenty of sleep. You have to eat healthy.

Depression Natural Treatment

There are some alternatives that you can use for dealing with depression.

• Eat Supplements

You can add a few supplements in your treatment but make sure that your psychologists

know about this. You can eat supplements that are given below:

• S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAMe)
• 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP)
• Omega-3 fatty acids

These will help you in easing your body. They will raise brain serotonin levels.

• Oils

Oils are used for the treatment of depression naturally. You can use the oils that are given below:

• Bergamot.
• Wild ginger.
• Chamomile.
• Rose oil.

These essential oils can reduce stress and helps you in activating your brain. They also help in reducing anxiety. They can be used for short term period only.

• Vitamins

Vitamins are used for different body functions. You can use some vitamins in depression that are:

• Vitamin D

It can be used for bone health. It is good for the heart as well.

• Vitamin B

It is important for brain health. It will help you in reducing your depression.

These vitamins can ease your body. They are very effective.

How you can Prevent Depression?

People may think that depression is something that cannot be prevented. They are wrong. You can prevent depression by doing a few things. They are given below:

• Don’t take too much stress.
• You have to maintain the medication.
• You should do proper exercise daily.
• You can communicate with your loved ones.
• Get a good amount of sleep.

Anxiety

Anxiety is also known as Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). It is a brain disorder. It can cause fear and unwanted tension. A person gets repeated thoughts in anxiety. A person also gets obsessed with someone. Anxiety can change a person’s behavior. People feel like obsessed with different things. A person finds his/her self in compulsion. The research shows that people having depression can also cause anxiety at the same time. It is an unusual behavior. This leads to withdrawing from family and friends.

Depression and Anxiety

These are two different things. A person can experience both things at the same time. The research results that almost 75% of people are facing anxiety and depression at the same time.

They both have a few symptoms that are similar to each other.

1. Less focus.
2. Inactiveness.
3. Sleeping pattern issues.
4. Irritations.
5. Concentration problem.
6. Memory issue.

Both medical problems can be treated similarly. It includes:

• Therapy sessions.
• Proper medication.
• Alcohol in Depression

The research shows that the person that is suffering from depression, drinks alcohol excessively. They start misusing alcohol. People became dependant on alcohol in depression.

Drinking alcohol excessively can increase depression. It would also result in bad health conditions.

Angle of Depression

Depression can be for a short-term period or long-term period. Medication cannot let the depression go away.

Medication can help in handling the symptoms. Therapy also helps in managing depression.

You can go for alternative treatments for dealing with depression if one doesn’t work. Different treatments can work effectively in making your condition better. Good luck!