Differences between anxiety and depression
Anxiety vs Depression:
The difference between anxiety and depression are sometimes regarded as closely knit and hardly definable, but there are many differences between these two conditions which makes it easier for them to be told apart. While both these conditions are neurological and emotional, anxiety is considered as a normal, rather ordinary human emotion whereas depression is a medical condition which deserves immediate medical attention.
Both anxiety and depression can be triggered off by the memory of an unpleasant or a shocking event that once took place in our lives. Whereas anxiety is short lived, depression is considered as a more serious and long lasting condition. It is also possible that anxiety and depression can co-exist in an individual.
Anxiety
Anxiety can be generally defined as a feeling of discomfort prior to doing something. It is situational and is often based on a previous experience of the individual which he or she has deemed as being unpleasant or dangerous. It is often manifested in the form of severe nervousness, the anticipation of a negative outcome of a situation. A person suffering from anxiety may avoid a situation which makes him or her feel uneasy to the point that it makes even simple activities in his or her day to day life rendered unachievable.
Depression
Depression can be better defined as a deep sense of sadness or a profound sensation of the futility of life which often leads to suicide. Therefore, depression, unlike anxiety can be fatal as well as deeply and emotionally painful. For example, a prominent figure in the society losing his position and therefore, losing all that he held dear and valuable to him shall render him in to a deep state of depression as he experiences a profound sense of bereavement at the losing of all that he cherished in his life. Whereas a man being uneasy for weeks before a public speech which he knows will determine his whole career can be better classed as anxiety, even though one may confuse these signs of anxiety with symptoms of depression as well.
What are the differences between anxiety and depression?
One way of distinguishing anxiety from depression is from their symptoms. One main point is that an anxiety patient suffers often from a sense of fear or sense of dread as if something bad is going to happen. Whereas a person suffering from depression will suffer from lethargy, loss of will to live, feelings of worthlessness and a deep, profound sense of sadness. Also, a man suffering from anxiety may experience chest pain and tightness as opposed to problems of concentration experienced by a depressed person. Also dizziness, cold shills or hot flashes, headaches, nausea, diarrhea, fear of dying, frequent urination, panic attacks and feelings of unreality which occur in anxiety patients are often replaced by feelings of guilt and worthless, fatigue or decreased energy, insomnia, irritability, low sex drive, hypersomnia, trouble making decisions, apathy, food disorders and thoughts of suicide in a depressed individual.
Anxiety is furthermore defined by a degree of frustration and impatience whereas a depressed individual constantly suffers from s sense of detachment and a deep sense of sorrow. Depression creates a kind of sadness that is extremely painful to the individual to which he or she might react from harming themselves or even committing suicide. Yet however serious the condition of the individual is, both depression and anxiety remain treatable and both are indeed curable with the proper medication and the due amount of care and attention bestowed upon these individuals.
Summary
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