Anxious and depressed have been common adjectives many use to describe themselves when they’re not feeling their best. It’s normal sometimes to feel nervous, sad and hopeless. However, going through them for an extended period is a cause for concern. Identifying the signs of anxiety versus depression matters to label your emotions appropriately and take steps to improve your mental health sooner rather than later.

Symptoms of Anxiety Versus Depression

Anxiety and depression are dissimilar, although some of their symptoms overlap. Plus, you can have both simultaneously, so knowing which one you may have can be challenging.

These mental health conditions can interfere with your daily activities and may last indefinitely. Restlessness and agitation characterize them. They may also affect your appetite, sleep, digestion and concentration. That’s why many individuals living with anxiety or depression may see their physical fitness and cognitive performance decline. The similarities end here.

Anxiety and depression are groups of mood disorders. Each has multiple types, and each type has distinct symptoms. Nevertheless, some indicators may suggest you have anxiety, depression or both.

Anxiety may cause you to worry persistently, severely and disproportionately about the thing bothering you. You may overthink, imagine worst-case scenarios and obsess over situations and outcomes. Think of analysis paralysis, except fear fuels indecisiveness instead of information overload.

A prolonged state of anxiety can result in heart palpitations, chest tightness, shortness of breath, muscle tension and exhaustion. It may also trigger your fight-or-flight response, putting you on high alert.

People suffering from anxiety often get overwhelmed by their troubles. They may feel out of control, on edge or cranky.

If anxiety is energetic, depression is lethargic. Depression may make you lose interest in the things you enjoy. It may make you gloomy and struggle to finish small tasks without exerting more effort.

Depression may feel deep sadness, hopelessness, helplessness or guilt. This condition may also lower your self-esteem or reinforce feelings of worthlessness. These symptoms compel depressed individuals to think of dark thoughts such as self-harm and suicide.

To be clear, you may notice these signs without actually being depressed. Some depression symptoms may manifest due to an underlying medical condition — like a thyroid problem.

Anxiety and Depression Types

Anxiety and depression are spectrums. Understanding each of their types helps put things into perspective.

Types of Anxiety

Normal anxiety differs from anxiety disorders. That’s why feeling anxious and having anxiety are unique experiences.

Normal anxiety is a short-term state of distress caused by a specific stressor — an ordinary response to something inducing emotional difficulty. You should get over it quickly, especially when the source of stress is gone.

Anxiety disorders are different. They’re mental illnesses characterized by extreme worrying or fear of something. Compared to signs of normal anxiety, the symptoms of anxiety disorders versus depression are closer. The most common anxiety disorders are as follows:

• Generalized anxiety disorder: This type of anxiety can cause you to excessively worry about your family, income and other regular aspects of your life, which may last for months or years.
• Social anxiety disorder: This condition can cause you to fear one or multiple kinds of social situations too much. You may feel self-conscious and afraid of getting judged or doing anything embarrassing.
• Panic disorder: This mental health problem can trigger panic attacks without warning when there’s no apparent danger.
• Phobia-related disorders: A phobia is a persistent, uncontrollable and irrational fear of something. Some are benign, while others have severe consequences. For example, needle phobia — from which up to 66 million Americans may be suffering — may cause people to skip lifesaving vaccines and other medical treatments.
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder: This condition can cause you to have an anxiety-inducing intrusive thought or urge called obsession. It also compels you to develop a repetitive behavior — called compulsion — you should do to ease your unpleasant feelings temporarily.
• Posttraumatic stress disorder: This mental health problem can trigger intense anxiety when something jogs your memory and reminds you of a traumatic event.
• Hypochondria: This condition can cause you to frequently worry too much about your health — even when there’s nothing seriously wrong with you.

Types of Depression

Some depressive disorders are more disruptive and dangerous than others. Learn about the most common ones. 

• Clinical depression: Sometimes called major depression, this disorder can look different in different people. However, your mental health specialist may diagnose you with this illness if you’re melancholic or anxiously distressed for most of the week for multiple weeks.
• Persistent depressive disorder: This condition is the less severe but chronic kind of clinical depression. Individuals living with it can remain fully functioning and are often high achievers, making it more challenging for the people around them to notice their depressive disorder.
• Bipolar disorder: Also known as manic depression, this mental health problem can cause your mood to fluctuate. You can have depressed episodes on the low end of your mood swings and bouts of mania when the pendulum moves the other way.
• Psychotic depression: This condition features symptoms of clinical depression and psychosis. Patients with depressive psychosis may hallucinate, have delusions or experience paranoia.
• Pregnancy-related depression: Hormonal level fluctuations during pregnancy may lead to prenatal or postpartum depression. The latter is more severe than the baby blues most mothers experience after delivery. Postpartum depression may evolve into postpartum psychosis.
• Disruptive mood dysregulation disorder: This condition can impact school-aged children and adolescents, causing them to exhibit chronic irritability and frequent anger outbursts. 
• Seasonal affected disorder: This type of clinical depression can affect you when seasons change. Most individuals with this disorder experience it when winter rolls around, although it goes away around the spring or summer.

Prescription Meds Versus Natural Remedies for Anxiety and Depression

The mental health specialists who diagnose anxiety and depressive disorders create treatment plans to help patients get well. These treatment plans may involve medicines, counseling or both. Some healthcare providers may also recommend other therapies like meditation and lifestyle changes — such as engaging in more physical activity and eating healthier foods — to manage anxiety or depression symptoms better.

Take Anxiety and Depression Seriously

Anxiety and depressive disorders are no laughing matter, so don’t take them lightly. Get support from your loved ones and consult a medical specialist to get diagnosed accordingly and receive an appropriate treatment plan.