Do anxiety and depression always go hand in hand?

[Cheese]

I started going to my primary care doctor for help with my anxiety. They have a "patient portal" where you can access your medical info online. In it are the transcribed reports from the visit. I'm a medical transcriptionist, so I know these reports come straight from the Doctor's brain. I'm not sure if he uses just a platform to fill out the info himself (which I think he does because he brings his computer in the room with him) or if he uses actual transcriptionists. Either way, there are clear sentences written down about our visit.

Anyway, I kept telling him about my anxiety and how hard it was for me to do the things I liked. But in the medical report, he keeps saying I have depression. While I am in a bit of a funk right now, I don't really see myself as depressed. I most certainly can get enjoyment from certain activities, although limited in what activities I can do, and I most certainly never said I felt depressed or even uttered the word sad to the doctor. I really only talked about having anxiety.

It does sadden me at how much I'm losing out on. It's sad to be so locked up because of anxiety and not being able to do so many things I know I would love. But at the same time, I also have plenty of days where I'm perfectly content in the moment. If I don't think about the grand scheme of things and just enjoy the current moment, I'm quite fine. I was under the impression that depression is where you can't find any enjoyment for long stretches of time.

Anyway, just curious.

[photobunny]

No, I dont think anxiety and depression go hand in hand. I have both, but they are two seperate aspects of my life. I can have great days (depression wise) but yet the anxiety is still there. Maybe you could approach the subject with your doctor again.

[rubylucinda]

Hi Cheese:

I can speak from both personal experience and education. My personal experience has been that my primary mental health issue is anxiety. Sometimes, the anxiety becomes so overwhelming and I become hopeless that I experience a major depressive episode. Through my education I learnt that depression and anxiety are what can be considered "cousins". They usually go hand-in-hand - for example a lot of the same medications are used to treat anxiety and depression interchangeably.

Hope this helps :)

[LindaRK]

I'm like rubylucinda - my primary diagnosis is anxiety, but somewhere in there, my doc keeps trying to tell me I'm depressed.  GRRR!  Like you, I hate hearing that.

Also, like you - there are alot of things I want to do - I don't stay home curled up under my bed ... I'm out there doing things!  I like to have fun. 

BUT ..... it's the anxiety that is preventing me from doing alot of that.  I have the thoughts of doing it, but it's that darned anxiety that has me paralyzed.

[fireup66]

In my experience, no.

I have some anxiety, but i wouldn't say im depressed.

[coeus]

I might play the devil's advocate here but there is a consensus that a comorbidity that could exist between depression and anxiety disorders. The evidence suggests that depression and anxiety can be a joint condition. That's not to say that one is predicated on the other; there just happens to be evidence that demonstrates that they can occur together.

My experiences mirror that of rubylucinda. Diagnostically, I have GAD. However, at certain stages, heightened levels of anxiety and stress can sometimes cause learned hopelessness and thus, aggravate depressive symptoms. These are very fleeting though and are based on our cognitive mechanisms, e.g. I might believe that I'm stressed and anxious but I don't respond negatively or allow the 'essence' of anxiety to cause me to feel depressed (traditionally speaking). So, in that cause, I simply feel anxious and wouldn't consider myself as depressed.

All in all, symptoms of anxiety and depression can be extremely transitory - they come and go, for the most part. This doesn't necessarily reflect the criteria for a diagnosis of depression and anxiety. If we look at it on a micro-level, right now I'm writing this and if I had to use introspection - I don't feel anxious. Does that mean that I don't have anxiety? Nope, it just implies that these sensations realistically come and go. I don't claim that diagnoses are not important - without a proper diagnosis, we wouldn't be able to seek clarity on certain aspects of our psychological functioning. I think that while some symptoms may arise, they do not clinically represent full-fledged disorders. Of course, if you want a professional opinion - you'll obviously need to speak to a psychologist or psychiatrist!

Hope this helps.

[GenSec]

For me, clinical depression came along many years before any anxiety issues. So i do not blame anxiety for my depression... i see them as seperate issues. If i ever got my GAD sorted out i am well aware that its very likely my ongoing problems with depression would continue just as they did before GAD came into my life.

[Cheese]

Thanks for the responses.

I guess it just caught me off guard when I read the report with him saying depressed so much. I mean, years ago, I experienced what I felt as "real" depression. I had no ambition to do anything. I would get up, go to the bathroom, then lay on the couch and sleep all day. Nothing sounded fun at all.

I do not feel that way now. Like others, I see a lot of things as being fun. But, because of my anxiety, I don't do those things. I still do some small things that do keep me happy, and I do find enjoyment in them. And that's why I don't see myself as clinically depressed.

There are moments where tension just builds up to the point of me feeling helpless and losing ambition. But that only lasts a day maybe at tops. It just seemed normal to me. I had those moments when I didn't have anxiety problems. They're so fleeting, I don't really see them as a big deal.

I guess I don't really have a problem with the diagnosis as depression. As long as they realize that the diagnosis is directly related to anxiety, it shouldn't be an issue.

[x_chelsea_x]

Hi. I'm very similar to you and I can understand your concern. If the doctor had reacted in that way to me, I would have felt the same. Yes, anxiety is restricting my life and I do have periods of time where I feel sad about this. However, I definitely would not say that I have depression. There is no question about that in my mind. Its  interesting how they seem to go hand in hand. They seem to be grouped together a lot. Recently I was looking into a course I can do about my anxiety but half the course is on anxiety and the other half on depression when I think only the anxiety part would be relevant to me. So it seems like there could be many similarities and many cases where people have both but it certainly does not have to be the case, in my opinion. I think they are two separate things.

[liveitup898]

i've had anxiety for about 8 years of my life and i am now 30 years old......

for those 8 years i never experienced "depression"......and when i was asked if i feel depressed i would obviously say "no"....however i do feel anxiety/panic.

this year 2012, is my first time feeling depressed AND anxiety. They do not come at the same time, but rather seem to be doing a tag team on me just beating me down.

i have so much going for me - a good job, a good family, a companion, lots of friends etc. but i find myself in a "depressed" mood these past 2 months...its really scary in a way because i continue to focus on all the negative things in life and all the negatives about the people i care about.

so in a way i do feel that anxiety and depression go hand in hand...and all along it was depression over past events that triggered my anxiety.

[Snowqueen1958]

I think when we look at anxiety and depression...it is a case of what came first the chicken or the egg.  For some it is anxiety and for some it is depression. 

I was experiencing depression and found help...medications and therapy ( a good combo when one finds the right med and a good therapist).  I did not experience anxiety attacks during those times.

I do know if one is prone to depression anxiety can also be experienced.  I have also been told that depression and anxiety are cousins.  They can go hand and hand.   Anxiety can be a symptom of depression. 

[stillfreakin]

Anxiety and depression definately go hand in hand for me. If you have chronic anxiety, there is just no way that it can help but limit your life and wall you off from the things which might give you pleasure. OTOH, it certainly is true that if you are stuck in the past, have lots of regrets, and can't find purpose, meaning or hope in life (depression), it has be make one feel anxious. I think they are therefore, bi-directional in my experience.