Jul 24 2008
Anxiety and Depression – Two Different Conditions
Two emotions that are closely intertwined are anxiety and depression. Symptoms of each emotion may be similar, but there are other things about these emotions that make them quite unique. To get treatment for your anxiety and /or depression, it’s helpful to know more about each condition — how they differ and how they are similar.
The first thing we must understand is that anxiety has been present in our lives since the beginning of time; and that throughout time it has helped increase our survival rate. Anxiety manifests as the emotions of fear and worry and the physical sensations of chest pains, nausea, a rapid heart beat, an elevated blood pressure and a slowed digestive system. These conditions may be unpleasant when they occur, but they are usually involuntary. Anxiety is a naturally occurring condition that originates in the brain’s hippocampus and the amygdala In this regard anxiety is a natural response coming directly from our genetic makeup.
The point that we are concerned with in our lives today is that although anxiety is normal, too much of it in our lives is often not a good thing. When depression and anxiety become intertwined, the condition usually requires investigation as a medical issue. Depression may happen to you after you’ve suffered anxious feelings of extreme terror or dread. Depression is also the result of living with anxiety for years and getting no help or treatment to alleviate the anxiety.