WHAT IS DEPRESSION AND WHO DOES IT AFFECT?
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Depression is a mental health condition which causes people to feel a deep and persistent sense of gloom or hopelessness. This chronic unhappiness can sometimes be expressed by the depressed person as irritation, impatience or anger, especially if he or she is confused and unaware that depression is the cause of the sadness.
An article from the Center for Disease Control site states that “an estimated 1 in 10 US adults report depression.” Depression is generally more common in adults between ages 18 and 55, but it can also affect some children, adolescents and older adults.
HOW DOES DEPRESSION RELATE TO ANXIETY?
Because some anxiety disorders can be so persistent and long-lasting (sometimes remaining untreated for decades of a person’s life), failed treatment attempts or failure to even be diagnosed can lead to frustration and despair in the affected person.
This may be a contributing factor in the development of depression in many people who have an anxiety disorder.
WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS OF DEPRESSION?
The WebMD Web site lists symptoms of depression including (but not limited to):
- “Difficulty concentrating, remembering details, and making decisions
- Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, and/or hopelessness
- Persistent aches or pains, headaches, cramps, or digestive problems that do not ease even with treatment
- Fatigue and decreased energy (the rest of the list can be found at the WebMD link).”
Depression can be mild, moderate or severe. Typically, symptoms of depression must last for more than two weeks in order for a diagnosis to be made. Depression can sometimes be limited to certain circumstance, such as when a woman who has recently given birth begins to feel very listless, unhappy, and possibly suicidal (this is known as “postpartum depression”).
WHAT CAUSES DEPRESSION?
Similarly to PTSD, sometimes depression can be triggered by a specific incident or setback in someone’s life. Losing a job, dealing with the death a loved one, or getting a divorce can be stressful enough to plunge some people into a depression. Even a particularly bad break-up or an academic failure can lead to depression in younger people.
In some people, depression may occur regularly or be triggered by something very mild. For these individuals, there is more likely to be a biological cause or predisposition. Mental health experts often observe multiple cases of depression or anxiety in families.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN SOMEONE HAS DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY?
In a person who has an anxiety disorder, depression may not always be recognized or diagnosed. This is problematic, because “co-morbidity” (essentially, having more than one mental health condition) can affect treatment efficacy. A person who is being treated for depression and an anxiety disorder may fare better from having one condition addressed and treated before the other. Recovery from one condition may be dependent, at least in part, on recovery (even partial) of the other condition.
If someone who has depression is being treated for an anxiety disorder, he or she may feel too dispirited and pessimistic to put forth his or her best effort during treatment. Many studies have shown that the affected person’s belief in the efficacy of a treatment can impact the outcome of the treatment. A depressed person may be too unhappy to think recovery from the anxiety disorder is possible, and that could very likely lead to an inability to feel motivated and low compliance with the therapist’s instructions as part of the treatment plan.
Similarly, a person being treated for depression who also suffers from an anxiety disorder may benefit from having his or her anxiety problems addressed in treatment. The person may feel more energetic and able to follow a treatment plan for depression if he or she is no longer as burdened by excessive and tiring worries and fears.
Come back next week for the final part of this series on anxiety and depression to learn what you can do if you struggle with one or both of these mental health conditions.
