According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), the two most commonly diagnosed mental health struggles in the USA are depression and anxiety. More than 40 million adults in the USA experience symptoms of anxiety disorder, and more than 17 million adults in the USA experience symptoms of major depression.
Symptoms of anxiety include feeling nervousness or worried, irritable, or on edge, having an impending sense of danger, increased heart rate, rapid breathing sometimes accompanied by trembling or sweating, feeling weak or tired, difficulty concentrating, sleep irregularities, and gastrointestinal problems.
Symptoms of depression include feeling overwhelming sadness, losing interest and/or pleasure in most usual activities, appetite changes, fatigue, lack of motivation, sleep irregularities, feelings of hopelessness or worthlessness, difficulty concentrating or focusing, and frequent thoughts of death or dying.
More often than not, depression and anxiety go hand-in hand. In fact, according to NAMI around 60% of those who experience anxiety also experience depression. There are also studies that show that many people who experience depression as an adult may have experienced anxiety earlier in their life. The two are clearly linked in some way.
The medical term for this link is “comorbidity,” which is defined as experiencing two different conditions at once. In this case, the conditions are both related to our mental health. The key characteristic difference between everyday sadness or worry and diagnosable depression and anxiety disorders is that symptoms of the disorders are usually severe enough to limit or prohibit “normal daily activities.”
Experiencing depression and/or anxiety, whether short-term or long-term, can be extremely debilitating. However, there is help and hope! Therapy or counseling, psychiatric medication, and holistic treatments such as mindfulness practices have all shown promising results to reduce the severity of both depression and anxiety.
According to the American Psychological Association, 75% of people who participate in therapy experience a benefit in their daily life. In other words, there’s an extremely high chance it could help you, too! Although society sometimes tells stigmatizing lies about therapy and other mental health treatments, it has been proven time and again to provide meaningful improvements for people experiencing the struggles of depression and/or anxiety.
If you or someone you know may be experiencing depression or anxiety, please know that you are not alone and that help is available for you. There is NO shame in asking for help!
