Anxiety and Depression:
It's not uncommon for someone with an anxiety disorder to also suffer from depression or vice versa. Nearly one-half of those diagnosed with depression are also diagnosed with an anxiety disorder.
Anxiety
Did You Know?
Per the Anxiety & Depression Association of America, Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S., affecting 40 million adults in the United States age 18 and older, or 18.1% of the population every year.
Women are nearly twice as likely as men to be diagnosed with an anxiety disorder in their lifetime.
From puberty to age 50 women are twice as likely as men to develop an anxiety disorder.
Anxiety disorders are highly treatable, yet only 36.9% of those suffering receive treatment.
Signs and Symptoms of Anxiety
Feeling nervous, irritable or on edge
Having a sense of impending danger, panic or doom
Having an increased heart rate
Breathing rapidly (hyperventilation), sweating, and/or trembling
Feeling weak or tired
Difficulty concentrating
Having trouble sleeping
Experiencing gastrointestinal (GI) problems
Depression
Did You Know?
1) Depression is a real medical condition.
2) 1 in 8 women will experience depression in their lifetime, that is twice the rate of men.
3) Depression symptoms can interfere with your ability to work, sleep, study, eat, and enjoy your life.
4) Researchers suspect that, rather than a single cause, many factors unique to women’s lives play a role in developing depression. These factors include: genetic and biological, reproductive, hormonal, abuse and oppression, interpersonal and certain psychological and personality characteristics.
5) Psychosocial factors that may contribute to women’s increased vulnerability to depression include the stress of multiple work and family responsibilities, sexual and physical abuse, sexual discrimination, lack of social supports, traumatic life experiences and poverty.
You can’t just ‘snap out’ of or “get over” depression.
Well-meaning friends or family members may try to tell someone with depression to “snap out of it,” “just be positive,” or “you can be happier if you just try harder.” But depression is not a sign of a person’s weakness or a character flaw. The truth is that most people who experience depression need support and treatment to get better.
Depression can hurt—literally.
Sadness is only a small part of depression. In fact, some people with depression do not feel sadness at all. A person with depression may also experience many physical symptoms, such as aches or pains, headaches, cramps, or digestive problems. Someone with depression may also have trouble with sleeping, waking up in the morning, and feeling tired.