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Compare And Contrast Anxiety And Depression

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There are many similarities between mental disorders like anxiety and depression. Often times, many symptoms of one disorder stem off of having the other. For example, symptoms of anxiety can be brought on by depressive thoughts, such as thoughts about suicide, and visa versa. The differences, however, are far more prominent than the ways they are the same. Anxiety is a disorder characterized by fear, doubt, and a sense of vulnerability. People with anxiety tend to have less noticeable symptoms than people with depression, as symptoms of anxiety are things such as physical sensations of strong emotions of fear. Depression symptoms are more physical and noticeable from the outside, such as lack of eating or sleep, or lack of interest in doing things. People with depression may become …show more content…

Anxiety can also run in families, or be caused by outside conditions such as excessive stress, drastic changes in living conditions, or abuse. Depression on the other hand, is caused by changes in brain chemistry. However, like anxiety, depression can be caused by genetics and medical conditions that create an imbalance of the brain’s chemicals. Depressive episodes often last for days, leaving a person mopey and sluggish, or, on the other side of the spectrum, frighteningly up, or manic. This is when a person seems to have boundless energy and doesn’t sleep for days. Episodes of anxiety last much shorter periods of time, flaring up and disappearing within the same day. Symptoms of an episode can include increased heart rate, sweating, and trembling. These can be combatted with controlled breathing, while generally, depressive episodes have to run their course. Anxiety and depression are two very different, though just as harmful disorders. When you have one, you generally have the other It’s a vicious cycle, but luckily, there are proven ways to break it. Help is an

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