Medical Review by Jennie Stanford, MD, FAAFP, DipABOM
Summary
- Depression and anxiety are separate mental health conditions with unique symptoms and treatment approaches.
- Depression is characterized by persistent sadness, lack of interest, weight changes, sleep problems, fatigue, and thoughts of death.
- Anxiety involves excessive worry, nervousness, restlessness, fast heart rate, and physical symptoms like dry mouth and facial flushing.
- Both conditions can co-occur, which can cause confusion when it comes to diagnosis and treatment. Common treatments include psychotherapy, medication, or lifestyle adjustments.
Depression & anxiety can look similar—but they’re very different
Depression and anxiety are some of the most common mental health afflictions in the world, and both can have a severe impact on your mental health. But it’s important to remember that these are two separate conditions with distinct symptoms and approaches to treatment.
Lemonaid Health can help you get help for depression or anxiety online. Below, we’ve provided a guide to help you better understand what these conditions have in common—and what they don’t.
Defining depression & anxiety
The more you know about both of these conditions, the easier it is to tell them apart. Here’s some background information to help you keep them separate:
What is depression?
Depression is a mood disorder that involves lasting feelings of sadness and a lack of interest in things you might normally enjoy. There are several different types of depression, which you can read more about in our guide to understanding depression disorders—but all of them involve a sense of being sad and empty.
These feelings come with changes to the way your body or brain work, which can make it difficult to function in everyday life.
Key symptoms
The core symptoms of depression can be either physical or mental. They include the following:
| Physical Symptoms | Mental Symptoms |
| Weight changes | Low mood |
| Sleep problems | Loss of interest |
| Physical agitation | Feelings of worthlessness |
| Fatigue | Trouble concentrating |
| Thoughts of death |
What is anxiety?
Anxiety is also a mood disorder, but it involves different feelings. When you have anxiety, you worry too much and for too long about things that aren’t realistic. You might feel afraid, worried, or overwhelmed.
Anxiety is difficult to control, and it often comes with other physical and psychological effects.
Key symptoms
Common anxiety symptoms also fall into mental and physical effects, which include these:
| Physical Symptoms | Mental Symptoms |
| Sleep problems | Apprehension |
| Dry mouth | Nervousness |
| Facial flushing | Feelings of insecurity |
| A faster heart rate | Irritability |
| Twitching | Helplessness |
| Feeling faint | Restlessness |
| Fatigue | Confusion |
| Vague pain | Fear of the unknown |
| Feeling like you need to pee |
Why anxiety & depression sometimes get confused
From looking at the charts above, you might think these conditions rarely get confused with each other, although a few of their symptoms (like fatigue) are shared. However, the truth is a bit more complicated.
In fact, depression and anxiety often affect the same people, and sometimes even at the same time. 45.7% of all people who have major depression will have an anxiety disorder at some time in their lives, and 41.6% will experience both within the same 12-month time frame.
This can make it easy to confuse the symptoms of depression with those of anxiety, and vice versa.
Diagnosing depression vs. anxiety
If you aren’t sure whether you are struggling with depression, anxiety, or both, you might want to think about getting a professional diagnosis from a qualified healthcare practitioner. This can help clear up any confusion or incorrect assumptions on your part so that you and your provider can start working together on an appropriate plan for treatment.
Both anxiety and depression are diagnosed using criteria from the DSM-V, which is the manual most US healthcare providers use to diagnose mental health disorders. Here’s a bit of background info on how it works for each condition:
How depression is diagnosed
Before you can get diagnosed with depression, your healthcare provider will ask you a series of questions about your health status and history. They’ll use the information you provide to determine how many of the symptoms associated with depression apply to you.
If you have five or more of the core symptoms (see the “Key symptoms” section for depression above), and one of them is either low mood or a loss of interest, your healthcare provider may diagnose you with depression. It’s also possible that they’ll ask you other questions about your family medical history and lifestyle to rule out other possible causes. Lab tests may also be performed for this purpose.
How anxiety is diagnosed
When your healthcare provider assesses you for possible anxiety, they’ll ask a different series of questions. This might be done using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-Item (GAD-7) Questionnaire, which is a common screening tool.
Your provider will be looking for information about what causes you stress, as well as whether you have any developmental problems that could contribute to your symptoms. Expect questions about your medical history, past traumas, mental health status, and lifestyle choices.
Treatment approaches for anxiety & depression
Depending on whether you have depression, anxiety, or both, your healthcare provider may recommend different treatment options. Here’s a guide to the different types of treatments available (including where they overlap):
Psychotherapy
For anxiety
The main type of psychotherapy for treating anxiety is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). CBT involves looking at the thoughts you have in response to specific situations and being critical about them to change the impact they have on your behavior or emotions.
Psychodynamic therapy is also sometimes used to treat anxiety. This involves talking with a therapist to explore the relationship between your past experiences and the way you currently view the world.
Other types of therapy may be used to treat specific phobias stemming from anxiety, but a relatively small number of clinical studies have been performed on these approaches and CBT appears to be more effective.
For depression
Several different types of psychotherapy can be used to treat depression. As with anxiety, CBT and psychodynamic therapy are common approaches.
Other common types include interpersonal therapy, which is about building better communication and relationships, as well as dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT). DBT combines CBT principles with mindfulness techniques to help you regulate your emotions.
Medications
The FDA has approved several medications for treating anxiety and depression. Some of these may be used to treat both conditions—although it’s important to note that finding the right medication is a highly individual process.
Always consult with your healthcare provider before taking any medication for anxiety or depression, and use it only as directed.
For depression
FDA-approved depression medications fall into several different categories. Most of these prevent mood-boosting chemicals in your brain from breaking down so that you have higher levels of them. Examples include these:
- Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)
- Serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs)
- Tricyclic and tetracyclic antidepressants
- Atypical antidepressants
- Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs)
- N-methyl D-aspartate (NMDA) antagonists
- GABA-A receptor positive modulators
For anxiety
Numerous SSRIs and SNRIs are also FDA-approved and commonly used to treat anxiety. Certain antidepressants, such as vilazodone and mirtazapine, may also be used but are not FDA-approved.
Lifestyle changes
Making specific changes to your routines can also have a positive effect on your overall mental health. Since mental illnesses like depression and anxiety often lead to less healthy habits, these changes may help protect you against some of their associated risks:
- Eating a more nutritious diet
- Getting enough exercise
- Having positive and supportive relationships
- Managing stress and practicing mindfulness
- Getting enough sleep
- Avoiding excessive substance use (alcohol, tobacco, etc.)
Support your mental well-being with Lemonaid Health
Depression and anxiety are common conditions—but treatments are available. Working with a qualified healthcare practitioner can help you determine how either or both of these conditions are impacting your life, and build an actionable plan for getting better.
Our team at Lemonaid Health can help. Set up a virtual visit with a qualified US-based health professional who can help you understand your symptoms and find appropriate solutions—including FDA-approved medication in clinically indicated cases.
