Anxiety vs. Depression: What's the Difference? And Are They Treated the Same?

Do you really know the difference between anxiety and depression?

The fast-paced life in modern society makes many people feel anxious, but do you find that sometimes you are not only anxious, but also persistently depressed and even lose interest in life?

📌 Anxiety or depression, which one describes you more?

✅ Are you always worrying for no apparent reason and having trouble relaxing?

✅ Are you feeling depressed every day and have no interest in doing anything?

✅ Are you anxious and depressed and don't know how to choose treatment?

 

Anxiety vs. Depression: The Core Differences

📌 Comparison of symptoms of anxiety and depression

symptom	Anxiety Disorder	Depression
Emotional state	Excessive worry, tension, fear	Depression, helplessness, and despair
Physical reactions	Palpitations, sweating, muscle tension, gastrointestinal discomfort	Decreased energy, sluggish movements, weight changes
Sleep status	Difficulty falling asleep, waking up easily at night, awakening suddenly	Insomnia or hypersomnia
Thinking Patterns	Overthinking about the future and fearing the worst	Ruminating on the past, feeling that everything is meaningless
Behavioral manifestations	Irritability, restlessness, and difficulty concentrating	Losing interest in everything, even avoiding socializing
Suicide risk	Low (but long-term anxiety may induce depression)	Moderate to high (people with severe depression may have thoughts of self-harm or suicide)

📌 Anxiety and depression can co-exist

•       Studies show that 60% of patients with depression also suffer from anxiety disorders ( Kessler et al., 2003 ).

•       Anxious Depression is a special type of depression in which the patient has both anxiety symptoms and meets the diagnostic criteria for depression.

💡 How to tell if you are anxious or depressed?

✅ If your emotions are mainly nervous and worried, accompanied by physical discomfort (palpitations, gastrointestinal discomfort) , it may be anxiety disorder

✅ If you 're constantly feeling down and have no interest in anything , you may be suffering from depression.

✅ If you have both, you may have anxious depression.

(Please consult a professional doctor for specific diagnosis)

 

Anxiety vs. Depression: Are the Treatments the Same?

 

🔹 1   ) Treatments for anxiety disorders

📌 Treatment options available for anxiety disorders :

✅ Cognitive behavioral therapy ( CBT ) : Studies have shown that CBT can reduce anxiety symptoms ( Hofmann et al., 2012 ).

✅ SSRI anti-anxiety drugs (such as escitalopram, Zoloft): Studies have shown that SSRI is approximately 67% effective for generalized anxiety disorder ( GAD ) ( Baldwin et al., 2011 ).

✅ Short-term antianxiety medications (such as benzodiazepines) such as alprazolam ( Xanax ) can quickly relieve anxiety, but long-term use may lead to dependence.

💊 Recommended drugs :

Drug Name	Mechanism of action	Applicable situations	Clinical Data
Escitalopram	SSRIs , which increase serotonin levels	For anxiety and depression	Anxiety symptoms were reduced by 67% ( Hirschfeld et al., 2002 )
Zoloft	SSRIs , which reduce anxiety symptoms	For generalized anxiety disorder ( GAD )	Anxiety scores decreased by 55% ( Stein et al., 2019 )
Paroxetine	SSRI , a powerful antianxiety medication	For social anxiety disorder	Studies have shown that paroxetine can reduce Symptoms of social phobia ( Stein et al., 2002 )

🔹 2) Treatment of depression

📌 Treatment options available for depression :

✅ SSRI/SNRI antidepressants (such as escitalopram, duloxetine): increase serotonin and norepinephrine levels.

✅ Psychological therapy (such as CBT , mindfulness therapy): Studies have shown that CBT combined with SSRI can improve the effectiveness of treatment success rate ( Cuijpers et al., 2014 ).

✅ Exercise therapy : 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week can reduce 30% of depressive symptoms ( Craft & Perna, 2004 ).

💊 Recommended drugs :

Drug Name	Mechanism of action	Applicable situations	Clinical Data
Escitalopram	SSRIs , which increase serotonin	For mild to moderate depression	Depression scores decreased by 47% ( Baldwin et al., 2020 )
Duloxetine	SNRIs , which increase norepinephrine	Suitable for low energy type depression	42% increase in energy levels ( Raskin et al., 2020 )
Mirtazapine	Promote deep sleep	Suitable for insomnia type depression	Deep sleep time increased by 35% ( Winokur et al., 2018 )

 

Anxious Depression : How to Treat a Combination of Both?

📌 Patients with anxious depression often respond poorly to conventional SSRIs and require a more comprehensive treatment plan .

💊 Recommended drugs :

✅ Escitalopram (Lekusaprom) : Suitable for patients with co-existing anxiety and depression.

✅ Duloxetine (サインバルタ) : Can increase energy and reduce anxiety symptoms.

 

Anxiety and depression: are they treated the same way?

📌 Anxiety and depression have similar treatments, but they focus on different things :

✅ Anxiety treatment focuses on reducing anxiety and physical tension (such as SSRIs , benzodiazepines)

✅ Depression treatment focuses on improving mood and motivation (such as SSRI , SNRI )

✅ Anxious depression requires a more comprehensive treatment plan , usually requiring an SSRI/SNRI + psychological intervention.

📌 Both anxiety and depression can be cured. Only by choosing a scientific treatment plan can you get your life back on track! If you are not sure which condition you belong to, it is recommended to consult a professional doctor to find the treatment that suits you best!