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What are the defining symptoms of anxiety and depression? The lists below shows the differences and the similarities.

Differences

 Anxiety &
Anxiety Disorder

 Depression

Feeling of fear, apprehension and excessive anxiety energy Feeling of emptiness, deep sadness or misery, loss of hope
Physical feelings of agitation, muscle tension and symptoms of anxiety eg. heart symptoms, nausea, dissociation, diarrhoea, breathing difficulties etc Slowing down of physical movement and lack of physical energy

General sense of being tense and rigid

Physical body slumped
May be a perfectionist and is concerned about the results of activities (can lead to poor performance) Loss of interest and ambition (can lead to poor performance)
May fear death but not focussed on suicide (Suicide thoughts come only when Depression is a secondary effect of Anxiety Disorder) Suicidal thoughts present in deep depression

Similarities

 Anxiety &
Anxiety Disorder

 Depression

 Fatigue - related to the overwhelming experience of the anxiety and fear energy, tension and extra energy used to continue regardless, loss of sleep etc   Fatigue - related to the energy drop associated with depressed mood
  Difficulty concentrating (related to anxiety cycle thinking and monitoring of symptoms)   Difficulty concentrating - related to energy drop of depression, slowing of the mind)
 Difficulty sleeping - related to thoughts, symptoms, anxiety cycle, nocturnal panic attacks   Difficulty sleeping (may oversleep)
 
Headaches, muscle tension and pain
 
Headaches, muscle tension and pain
 
Loss of appetite (or overeating)

 Loss of appetite

 Loss of libido or sexual desire/enjoyment
 
Loss of libido or sexual desire/enjoyment
  Loss of interest/pleasure in normal activities - related to constant need to monitor symptoms and inability to let go of negative thought patterns   Loss of interest/ pleasure in normal activities - related to loss of physical/emotional/cognitive energy
Significant weight loss or weight gain (in some)- related to anxiety energy   Significant weight loss or weight gain
Feelings of excessive or inappropriate guilt - related to person's desperate fight to overcome the Anxiety Disorder for an extended period of time; feelings of guilt about how it effects their family and guilt that they haven't gotten better yet   Feelings of excessive or inappropriate guilt
Drop in  Self esteem and sense of self confidence - due to effects of anxiety disorder   Drop in self esteem and sense of self confidence
Feelings of unworthiness, guilt, self-blame and self depreciation   Feelings of unworthiness, guilt, self-blame and self depreciation







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