Question: I have depression, but I noticed that I’ve been feeling anxious a lot of the time. Why does depression cause anxiety?
Answer: Depression and anxiety often run together. You can think of them as two threads that together weave a fabric. On occasion, we do we see patients who have only depression, without significant anxiety, or only anxiety, without depression. However, usually, over time, one leads to the other. It’s hard to feel very anxious for any length of time without this causing depression. By the same token, when someone is depressed for a prolonged period, it eventually brings on anxiety. The good news is that treating depression usually also results in improvement in anxiety because of how the medications for depression work. Increasing serotonin levels in your brain tends to improve both depression and anxiety.
N.B. This blog is for informational purposes only and nothing in this should be construed as establishing a doctor patient relationship or the provision of medical advice.
