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Ask HN: What's the difference between anxiety and depression?

2 pointsby wayoverthecloudover 5 years ago

4 comments

_bxg1over 5 years ago
Depression is when you&#x27;ve been under enough stress for enough time (which for many people takes the form of anxiety) that your body starts pressing &quot;snooze&quot; on those emotional signals that are trying to spur it into action. It feels hopeless that it can satisfy what they&#x27;re asking of it, so it starts to suppress them.<p>While the two are different - opposites, in some ways - they very frequently coincide and feed into each other circularly. They&#x27;re also extremely common and can be overcome through therapy, possibly combined with medication. If you&#x27;re dealing with them, know that it&#x27;s okay and normal, and see if you can find a therapist to talk with.
quaquaqua1over 5 years ago
Anxiety is the constant, horrible, burning feeling I have when I know I have to do something I don&#x27;t want to do, like fly on a plane. It raises my heart rate, I get very tense, and the slightest problem will make me very angry. It is an irrational response driven by certain biochemicals inside of you.<p>Depression is when I don&#x27;t want to get out of bed because I feel everything is pointless and hopeless. You are waiting to die because you are not motivated to do anything. Instead of being over-stimulated, you are under-stimulated.
yaspover 5 years ago
Interestingly enough, they seem to be related at a genetic level. [1]<p>For me, anxiety can trigger depressive episodes, but not vice versa.<p>[1] <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov&#x2F;pubmed&#x2F;1514877" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov&#x2F;pubmed&#x2F;1514877</a>
billconanover 5 years ago
anxiety means you are helpless, but still have some energy to react. but depression means you don&#x27;t have any energy at all.