Hidden Symptoms Of Anxiety And Depression
Content Warning: This article mentions self-harm and suicide. If you think you may hurt yourself or someone else, reach out for help immediately. Call 911 in the United States and consider calling the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or texting the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988.
According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, anxiety and depressive disorders are some of the most common mental illnesses in the United States, with around 1 in 5 Americans experiencing an anxiety disorder at some point in the past year. However, while some symptoms of depression and anxiety are well known, other symptoms are less commonly discussed. Familiarizing yourself with both the common and hidden symptoms of anxiety and depression can help you determine whether it’s time to reach out for help.
The Link Between Anxiety And Depression
Anxiety and depression commonly co-occur, with around 60% of people with anxiety also experiencing symptoms of depression (and vice versa). While it isn’t entirely clear why these disorders frequently co-occur, psychologists hypothesize that the neurological triggers of anxiety and depression are similar, or that overlapping symptoms make it possible for many to meet the diagnosable criteria of both anxiety disorders and depressive disorders.
The co-occurrence of these disorders can make them more difficult to diagnose, especially because anxiety and depression can both cause psychosomatic symptoms that are seemingly unrelated to mental illness. For example, some people with depression may tell their doctor that they have been falling down frequently. While falling may be a result of old age or an underlying physical condition, it can be caused by depression. If you have any physical or psychological symptoms that are unusually, you should consider reaching out to your medical practitioner. They can rule out underlying medical conditions and provide you with a diagnosis.
Common Symptoms Of Anxiety
In general, people with anxiety disorders commonly experience:
Cold hands
Sweating
Dry mouth
Numbness
Muscle tension
Rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, and/or heart palpitations
Panic
Racing thoughts
Overwhelming worry
Inability to stay calm or sit still
Sleeping difficulties
Depending on the type(s) of anxiety you have, you may experience different symptoms. Some of the most common types of anxiety disorders include generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and social anxiety disorder (which is a type of phobia).
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is characterized by worry and stress that may not have a specific trigger. People with GAD often experience:
Feelings of restlessness
Inability to concentrate
Trouble sleeping
Panic disorder is characterized by intense episodes of panic attacks. Since the symptoms of panic disorder can mimic serious medical conditions, you may want to seek medical attention to ensure you’re physically healthy. Typical symptoms of panic disorder include:
Racing heartbeat
Sense of dread or feeling like you’re dying
Heart palpations
Sweating
Shaking
Shortness of breath
Social anxiety disorder is a phobia of social situations. People with social anxiety may experience the following symptoms:
Avoidance
Self-consciousness
Overwhelming worry or fear of judgement
Sweating
Clammy skin
Trembling voice
Blushing
Indigestion
Trouble making eye contact
Common Symptoms Of Depression
Major depressive disorder, also called clinical depression, is a psychiatric disorder characterized by overwhelming sadness that disrupts daily functioning. The symptoms many people are familiar with include:
Overwhelming sadness, hopelessness, or feelings of worthlessness
Lacking interest in activities you used to find enjoyable
Changes in sleeping habits (such as sleeping too little, too much, or sleeping during the day)
Feeling tired or fatigued easily
Changes in appetite and/or weight
Forgetfulness, less attention to detail, and difficulty concentrating
Experiencing guilt, blaming yourself, feeling weak, or feeling like a burden
Self-harm
Suicidal ideation
If you think you may hurt yourself or someone else, reach out for help immediately. Call 911 in the United States and consider calling the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or texting the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988.
Common (But Infrequently Discussed) Symptoms Of Anxiety And Depression
Anxiety and depression can cause a wide variety of physical and psychological symptoms, but many of them are not talked about. Common but under-discussed symptoms include the following:
Gastrointestinal issues: Stress releases hormones that can make it difficult for the body to control normal gastrointestinal functioning. This can trigger symptoms such as diarrhea, indigestion, heart burn, nausea, cramps, and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
Tinnitus: While research is unclear on the causal relationship between anxiety and tinnitus (ringing in the ears), studies reveal that they are closely linked, and that stress might be a possible trigger of anxiety.
Skin problems: Anxiety and stress can cause flareups of skin conditions like psoriasis, rosacea, acne, and eczema. Anxiety may also cause itching, burning sensations, rashes, or hives.
Numbness, tingling, or “pins and needles” sensation: These symptoms are particularly common during a panic attack, when the heartrate increases, and blood vessels become constricted. Constricted blood vessels can reduce blood flow to extremities, causing temporary tingling or numbness that can feel frightening during a panic attack.
Phantom smells: Also called olfactory hallucination, phantom smells are sometimes seen in people with anxiety disorders.
Globus hystericus: Anxiety can cause the sensation of a lump in your throat (technically called globus hystericus). The sensation can make it feel difficult to swallow or breath, and it can become a medical emergency in rare circumstances. Globus hystericus can result from muscle tension experienced during high periods of stress, and you may be able to reduce the sensation by drinking water or getting some light exercise.
Dissociation: Dissociation is characterized by feeling disconnected from your body, floating outside your body, or as if you’re living in a dream or video game. It’s frequently experienced by people who have experienced trauma, but it’s also commonly experienced by people with an anxiety disorder or depressive disorder.
Dry eyes and blurred vision: Stress, depression, and anxiety are linked to experiencing dry eyes, which can cause blurred vision.
Unexplained physical pain: According to Harvard Health, more than half of people who reach out for help with their depression also experience physical pain. Common types of pain include back pain, migraines, gastrointestinal distress, and nerve pain.
Irritability: Many people know that depression can cause sadness and hopelessness, but those are not the only common symptoms. Irritability, or a heightened proneness to anger, is a very common predictor of psychiatric disorders later in life (including anxiety and depression) as well as a very common symptom of depression.
Anger attacks: Anger attacks are similar to panic attacks, though they occur without symptoms of fear and anxiety. Anger attacks are characterized by inappropriate outbursts of anger, and they are very common, with an estimated 30-40% of people with depression experiencing them.
Perfectionism: Perfectionism is a character trait that is linked to anxiety disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorder. While it’s not necessarily a symptom of anxiety, perfectionism can drive extremely high standards and inflexible beliefs, making perfectionists more likely to experience low self-worth and anxiety.
Poor temperature control: Anxiety often causes sweating, hot flashes, chills, blushing, or shivering, which may occur in response to altered heart rate and irregular vasodilation and vasoconstriction.
Restlessness: Anxiety and depression can cause an uncomfortable need to fidget or move, which can make it difficult to relax, sleep, or concentrate.
Trichotillomania: Also called hair pulling, trichotillomania can develop as a coping mechanism to deal with uncomfortable symptoms of anxiety and depression.
Falling frequently: Depression can make people less aware of their surroundings, which can make them more likely to fall. According to Dr. Anne Fabiny, this symptom may be common in older adults.
The Importance Of Getting Help
You cannot diagnose depression or anxiety on your own, and these disorders are unlikely to get better without help. If you’re experiencing any of the emotional or mental breakdown symptoms discussed in this article, you should consider reaching out to your medical practitioner or an in-person mental health professional. They can use a diagnostic manual (called the DSM-5) to carefully evaluate your symptoms, and a medical practitioner can run blood tests and conduct a physical exam to rule out physical conditions.
After making a diagnosis, they will likely provide you with a recommended treatment plan. Their recommendation may include one (or both) of the following:
Medications
A psychiatrist or your general practitioner can prescribe you with the appropriate medications to help you address your symptoms. According to a study updated in 2020, around 40-60% of people taking antidepressants noticed an improvement in symptoms within 6-8 weeks. In general, the more severe your depression is, the greater the likelihood that antidepressants will be effective.
Psychotherapy
Talk therapy, especially cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), is shown to be an effective way to address depression and anxiety for most people. Even if you do not meet the diagnostic criteria for a mental illness, you can still reach out for help from a therapist.
If you want to meet with a therapist as soon as possible, you might want to consider online therapy. One in-person psychiatrist reportedly had 880 patients on their waiting list in 2022, and many people wait 6+ weeks to see an in-person therapist. In contrast, online therapy providers, like BetterHelp, typically match clients with therapists within 48 hours. According to a 2017 study, online CBT can effectively address symptoms of many psychiatric disorders, including anxiety disorders, depression, OCD, PTSD, bipolar disorder, and chronic pain.
Takeaway
Anxiety and depressive disorders are very common, but some of their symptoms are not frequently discussed. For example, around one-third of individuals with major depressive disorder experience anger attacks, but this symptom is rarely mentioned in self-help pamphlets or blog posts.
If you are experiencing any symptoms of depression or anxiety (whether commonly discussed or not), you should consider reaching out for help. Online cognitive behavioral therapy is shown to improve symptoms for most people, and it is generally easier compared with in-person therapy.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How do you know if you are experiencing anxiety?
As is the case with any issue surrounding mental health, it’s always good to speak with a healthcare professional to review your symptoms and, if necessary, to receive a diagnosis.
Most of the symptoms of anxiety include intensely feeling anxiety and fear for one reason or another, even if the cause of the anxiety is something relatively harmless or normal. Sometimes anxiety comes on for seemingly no reason at all.
Anxiety might cause other, less obvious symptoms as well, like an increased heart rate, trouble sleeping, difficult concentrating, and others. Depression and anxiety can both be interconnected as well - that is, if you have depression anxiety may be more likely to occur and vice versa.
The best thing to do if you believe you are experiencing anxiety is to visit a behavioral health center or professional. Behavioral health centers focus specifically on providing mental health and psychiatric care for patients.
If you relate to any of the anxiety symptoms that we’ve discussed in this article, it’s possible that you may be dealing with chronic anxiety or an anxiety disorder.
What are the 6 types of anxiety disorders?
According to the American Psychiatric Association, the six types of anxiety disorders are as follows:
- Phobias/ Specific Phobias
- Separation anxiety disorder
- Panic disorder
- Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)
- Agoraphobia
- Social anxiety disorder
If you’d like further information about mental illnesses, health topics, anxiety disorders, and what resources are available to you, the United States Department of Health & Human Services has a great list of resources here.
Who gets anxiety disorders depression and how common are they?
Mental health issues are incredibly common across the world, and it’s likely that more people will receive diagnoses as the world becomes more familiar with what mental illnesses can look like.
Depression and anxiety are two of the most common mental illnesses that people experience. The symptoms of depression and anxiety can be overwhelming and even debilitating, but they’re so commonplace that we may have trouble identifying them. In fact, anxiety disorders alone affect over 40 million Americans.
Other relatively common illnesses (aside from the depression anxiety discussion above) include post traumatic stress disorder, panic disorder, bipolar disorder, and personality disorders.
If you or someone you know is dealing with a mental illness, taking advantage of behavioral health services like therapy and psychiatry is very important. If you can imagine how an untreated physical illness might worsen and grow over time, you can also apply the same line of thought to mental illness; without the care it deserves, it’s likely to only further impact someone’s life.
What is bad anxiety?
Bad anxiety, or chronic/severe anxiety, is different than the normal type of anxiety we all experience in life. Chronic anxiety may happen for seemingly no reason at all, and it burdens those who experience it on a regular, if not daily, basis.
Those with an anxiety disorder may have difficulty concentrating, making decisions, meeting new people or being in new places, and more. Being aware of the way anxiety can manifest itself is a key step in identifying it in yourself and others.
Of course, without treatment, chronic anxiety can get worse over time. Seek out appropriate care from a mental or behavioral health professional (like a therapist). Anxiety can easily spiral out of control and feel like it’s consuming one’s time and life, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Taking control back from anxiety is possible, and the first step is to find help if you need it.
How do you calm down anxiety?
Unfortunately, it’s almost impossible to completely avoid the things in our lives that can trigger anxiety. Luckily, having a specific and strategic plan to calm yourself down and manage your symptoms is usually very effective.
Developing a plan to deal with anxiety in the moment is a big part of what cognitive behavioral therapy for anxiety is focused on. If anxiety isn’t totally avoidable, the next best thing to do is to learn how to healthily cope with it.
If you need a treatment plan for yourself, be sure to look into what health services are available for you to take advantage of.
How do I get diagnosed with anxiety?
If you believe you may be experiencing an anxiety disorder, it’s important that you seek out the medical advice diagnosis or treatment of a healthcare professional.
When you meet with a professional (someone within behavioral health or human services, like a therapist), they will likely go over your medical history, health information, symptoms, and any other additional information needed to make an accurate diagnosis.
Once a diagnosis can be figured out, proper and specific treatment can occur. It’s important that you seek out a behavioral health or mental health professional and don’t rely on self diagnosis, because many mental illnesses can look the same.
If what is actually post traumatic stress disorder is diagnosed as generalized anxiety, for instance, the root of the problem is not addressed or treated and it’s likely that symptoms will persist/worsen.
What do psychiatrists usually prescribe for anxiety?
When dealing with depression and anxiety, a psychiatrist (a professional in the mental/behavioral health field who can prescribe medication) will likely gather some important information to help determine which treatment is appropriate for you.
They may want to know your health information, family history, and specific details about your symptoms. Most people with mental illnesses benefit the most from a combination of medication and cognitive behavioral therapy, but it’s always best to follow the medical advice of your health care professional.
Other tools, like self-help activities or support groups, might also help manage your symptoms and boost your mood. Be sure to ask your psychiatrist if you have questions about your medications or how to better treat your symptoms.
Is anxiety a mental illness?
Anxiety is considered to be a mental illness. Mental health issues are often overlooked or considered to be less important than physical illnesses, but this isn’t the case at all.
Whether you’re dealing with depression, anxiety, post traumatic stress disorder, or any other mental illness. It’s important that you receive the care that you need. Mental health professionals are well equipped to give out the tools necessary to deal with anxiety in the moment and long-term.
Anxiety will likely worsen over time without adequate treatment. That’s why it’s so important to ask for help when you notice that you need it - no one deserves to have to experience the symptoms of anxiety alone.
What is the hardest mental illness to live with?
It’s almost impossible to say which mental illness or mental health issue is the hardest to deal with. No two individuals or cases of mental illness are the same, and it’s truly not fair to make direct comparisons or deem one person’s experience as worse than another’s.
Depression and anxiety, for example, are both very common, but potentially troublesome, mental illnesses. The fact that they’re common doesn’t make them less deserving of attention and care.
The best way to make even the most severe symptoms of depression, post traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, or other mental illnesses bearable is to seek out treatment. It might seem impossible to manage your symptoms when you begin treatment, but you can rest assured that it will get better with time, patience, and all the support you can get.
Is anxiety all in your head?
Something people with anxiety may often experience is the feeling that they’re overreacting, making up problems, or perceiving things differently than others (in the “wrong” way). This can, unfortunately, be reinforced by the reactions and misunderstanding attitudes of others. However, anxiety is very real and can be diagnosed as a mental health condition.
If you’re experiencing the symptoms of anxiety or have noticed certain things trigger anxiety, it’s not all in your head (at least not in the sense that it isn’t valid, important, or real). Anxiety is a real mental illness, not just a temporary emotion. It can and absolutely does take over the lives of those who deal with it chronically.
If you feel you have difficulty concentrating when anxious, avoid things that make you anxious even when it causes problems, or other symptoms, it’s likely time to speak with a mental or behavioral health professional. Behavioral health focuses on understanding and addressing the way we behave, especially as a result of mental illness.
Support groups are another great resource to take advantage of. In the environment of a support group, you’ll find others who have the same thoughts and concerns. It’s hard to put into words how valuable it can be to understand and realize that you are truly not alone in your experience.
Can you ever be cured of anxiety?
While it may not be entirely possible to be fully cured of anxiety, it is possible to have it so well controlled that it barely interferes with your life.
There are lots of steps that individuals with anxiety must take to deal with their anxiety, and for most, it’s a lifelong effort. Taking advantage of behavioral health and human services when available to you is a great first step when developing a long-term treatment plan.
With the advice diagnosis or treatment of a professional, you can be assured that your health is being monitored and is in the best interest of everyone who’s a part of your care team.Other resources outside health care, like support groups, might also be an important part of treatment for you.
The goal when treating any mental illness is attempting to return one’s life back to normal. Unfortunately, none of these goals are necessarily easy to obtain. Still, with proper treatment and support, it’s likely that you can live a normal and healthy life even while dealing with anxiety.
How long can anxiety last?
Anxiety, for many people, is a long-term mental illness. That means that even with treatment from mental health services or behavioral health services, the symptoms of anxiety may still be challenging or persist.
Fortunately, behavioral health treatment gives you the tools to better handle anxiety even when you’re on your own.
Anxiety can also ebb and flow along with life. As things pick up and become more stressful, you may find that your anxiety spikes. Being aware of how your everyday life may impact your anxiety is another skill you can develop through therapy with a professional.
Can anxiety damage your heart?
Anxiety can have an impact on your physical health over time, especially if left totally untreated, but it’s unlikely that anxiety alone will cause very serious health consequences.
The result of anxiety - certain behaviors or habits - might contribute to your physical health (or lack thereof) over time. It’s important to speak with your doctor about any and all health information questions you have, especially if you’re dealing with chronic anxiety.
What to drink to calm nerves?
For many people, having a warm drink of choice is a great part of a strategic plan to fight depression and anxiety. It’s even more likely to help boost your mood if it’s part of a daily routine - taking the time out of your day to take care of and pamper yourself can actually be very healing. But if you deal with anxiety symptoms, it’s best to avoid caffeine, as caffeine withdrawal can actually worsen your symptoms.