Can anxiety cause depression?

Posted on: Fri, 08/09/2019 - 11:21am
MillieM's picture
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Joined: 08/08/2019 - 15:25

I have been dealing with anxiety for quite a few years now. I remember exactly when it all started and after dealing with it for years now, I have started feeling more depressed. Now I am not understanding if it is directly caused by anxiety or not. Is it caused by my life's circumstances or anxiety directly? A lot of times I feel like I can't even leave the house because of how anxious I get. I am on an "as needed" anxiety medication which helps subside the symptoms but I am not wanting to take anxiety meds each and every day. So I have been feeling like more of a recluse because I don't want to leave the house a lot of times. I am thinking that this is now a double-edged sword; I don't want to take meds regularly which may help me overall and now I am getting depressed because I am scared to leave the house because of my anxiety. I look around and see all of my friends living very full and happy lives, going out and traveling freely without worry while I suffer. From the outside, you wouldn't think that there is anything wrong with me, but I am really struggling. I talk to a therapist on the phone every week but that does not seem to be helping my anxiety directly. I don't want this to spiral out of control. Does anyone have any tips for me?

Posted on: Mon, 08/12/2019 - 4:01pm
spaceman's picture
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Joined: 07/02/2019 - 15:02

I understand what you are going through. I have felt the same way. I have had really bad anxiety when I go out in public places. After a while I was feeling so bad when I would leave my house that I started to leave my house less and less. It is true that sometimes you feel like everyone is out there living their lives and your life is just passing you by. This can really get very depressing. But I do know that things can get better. I always feel like there is hope. I found that stress was causing my anxiety really bad so I found ways over time to reduce it and manage it which reduced my anxiety and then helped my depression. It is not perfect but its better. I know its hard sometimes to know what is causing it happen but we are all going through it.

Posted on: Mon, 08/12/2019 - 4:06pm
bali bae's picture
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Joined: 08/12/2019 - 12:02

yes millie, i get it and feel you on this, my anxiety gets so bad that i don't even want to leave the house and i've canceled plans so many times that i've really been feeling depressed about it. it's all bc there have been times that i've actually gone out and had to leave bc of my anxiety. it's even worse bc i feel like my friends don't get it, they look at me like i'm crazy. it's nice to have people here to get it and i can share this kind of stuff with.

Posted on: Tue, 09/24/2019 - 1:28pm
JustJules's picture
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Joined: 08/09/2019 - 09:13

i think it does and i think that's what i've been going through lately. my stress about finances has been so bad that my anxiety is at an all time high. i've been alienating myself bc i'm afraid that if i leave the house i'll have a full blown panic attack and i've also removed myself from social situations bc i'm not in a place where i can listen to how wonderful everyone's lives are, that makes me way more depressed. i forced myself to go out one night when my anxiety was bad and i regretted it bc on top of my bad anxiety i had to listen to everyone's stories about how great their lives are. not doing that again for a while. i need to lay low. so yes, i do think that anxiety can cause depression.

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