Can people diagnosed with depression also suffer from anxiety?
Yes. As many as two-thirds of people who struggle with depression also have prominent symptoms of anxiety. Anxiety refers to excessive worry that is hard to control (apprehensive expectation). A person with anxiety feels restless or “keyed up and on edge.” The person may also: tire easily, feel his or her mind going blank, feel irritable, or have tense muscles, trouble concentrating and sleep problems. The combination of depressive and anxiety symptoms can severely impair a person’s ability to function at work, at school and in relationships. If you have symptoms of both depression and anxiety, a thorough assessment should determine which of the two is the primary problem. The diagnosis will influence what kind of treatment is suggested. If it is difficult to tell which is the primary disorder, a diagnosis of mixed anxiety-depressive disorder will be made, and treatment will be prescribed accordingly. Many of the medications used to treat depression, such as Prozac (fluoxetine) and Ana
