Wired and exhausted at once. The worry and the flatness keep handing each other off. It is one of the most common things we see — and one of the most exhausting to carry.
Studies consistently put the overlap between anxiety and depression somewhere over half. Most of the people who come in saying “I think I’m depressed but I’m also constantly worried” are describing this exact pattern. They are not failing to know which one it is. It is both.
The combined experience is harder than either alone, partly because the two systems pull in different directions. Anxiety wants you to do more. Depression wants you to do less. Most days, you end up doing neither well, and feeling worse for both.
Anxiety wants you to do more. Depression wants you to do less. Most days you do neither well, and feel worse for both.— From the practice
Treatment for the combined picture is slightly different from treating either condition alone. We tend to begin by separating them just enough to see where each is showing up, then treat the underlying common ground.
A short conversation with our healthcare coordinator usually clears it up. No commitment to schedule.
Usually both, in the same work. Treating them in series often misses the point — they reinforce each other, and the relief comes from working on the shared ground.
Sometimes, often not. Many people with co-occurring anxiety and depression do well with therapy alone.
There’s overlap, but it’s not exactly the same. We’ll figure that out together.
Most people sit with the question for a long time before making the call. Whatever you’re carrying, we’ve almost certainly sat with someone holding something similar. The first step is just a conversation.