[MDDBPDPTSD]

I am so depressed, all i want to do is sleep. But I have been more depressed in the past. I am not crying for hours a day every day. I am not actively praying for death, not contemplating suicide daily, not so depressed I cannot move. I have been that bad in the past. For me, that is the worst. Some of that had to do with where I used to live. I did not feel safe there. I do not leave my house because the outside world is too dangerous. But at least I feel relatively safe in my house. If I hear a noise, I will wonder if that is someone coming to harm me, but when things are "normal" where I live, I feel safe enough. The depression is getting harder and harder to fight. It is getting worse. I pray it does not get as bad as it once was.

On the other hand, now, to go with the depression, I have anxiety each and every day. Yippee! Even when NOTHING is happening, I find myself grinding my teeth or scratching my skin up with my fingernails. I cannot seem to stop worrying about finances, life, food, family, relationships, the past, the present, the future, the dogs, my eternal destiny, others ... the list goes on.

I do get short of breath sometimes with this stuff, but I have only had the debilitating chest pain twice. The odd thing about the chest pain is that both of those times I was no particularly anxious at onset. So, I question if that was indeed anxiety related. Even so, the point is that my anxiety is NOT as bad as some peoples. Definitely not as bad as it can get. And if I use the mindfulness exercises I can get the anxiety back to baseline. The problem with that is that baseline is not comfortable. I need to figure out how to lower my baseline anxiety. That is not happening, even with DBT. Any suggestions?

OK, so I know from experience that my depression can get much worse. I know from listening to others that anxiety can get worse. Anxiety is a relatively new companion for me. I have had situational anxiety for a long time, but to have anxiety just because I am breathing is new. It is always there to one extent or another. So is the depression. How can someone be simualtaneously anxious and depressed? It does not make sense to me. And does this mean that I am now bi-polar?

Those of you who are bi-polar and those with experience with anxiety and depression, please help.

Also, any folks who want to share an opinion about which is worse, anxiety or depression, that is VERY welcomed. Please also state why you feel the way you do about the issues.

Thank you all. I have not been very vocal of late, because I do not like to spread my funk. There is enough sadness, cynicism and pain in the world without me adding to it. I have tried to explain what I am going through in a factual manor without my darkness added to the language. My apologies if I did not succeed.

[wadingthruemotions]

Originally Posted by MDDBPDPTSD

Those of you who are bi-polar and those with experience with anxiety and depression, please help.

Also, any folks who want to share an opinion about which is worse, anxiety or depression, that is VERY welcomed. Please also state why you feel the way you do about the issues.

This of course is a personal opinion for me...Anxiety is worse that depression. Other than one really bad clinical diagnosis of depression, the episodes aren't that bad.
Anxiety makes me immobile and at the same time i am panic driven and can't really do anything to control it at the time. There is nothing. I literally can't move sometimes.

Others i just pace around and around saying the same things to try to calm me down and nothing works. I am just in a tizzy and my heart is racing, etc. it is just awful.

[UnderTheRose]

I find the two sort of go hand in hand for me. When I am in a depressive state, anxiety seems to mount. I've rarely been the just low/quiet/black depressive, for me its fits of crying, worry, obsessive concern and panic attacks, so I can't really say which is worse of the two as I've never really had one without the other.

[almostthere]

I think anxiety and depression go hand in hand. If u experience one the other is right behind. That has been my experience. Some mornings when I get up I'm feeling ok..... then my anxiety kicks in, then I get depressed because I let myself worry about things going on in my life and that causes me to become depressed.The problem with me is that over time I just let these mental conditions control me. Yes, I still take care of myself, Icook, pay my bills and stuff but I still carry this heavy feeling caaused by anxiety and depression and find it hard to smile or feel good about anything. I've done some research and found out that I must learn to train my brain to stop letting things hold me back from moving forward.

It's a new learning process which presents me with a new challenge in dealing with myself and my place in the world.

I hope in sharing my thoughts on this matter u can at least feel that u r not alone in ur struggle. There r millions of us who are suffering that same way.

Anyway, have a good day and I hope to help u some more in the near future.

Originally Posted by MDDBPDPTSD

I am so depressed, all i want to do is sleep. But I have been more depressed in the past. I am not crying for hours a day every day. I am not actively praying for death, not contemplating suicide daily, not so depressed I cannot move. I have been that bad in the past. For me, that is the worst. Some of that had to do with where I used to live. I did not feel safe there. I do not leave my house because the outside world is too dangerous. But at least I feel relatively safe in my house. If I hear a noise, I will wonder if that is someone coming to harm me, but when things are "normal" where I live, I feel safe enough. The depression is getting harder and harder to fight. It is getting worse. I pray it does not get as bad as it once was.

On the other hand, now, to go with the depression, I have anxiety each and every day. Yippee! Even when NOTHING is happening, I find myself grinding my teeth or scratching my skin up with my fingernails. I cannot seem to stop worrying about finances, life, food, family, relationships, the past, the present, the future, the dogs, my eternal destiny, others ... the list goes on.

I do get short of breath sometimes with this stuff, but I have only had the debilitating chest pain twice. The odd thing about the chest pain is that both of those times I was no particularly anxious at onset. So, I question if that was indeed anxiety related. Even so, the point is that my anxiety is NOT as bad as some peoples. Definitely not as bad as it can get. And if I use the mindfulness exercises I can get the anxiety back to baseline. The problem with that is that baseline is not comfortable. I need to figure out how to lower my baseline anxiety. That is not happening, even with DBT. Any suggestions?

OK, so I know from experience that my depression can get much worse. I know from listening to others that anxiety can get worse. Anxiety is a relatively new companion for me. I have had situational anxiety for a long time, but to have anxiety just because I am breathing is new. It is always there to one extent or another. So is the depression. How can someone be simualtaneously anxious and depressed? It does not make sense to me. And does this mean that I am now bi-polar?

Those of you who are bi-polar and those with experience with anxiety and depression, please help.

Also, any folks who want to share an opinion about which is worse, anxiety or depression, that is VERY welcomed. Please also state why you feel the way you do about the issues.

Thank you all. I have not been very vocal of late, because I do not like to spread my funk. There is enough sadness, cynicism and pain in the world without me adding to it. I have tried to explain what I am going through in a factual manor without my darkness added to the language. My apologies if I did not succeed.

[greentires4me]

I been dealing with most it all my life but I would have to say maybe anxiety where it crippples you to the ground and you miss chances of going outside seeing people get married seeing babies be born or just being able to move out of that stricken feeling that last for hours it seems like. you just miss out on life in general...where as with depression I still can leave the house and see life just pass before me but crying while I am walking isn't in the plans some times but it does happen.but to me anxiety has crippled my life as I know

I've dealt with both deep, dark, despairing depression and horrible, panicky anxiety, both so bad that I had to take medical leave from work. Right now my depression is under control but I'm dealing with anxiety nearly every day that comes out of nowhere, and I can't always pinpoint the source of it. Even if I can pinpoint it, I usually can't make it go away, and it's bad enough that it's all I think about. My appetite suffers, I don't have fun doing things, I can't think clearly... I would definitely say that, for me, anxiety is worse than depression.

[MDDBPDPTSD]

Thank you all for your replies. I am sorry that you have the experience to be able to reply, but I am grateful you shared willingly and generously. Hugs to all.

i have been lucky recently that i haven't really had to worry about either, but for me personally...the anxiety triggers anger worse than the depression, so i'd say the anxiety is worse because of what it causes. i can ignore the depression, or redirect it, but the anxiety is every day, anything and everything can trigger it. i have social anxiety, but i work in retail, so i'm fighting it off every day while at work and then i get home and all the anxiety that i was fighting off piles in on me and it's very draining. but the depression comes and goes.

I couldn't place a tag on either one as better or worse tbh.

It's a very subjective question. I mean it would depend on the severity of the anxiety or depression. Either of them if severe, would be equally bad IMO. Both can be destructive and disruptive to my life and people around me. I could never choose one or the other as I would never choose to be anything but peaceful and happy if I had the choice

[Phreak]

Just because one is worse for one person for another person it could be the other way around.

While I disagree that you can't have one and not the other, I believe to various degrees they do tend to co-exist.

Phreak

thanks to this thread, i discovered that my anxiety actually causes my anger and depression. i was able to talk to my T about it yesterday. he said it's possible that my depression causes my anxiety and my anger, but i'm convinced anxiety is the cause of everything. so gotta fix that and maybe the rest will simmer down.

so thank you very much for asking this question!

I find that all my problems with anxiety stem from a lack of depression.
For me, depression is worse. I've had panic attacks and they didn't come close to depression in pain level, even when I thought I was going to die. But I'm generally not very anxious I think.

[shortandcute]

My personal experience is that they are both pretty bad; there are times when my anxiety is worse and other times when my depression is worse. And alot of times when they go hand in hand. I'm of the opinion that everyone's personal experience may be a little different. Good question!