"Stress, Anxiety, or Depression?"

As COVID-19 continues along its path of devastation, an increasing number of people are suffering from "something," which may take the form of anxiety, depression, stress, or any combination thereof. Thus, I have posted an excerpt of this article and the url to the entire text.
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Our brain’s survival mechanisms once saved us. Now they can threaten our mental health.

Certainty is in short supply these days. Feeling a lack of control over a situation can fuel feelings of stress and anxiety, and possibly lead to depression. Understanding the differences between them can help lead to the right treatment, say Yale Medicine experts.

Long before the coronavirus pandemic mixed fear and uncertainty into daily life, Americans felt stressed out.

They worried about the country’s rising health care costs, struggled to pay them, and wondered if they could even access care in the future. One-quarter of U.S. adults reported discrimination—based on race and gender—as a significant source of stress. And on an individual level, work and money ranked as the top two major stressors, all according to a 2019 study.

Wherever constant stress lives, so too does its more agitated and debilitating cousin: anxiety. About 31% of Americans will experience an anxiety disorder at some point in their lives, with adult and teen women experiencing one far more often than men, according to the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health.

What’s more, anxiety often goes hand-in-hand with depression. Nearly half of people diagnosed with depression also have an anxiety disorder, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. At any one time, “about 7% of the U.S. population meets criteria for a major depressive disorder,” says Rachel Katz, MD, a psychiatrist at Yale Psychiatric Hospital.

As if those statistics weren’t worrying enough, enter the global pandemic that has upended daily life in numerous ways, leaving millions of Americans without a job, and producing far more questions than answers. When will we be safely able to move about our lives? Will the kids go back to school in September? Will I lose my job? Will I or someone I care about get sick?

“With these concerns, the experience right now is, ‘I don’t have a lot of control over what is happening around me,’” says Carolyn M. Mazure, PhD, a Yale Medicine psychologist and director of Women’s Health Research at Yale.

Feeling a lack of control over a situation can lead to stress, anxiety, and even depression. Recognizing the differences between the them can lead to the right treatment. [MORE AT:]

https://www.yalemedicine.org/stories/stress-anxiety-depression/?utm_source=YaleToday&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=YT_YaleNews - Alumni From Peoplehub_6-2-2020