Stress and depression can look and feel very similar to one another. The most common symptoms for both include sleeping, eating, concentration, and mood problems, as well as difficulty performing everyday tasks. Physically, there is a lot of overlap between stress and depression as both affect the immune system, leading to increases in certain markers of inflammation.
For depressed patients this is Changes in your brain are similar to those seen in chronic stress. And chronic stress, if left untreated, can lead to depression. For example, adults who experienced high levels of adversity in their childhood leading to toxic stress have a lot higher rates of depression.
“The biology is not the same, but they have a lot in common,” says Philip Muskin, Professor of Psychiatry at Columbia University.
How to Tell the Difference Between Stress and Depression.
Stress is phasic
There are significant differences when it comes to stress versus depression, especially when it comes to effective treatment options. One of the main differences between stress and depression is that stress can come and go.
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“For most people, stress is something that is phasic. You have a stressful time and you come back out, ”says Muskin. “Depression isn’t like that. Depression lasts for years in some people. It can spontaneously decrease in some people, but not in everyone. ”
For example, when a happy event occurs, such as visiting friends or loved ones, a stressed person may feel happy in that moment, although the stress is likely to return after they have left. A depressed person will not be able to be happy at this moment, even if they know they should.
“If you can get home from work and still recharge, it’s not a major clinical depression,” says Sheryl Ziegler, a psychologist and author of the book Mommy Burnout: How to Reclaim Your Life While Raising Healthier Children. “Clinical depression doesn’t come and go.”
So what’s the treatment for stress? To reduce it, Muskin advises through measures such as exercise, meditation, and mindfulness, as well as reducing the source of stress.
Depression is a disease
For a depressed person, taking measures to reduce stress – such as exercise or going out into nature – can help, but not cure them.
“Only medication can help with certain types of depression,” says Muskin.
At its core, depression is a brain disease. Just like we treat an infection with antibiotics, depression often requires medication. For someone with severe depression, “mind over matter” or “wanting it away” will not work. Instead, a person with depression needs medical treatment.
“Depression is no different from any other illness,” says Muskin. “It’s a medical disease.”
The most important thing to know when you are experiencing stress or depression is that help is available and that it can get better. For stress, this means reducing the source of stress and finding ways to deal with it. For depression, this includes treatment such as therapy and medication.
Whatever the right solution, you know there is one, and that the first step to getting the help you need may be the most important of all.
