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What’s causing the anxiety?
With mood disorders like depression and
bipolar disorder, sometimes anxiety is a symptom. Other times it is a
separate illness. It also may have physical, environmental or
lifestyle-related causes.
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When we asked
people living with anxiety and a mood disorder where they
thought their anxiety came from, here's what they said:
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Symptom of
a mood disorder... 69.5 % |
| Separate
illness... 11.1 % |
| Side
effect of medication... 9.6 % |
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Response to life event(s)...
68.4 % |
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Heredity... 44.3 % |
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Is anxiety a symptom of mood disorders or
a separate illness?Anxiety has some things in common with depression, such as low levels of the
brain chemical serotonin. Because
of this, some treatments for depression can help anxiety symptoms too,
including antidepressant medications and psychotherapy. Some bipolar
disorder treatments, including antipsychotic medications, can also help
with anxiety symptoms.
Your health care providers are best able to
figure out how to treat your anxiety and mood symptoms when you let them
know all of your symptoms and concerns. If your
symptoms don’t go away or get worse, keep asking your providers to help
you find other ways to treat them.
In the
STEP-BD program
at Harvard University, a
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
study, in the first 500 patients, 52.8% of those with
bipolar I disorder and 46.1% of those with bipolar II disorder had a
diagnosed anxiety disorder.
Another NIMH study, the
Bipolar
Genetics Initiative, reported that more than 90% of people with
panic disorder also had some form of depression or bipolar disorder.
Nearly
96% of the people with depression or bipolar disorder who took DBSA's
2005 online survey said they had experienced anxiety symptoms.
Physical
Other physical conditions of the brain or
body, including illness, can cause or worsen anxiety symptoms. For some people, anxiety may be a result of
medication side effects. If your anxiety symptoms start suddenly
within the first couple
of weeks after you start taking the medication, they may be side
effects. Keep track of them and let your health care providers
know.
Tell your provider about any other
illnesses you have and medications you take. Talk about how your
medications affect you and work with your providers to find ways to
change your treatment and reduce your anxiety. You don't have to
live with side effects. Your doctor should be able to work with
you to find ways to reduce or eliminate them.
Environment
When a person spends time in stressful
situations, anxiety is likely to be high. High-tension home or work
relationships, or any situation in which a person’s fight or flight
response is triggered, can make anxiety symptoms worse. Sometimes
situations can be changed, other times a person can be helped by therapy
and other treatments to respond to situations with less anxiety.
Lifestyle
Many people find the increased excitement or adrenaline rush
that comes with a high-risk lifestyle enjoyable.
A person may also engage in high-risk activities as a symptom of mania or
a response to the hopelessness of depression. A
high-risk lifestyle can be a source of anxiety. Alcohol and drugs, though
people often use them to
cope with anxiety, can also cause anxiety by setting off chemical
changes in the brain.
More about
mood disorders and alcohol or drug use
Whatever is causing your anxiety, there
is help.
Treating and Living with Anxiety | 
