An article in this month’s Archives of General Psychiatry presents a study that looks at the relation of depression to generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).

The relation of anxiety to depression is complex at least in part because of the way the two conditions overlap. Most people with depression have at least some symptoms of anxiety, and many people with anxiety have significant symptoms of depression.

The study reported in the Archives shows that patterns of GAD over time are similar to those of other anxiety disorders, such as social phobia and panic disorder. At the same time, the course of depression was different from the anxiety disorders.

This study shows again that in spite of similarities, GAD and other anxiety disorders are in many ways distinct from mood disorders. In spite of the overlap in symptoms (and often, treatments), GAD may be separate from depression.

Reference:

Beesdo K, et al. (2010). Incidence and risk patterns of anxiety and depressive disorders and categorization of generalized anxiety disorder. Archives of General Psychiatry, 67, 47-57.