When Anxiety Is Actually Depression: A Case Study
It’s possible to have both conditions at the same time, and the symptoms of each frequently overlap
It’s a hot summer’s day in London and the air is thick and heavy. It’s 2019, and I’m sitting in an elegantly proportioned room on Harley Street. A bespectacled psychiatrist looks at me with an expression of curiosity and compassion.
I’ve presented myself to him because I want anxiety medication, the stronger the better. Anxiety, I think, has started to derail my life. I blush at the barista when I order my morning Americano. Sweat pours from my hands when I drive my car. My heartbeat is never not rapid. I can’t stop thinking about worst case scenarios.
He listens to this summary of my predicament, takes some notes, then asks me: “If you had to pick just one, would you say you are anxious, or would you say you are depressed?”
I don’t hesitate. “I’m anxious,” I tell him.
He sits back in his chair, removes his spectacles, and sighs. “You’re wrong,” he tells me. “You’re not anxious. You’re depressed.” And then he tells me why.
