Is Anxiety a Mood Disorder?

“No, anxiety is a feeling. All people experience anxiety at some time in their life during
events like car accidents, weddings and new jobs. but are short lived and not an actual
disorder. There are several qualifications before anxiety is diagnosed as an anxiety disorder,”

half of people with an anxiety disorder also develop depression (a mood disorder), if the
anxiety is left untreated.

“Depression frequently co-occurs in other mental illnesses. People get frustrated that they
just can’t make it go away or stop. So they get depressed on top of whatever illness they are
first experiencing,” Ohrt says.

Ohrt says, ultimately, depression and anxiety are not the same. They do have some
overlapping symptoms including nervousness, irritability, problems with sleep and
concentration. But each disorder has its own causes and its own emotional and behavioral
causes.