In day-to-day talking with our friends or family, we tend to speak of depression, stress, and anxiety as if they are interchangeable or describing the same thing. This is not the case.

• Depression refers to an experience where you feel down most of the time which is called “low mood” and you have also lost interest in things you usually enjoy. You may also have changes in your sleep and appetite, feel guilty, de-motivated, and generally withdraw from others.

• Stress is usually characterized by a sense of feeling overwhelmed. This feeling may be due to your coping capacity being overstretched or having been under pressure for too long. Some stress can help us to perform our day-to-day functions, too much stress leaves us “distressed” and often exhausted.

• Anxiety is a sense of fear or dread that something terrible is going to happen. Anxiety can be general or specific to a place, social situation, or thing (phobia).

Depression, stress, and anxiety are the most common problems that lead people to therapy.

Anxiety is a healthy and normal feeling that serves an important function – it heightens our awareness, enhances our focus on specific tasks, and prepares us to act quickly when necessary. Almost everyone has experienced anxiety at some point in their lives. Examples of everyday situations that cause anxiety in most people are things like public speaking, a first date, a job interview, or taking a test. However, when anxiety is excessive, out of proportion to the situation, and interferes with daily activities, it may be a sign of an anxiety disorder.

Anxiety is often accompanied by depression, and the two share many symptoms and involve many of the same brain pathways. Many factors can contribute to a vulnerability to anxiety, such as biology and traumatic experiences.