Yeah, because I am not depressed. My was triggered by Post Partum Depression which I have long gotten over, but the anxiety and panic have chosen to stick around......

Of course it is. They don't always go hand in hand. I am not depressed. Not having to struggle with depression along with the anxiety is def a help. We have a leg up.

There's two schools of thought when it comes to anxiety and depression. My physician believes that depression is the underlying root cause of anxiety and that depression is just a chemical imbalance. Therefore, if you treat the depression, then you treat the anxiety and the best way to treat them both is with medication.

My psychologist comes from the school of thought that individuals can have anxiety and depression independent from each other. She also believes that a person's situation has a great bearing upon symptoms. I hold the same beliefs as my psychologist. I know that if it wasn't for my situation and all of the disappointments and heartbreaks in my life, that my anxiety would not be as bad. Of course, I was also doomed through a genetics standpoint with multiple members from both sides of my family having both depression and anxiety.

So, I don't have a concrete answer for you. It all depends on your school of thought and your beliefs.

I have always had anxiety, but only segmants of my life have I also had depression. Sometimes the anxiety gets so overwhelimg, it leads to depression (for me.) Everyone is different.

No ignorance in the least my dear! I do not suffer from depression in the least, so I guess it just depends on who you are. Do you suffer from both or just anxiety?

I was diagnosed with both depression and anxiety, but is seems to me that the anxiety is worse than the depression. However, my doctor seems to be more agressively treating the depression. In other words, I'm starting to think that there is a disconnect between what my primary problem is, and what my doctor thinks it is.

I have an appointment with him on Tuesday and I am going to go through this with him then.

It is possible to have one and not the other. I've had anxiety for a while, but the depression comes and goes. They aren't mutually exclusive. Ii is possible one can cause the other or one can be present and not the other. Good Luck with the doctor appointment.

Yes, the two can be separate or combined.
Depends on how your chemical balances flow.
An example would be the tides, they are set at high tide and low tide, and their levels change through cycle of the moon.
What happens is that whereever your chemical level is when it goes out of sync is where you will experience the physical symptoms of anxiety and/or depression.
It does make a huge difference as to the situation as well. I experience post traumatic stress reactions to a similar situation and am learning to control the anxiety associated.
Best wishes, and your question is valuable!

I also agree that you can have anxiety without depression. I was a very happy person until 2 months ago when I suddenly started having panic attacks and anxiety. I am still in a good mood when i don't have anxiety attacks.

This is actually the reason I refused to follow trough with my doctor's prescription for Paxil (for 8 months straight...) which is an antidepressant and I don't really feel depressed. My anxiety is health related btw.

I just wanted to say "thank you" to everyone who took the time and effort to reply to my question. It has helped me a lot.

Hi, I am new to this site, and I was also wondering the same thing? I only feel depressed when the anxiety gets the better of me.

Good luck with your appointment!!! Let us know what the doc says :)

Thanks cydvicious88, I am counting heavily on him helping me this time. I don't feel like I want to go on like this any longer.

I have had anxiety about as bad as you get it, yet I have never been somebody who gets depressed. I have my down days like everybody else, but I never stay down for long. My philosophy is that everyday is a new start, and that is what keeps me going.

Lilygirl ~ I get up every morning telling myself that its going to be a good day. Unfortunately, The depression that goes with my anxiety cannot be controlled by mind over matter. I'm pretty willing to bet that I'm not the only one who is this way. Its very frustrating.