Mixed anxious-depressive disorder is one of the mental disorders that has been most debated as to whether or not to take it into account within the classification of mental disorders. Finally, it has not been accepted within this classification and not precisely because a person cannot present it, but rather it is diagnosed separately as a depressive disorder with anxiety features or vice versa. Mixed anxious-depressive disorder refers to those cases where people cannot be diagnosed with anxiety or depression since they do not meet all the symptoms, however they show having some symptoms of both pathologies simultaneously.
In this Psychology-Online article. Mixed anxiety-depressive disorder: causes, symptoms and treatmentwe are going to describe in greater depth what this type of pathology consists of.
Mixed anxiety-depressive disorder: symptoms
It is necessary to take into account that, for a person to be diagnosed with this type of disorder, it is necessary that the symptoms they present, both anxiety and depression, be mild. Another issue to take into account is that all the symptoms that the person presents are having an impact on one or more areas of their life.
Diagnostic criteria according to the DSM-V
For a person to be diagnosed with an anxious-depressive disorder, they must have some of the following symptoms, taking into account that they must have been experiencing them for at least 1 month in a row and have a depressed mood. The main symptoms are the following:
- find yourself quite irritable and upset most of the day
- Having constant and intense worry even without having real reasons to be worried
- Difficulty concentrating on any type of activity and learning a new skill
- Have sleeping problems
- Experiencing tiredness and fatigue
- Have almost all day
- Feeling extremely sensitive and wanting to cry
- Feelings of worthlessness and low self-esteem
- Excessive worry about what is going to happen in the future and feeling the need to protect yourself
All of these symptoms cause the person who suffers them a high degree of dissatisfaction and unhappiness in one or more areas of their life.
Causes of mixed anxiety-depressive disorder
It has been found that there are different causes that can lead a person to suffer from a mixed anxiety-depressive disorder. This type of psychological imbalance can appear in combination with various factors such as environmental, psychological and biological factors. Next, we will explain what each of them consists of.
- Biological factors. There are some biological factors that can influence a person to suffer from this type of disorder, such as an imbalance in brain chemistry due to a deficiency of some neurotransmitters such as and/or dopamine. This can also be hereditary and passed from one generation to the next.
- Psychological factors. Among these factors is everything related to the individual’s personality; there are certain personality traits or characteristics that are more vulnerable to suffering from this type of disorder. This is also influenced by the person’s own beliefs, thoughts, ideas and general perception of life.
- Environmental factors. Among the main environmental factors is having grown up in a dysfunctional family, having received insecure care and having had many difficulties and problems throughout life, mainly of a family and economic nature.
Can mixed anxiety-depressive disorder be cured?
People who suffer from this type of disorder need to undergo psychological treatment. The psychological treatment that has obtained the best results for the cure of this condition is . The objective of this therapy is to gradually reduce the person’s symptoms of anxiety and depression. To achieve this, first of all, the patient is explained through psychoeducation what his diagnosis is and all the aspects related to it, such as knowing what the disorder he suffers consists of, its causes, symptoms, consequences, among others. things.
Afterwards, we work to reduce the level of physiological activation related to anxiety, to do this, relaxation and breathing techniques are used. On the other hand, work is also done through cognitive restructuring with those negative thoughts that encourage you to act or feel in a certain way, so they are modified to change the person’s perception and make them more positive. Another objective is for the patient to improve her mood and to do so, we work with behavioral activation, making the patient return to those activities that were pleasurable.
This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
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