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Clinically significant depression and anxiety go beyond normal feelings of sadness, worry, or stress. They are mental health conditions that significantly interfere with a person’s daily life, relationships, and ability to function. Here’s a breakdown:

Depression

This isn’t just “feeling sad” for a day or two. Clinically significant depression includes:

• Persistent sadness or emptiness: Feeling down most of the day, nearly every day, for at least two weeks.

• Loss of interest or pleasure: Losing enjoyment in activities that were once enjoyable.

• Physical symptoms: Changes in appetite or weight, trouble sleeping (too much or too little), fatigue, or a lack of energy.

• Difficulty thinking: Trouble concentrating, making decisions, or remembering things.

• Feelings of worthlessness or guilt: Strong, often irrational feelings of failure or self-blame.

• Thoughts of death or suicide: Recurrent thoughts about dying or planning harm to oneself.

Anxiety

Anxiety disorders go beyond the usual worries or stress everyone experiences. It includes:

• Excessive worry: Feeling overwhelmed by worry or fear that is out of proportion to the situation, often for weeks or months.

• Physical symptoms: Restlessness, tension, a racing heart, sweating, trembling, or stomach issues.

• Avoidance: Steering clear of situations or activities that might trigger anxiety, even if they’re important or necessary.

• Intrusive thoughts: Constantly thinking about “what-ifs” or worst-case scenarios.

• Impact on daily life: Difficulty concentrating, working, or socializing because of persistent anxiety.

Both conditions are treatable with therapies (like cognitive behavioral therapy), medications, or a combination of both. It’s important to seek help if these symptoms last for weeks, get worse over time, or start interfering with daily life.