In the fields of psychology and psychiatry, the terms depression or depressed refer to sadness and other related emotions and behaviors. It can be thought of as either a disease or a syndrome.

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) states that a depressed mood is often reported as feeling sad, helpless, and hopeless. In traditional colloquy, “depressed” is often synonymous with “sad,” but both clinical and non-clinical depression can also refer to a conglomeration of more than one feeling.

Anxiety is a psychological and physiological state characterized by cognitive, somatic, emotional, and behavioral components. These components combine to create an unpleasant feeling that is typically associated with uneasiness, fear, or worry.

Anxiety is a generalized mood state that occurs without an identifiable triggering stimulus. As such, it is distinguished from fear, which occurs in the presence of an external threat. Additionally, fear is related to the specific behaviors of escape and avoidance, whereas anxiety is the result of threats that are perceived to be uncontrollable or unavoidable.

Anxiety is a normal reaction to stress. It may help a person to deal with a difficult situation, for example at work or at school, by prompting one to cope with it. When anxiety becomes excessive, it may fall under the classification of an anxiety disorder.