Depression, anxiety and PTSD: knowing the difference

Last week I wrote about the day I couldn't make my bed, and how that small failure was the first sign that something wasn't right. What I didn't get into is what that "something" actually was, or how many different shapes it can take. In conversation, people often use depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) almost interchangeably, as though they're just different words for the same low mood. They're not. They can overlap, and a person can experience more than one at once, but each has its own pattern, and the way forward through each one is different too. Depression tends to sit as a heaviness. It's a persistent low mood, a loss of interest in things that used to matter, and often a kind of flatness that makes even small tasks feel enormous. It's not sadness that lifts after a good night's sleep. It lingers, and it can hollow out a person's sense of purpose over weeks or months. Anxiety works differently. Where depression can feel like a weight pressing down, anxiety is more like a live wire. It shows up as persistent worry, a racing mind, and physical symptoms such as a tight chest or restlessness, often about things that haven't happened yet, or might never happen at all. PTSD is different again, and it's the one I know from the inside. It's not just being affected by something bad that happened. It's when the brain and body keep responding to a threat that isn't in the room anymore. That can mean flashbacks, being constantly on edge, or reacting strongly to something that reminds you of the original event, long after everyone else has assumed you've moved on. For me, service left a mark that turned up in ways I didn't expect and didn't always recognise for what it was at the time. That's part of the problem with all three of these conditions: from the inside, they don't come with a label. They just feel like something's wrong, and it's easy to assume it's a personal failing rather than something with a name and a path towards treatment. That's exactly why getting the distinction right matters. Treating anxiety like depression, or PTSD like generalised anxiety, can mean months spent on an approach that was never going to fit. A proper assessment from a GP or mental health professional is the way to find out what's actually going on, rather than guessing from the outside. None of this is about self-diagnosis. It's about recognising that "not being okay" isn't one single thing, and that naming it accurately is often the difference between spinning your wheels and starting to get somewhere. If any of this sounds familiar, talk to your GP, or reach out to one of the services below. You don't have to have the right words for it before you ask for help. If this brings up anything for you, support is available: Lifeline 13 11 14 Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467 MensLine Australia 1300 789 978 Open Arms 1800 011 046