Symptoms of anxiety and depression often coexist, and evidence suggests that this has a genetic basis, among other possible causes. However, the current classification of comorbid generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) and depression (anxious depression) in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Fifth Edition; DSM-5) does not fully reflect the high prevalence of anxiety symptoms in people with depression and the International Classification of Diseases (10th and 11th revisions) has tended to identify anxious depression with minor disorders seen in primary care. As a result, few dedicated therapeutic trials have been conducted in patients with anxious depression, and specific treatment guidelines and recommendations are lacking. Fortunately, there is considerable therapeutic overlap between anxiety and depression, such that many agents with antidepressant efficacy are also effective for symptoms of GAD. The initial treatment of a patient with depression and symptoms of anxiety should be with an agent that is approved for both major depressive disorder and GAD, such as a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor. There is an obvious need for greater recognition of anxious depression in order to boost the volume of high-quality clinical data, which should translate over time into better, more specific treatment recommendations and improved outcomes.

焦虑和抑郁的症状经常并存，有证据表明这有遗传基础，以及其他可能的原因。然而，目前《精神疾病诊断和统计手册》（第五版；DSM-5）中对合并广泛性焦虑症（GAD）和抑郁症（焦虑性抑郁症）的分类并不能完全反映抑郁症患者焦虑症状的高患病率和国际疾病分类（第 10 次和第 11 次修订）倾向于将焦虑性抑郁症与初级保健中的轻微疾病相鉴别。因此，很少有专门针对焦虑抑郁症患者进行的治疗试验，也缺乏具体的治疗指南和建议。幸运的是，焦虑和抑郁之间存在相当大的治疗重叠，因此许多具有抗抑郁功效的药物也对 GAD 症状有效。患有抑郁症和焦虑症状的患者的初始治疗应使用被批准用于重度抑郁症和 GAD 的药物，例如选择性 5-羟色胺再摄取抑制剂。显然需要更多地认识焦虑抑郁症，以增加高质量临床数据的数量，随着时间的推移，这些数据应该会转化为更好的、