Vertigo - link with anxiety/depression?

[RoadTripin71]

Has anyone experienced vertigo as part of anxiety and/or depressive episodes? I have recently been diagnosed with Cervical Vertigo hand in hand with a major depression episode and I am wondering if there is a link between the two conditions.

[MsPurple]

Hi RoadTripin and welcome to the BB forums

I can't say I have had experienced complete vertigo as part of my anxiety, however when having an attack (anxiety/panic) I do tend to feel a bit dizzy and I feel really heavy. I'm not sure if this is what you meant. For me I don't get it chronically just when in a really highly anxious state.

[demonblaster]

Hi peeps welcome to forums Road 🙂

Interesting thread

I don't know but keen to hear what people say

Have the doctors explained why you have vertigo? To my limited knowledge I think there's a separate cause but don't take that as bible, though we're going great guns with medical learning, still learning so anythings possible.

That'd be an awful sensation, does it last long & often?

The fact you notice it during episodes is interesting, kinda seems connected aye & Purple having dizziness

There's heavy mind activity going on in anxiety attacks

tc (take care) both

[OnlyHuman]

Yes RoadTripin71, I have! I had a really bad depressive episode at the end of last year/beginning of this year where I suffered from day-long headaches and transient spells of vertigo intermittently throughout the day, especially when walking (but did progress to when I was sitting as I got worse).

I'm not sure if what I experienced was the same as cervical vertigo, but basically I would be walking and suddenly I felt like the ground was tilting, spinning or undulating and I was going to fall over if I kept moving. They continued throughout my episode (which lasted about 3 months) and very gradually subsided as I entered partial remission. It was actually because of the vertigo that I saw my GP in the first place which eventually lead to my diagnosis with depression. It also surprised me at the time because I never considered that depression could give rise to physical symptoms like vertigo and headaches.

Overall, I think that while everyone may have slightly different symptoms from depression, vertigo can also arise from it, especially if you don't have any issues with your vestibular system and if you don't get it when you are in partial or full remission.

Hope this helps!