Anxiety Attack Overview
For those who have ever experienced an anxiety attack, the symptoms are unmistakable.
But if you haven't been diagnosed yet or if you've just been through your first attack, it can be all the more terrifying because you don't understand what's happening to you.
Many people who suffering their first anxiety attack wind up in the emergency room because they believe they're having a heart attack.
Anxiety disorders can sometimes go misdiagnosed-for a long time many doctors dismissed them as a product of the imagination.
Now, though, anxiety attacks are recognized as a very real and serious problem and they've been the subject of much research.
Symptoms An anxiety attack is a combination of both physical and mental or emotional symptoms, which can often feed off of each other.
The heart pounds, the breath races.
Muscles tense up and the victim may sweat or salivate more.
Many people feel dizzy or light-headed.
The person suffering the attack will feel extreme panic and agitation.
They feel as though they are in a situation of terrible danger.
Possible Causes There are many possible triggers for anxiety attacks and the cause in each person is often ambiguous or varied.
One person may react with an anxiety attack to seeing a particular animal or object.
Others may panic is crowds or small spaces.
Stress, worry, lack of sleep and inadequate nourishment can all add up to an attack.
Sometimes the anxiety attacks themselves are a symptom of a broader anxiety disorder, like one of the following: · Social Phobia or Social Anxiety Disorder · Panic Disorder · Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) · Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) · Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) · A Specific Phobia Treatment Options Anxiety attacks are usually managed with prescription antidepressants.
Which type of antidepressant the doctor recommends often depends upon which category of anxiety the patient's symptoms fall into.
Support groups can also prove helpful to people struggling to control anxiety.
Interacting with others dealing with the same symptoms can increase your understanding and acceptance of your own situation.
Anxiety attacks are frightening but they don't have to prevent you from living a normal, productive life.
But if you haven't been diagnosed yet or if you've just been through your first attack, it can be all the more terrifying because you don't understand what's happening to you.
Many people who suffering their first anxiety attack wind up in the emergency room because they believe they're having a heart attack.
Anxiety disorders can sometimes go misdiagnosed-for a long time many doctors dismissed them as a product of the imagination.
Now, though, anxiety attacks are recognized as a very real and serious problem and they've been the subject of much research.
Symptoms An anxiety attack is a combination of both physical and mental or emotional symptoms, which can often feed off of each other.
The heart pounds, the breath races.
Muscles tense up and the victim may sweat or salivate more.
Many people feel dizzy or light-headed.
The person suffering the attack will feel extreme panic and agitation.
They feel as though they are in a situation of terrible danger.
Possible Causes There are many possible triggers for anxiety attacks and the cause in each person is often ambiguous or varied.
One person may react with an anxiety attack to seeing a particular animal or object.
Others may panic is crowds or small spaces.
Stress, worry, lack of sleep and inadequate nourishment can all add up to an attack.
Sometimes the anxiety attacks themselves are a symptom of a broader anxiety disorder, like one of the following: · Social Phobia or Social Anxiety Disorder · Panic Disorder · Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) · Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) · Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) · A Specific Phobia Treatment Options Anxiety attacks are usually managed with prescription antidepressants.
Which type of antidepressant the doctor recommends often depends upon which category of anxiety the patient's symptoms fall into.
Support groups can also prove helpful to people struggling to control anxiety.
Interacting with others dealing with the same symptoms can increase your understanding and acceptance of your own situation.
Anxiety attacks are frightening but they don't have to prevent you from living a normal, productive life.
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