PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS OF ANXIETY - PANIC
If
you have any of these anxiety symptoms that are listed below, please
don't suffer any longer and go seek help immediately. Your first
step is to get properly diagnosed. Only a professional can diagnose
anxiety.
The National
Institute of Mental Health toll-free information line is 1-888-ANXIETY
Don't feel ashamed, many people experience these symptoms. Anxiety disorder and panic attacks are very common disorders. Your doctor will understand. Make a list of your symptoms to take with you to the doctor so that you don't forget any of them. Be sure to talk openly and freely with your doctor so you can get the help you deserve.
Many people with anxiety disorders do not seek treatment for their symptoms. They don't think their symptoms can be treated. In addition, they may fear what others might think of them if they seek treatment. As a result, many will suffer with an anxiety disorder, and the symptoms that come with it, when they don't have to. This can go untreated for long periods of time.
Often mistaken for serious physical problems, symptoms of a panic attack, or anxiety symptoms, are hard to accept for some. Effective treatment of anxiety disorders requires careful diagnosis and safe treatment. Relieving the symptoms of anxiety, panic disorder, and/or phobias don’t have to take years. Your health care provider can, with proven techniques, bring a change in a matter of weeks or less. Individuals with anxiety disorders can get significant relief from their symptoms.
The American Psychiatric Association's criteria states that 4 or more of the following physical symptoms of anxiety must be intensely and suddenly present, and reach their peak within ten minutes for diagnosis of panic disorder/anxiety. Click on each of the anxiety symptoms to get even more information.
Anxiety Symptoms:
Palpitations
- Heart Beating Hard and/or Fast or Pounding - Heartbeat
sensations that involve a regular or irregular pounding
of the heart. It is a conscious, unpleasant awareness
of one's own heartbeat, or a sensation of skipped or
stopped beats. Palpitations can be felt in the chest,
throat, or neck. Palpitations may be felt accompanying
emotions such as excitement or fright. Everyone experiences
palpitations at some time in life. Pounding of the heart,
brought on by strenuous exercise or strong emotions,
is rarely associated with serious disease.
Click
here to read more about Palpitations.
Sweating
- Perspiration - In most cases, sweating
is perfectly natural, especially when exercising, or
hot, or if something has happened to cause an emotional
response (being angry, embarrassed, nervous, afraid,
or anxious).
Click here to
read more about Sweating.
Trembling
or Shaking - Trembling or shaking can
be associated with fatigue, stress, anxiety, anger, or
rage. However, a constant tremor that is not associated
with altered emotional states may be a sign of disease
or a abnormal condition and should be evaluated.
Click here to
read more about Trembling or Shaking.
Shortness
of Breath - Breathlessness - Difficulty Breathing - A
sensation of difficult or uncomfortable breathing, or
a feeling of not getting enough air. If the brain, muscles,
or other body organs do not receive enough oxygen, a
sense of breathlessness may occur. Sometimes emotional
distress, such as anxiety, can lead to difficulty breathing.
Click here to
read more about Shortness of Breath.
Difficulty
Swallowing - The sensation that food
is stuck in the throat or upper abdomen. This may be
felt high in the neck or lower down, behind the breastbone
(sternum). Sometimes emotional distress, such as anxiety,
can lead to difficulty swallowing.
Click here
to read more about Difficulty Swallowing.
Sharp
Pains in the Chest or Chest Discomfort - Sometimes
described as a heaviness, pressure, or discomfort in
the chest. When faced with unexpected chest pain, it
is normal for people to fear the worst because chest
pain is a symptom to which many people think "heart
attack." Nevertheless,
chest pain can have many causes unrelated to the heart.
Sometimes being caused by a panic-anxiety attack.
Click here
to read more about Chest Pain.
Abdominal
Pain - Stomach Pain - Abdominal pain
is a nonspecific symptom that may be associated with
a multitude of conditions such as anxiety or strong emotions.
Some symptoms do not occur within the abdomen itself,
but cause abdominal discomfort.
Click here
to read more about Abdominal - Stomach Pain.
Nausea
and Vomiting - Nausea
and vomiting are controlled by the central nervous system.
Nausea is controlled by a part of the nervous system
that controls involuntary bodily functions. Vomiting
is a reflex controlled by a vomiting center in the brain.
Vomiting can be stimulated by various triggers, such
as smell, taste, anxiety, pain, motion, changes in the
body caused by inflammation, poor blood flow, or irritation.
Click
here to read more about Nausea and Vomiting.
Dizziness
- Lightheadedness - Faintness - Dizziness
is a feeling of faintness or light-headedness, making
it difficult to maintain balance while standing or sitting.
A persistent light-headed feeling without other symptoms
is often due to anxiety, rather than a brain tumor or
other hidden disease. If it is severe, some anti-anxiety
medications can help treat light-headedness and dizziness.
Click here to
read more about Dizziness - Lightheadedness.
Hot
or Cold Flashes - A short lasting feeling
of "warm or cool" sensations in the upper body.
Sometimes emotional distress, such as anxiety, can lead
to hot or cold flashes.
Click
here to read more about Hot or Cold Flashes.
Fears
of Losing Control, Dying, or "Going Crazy" -
Click here to read
more about Fears of Losing Control, Dying, or Going Crazy.
The National Institute of Mental Health's toll-free information line is 1-888-ANXIETY
