Agoraphobia With Panic Disorder
Agoraphobia is a type of anxiety disorder in which a person fears and avoids places or situations that might cause them to panic and feel helpless, embarrassed, or unable to escape. This usually develops as a complication of panic disorder, and can reduce a personââ¬â¢s quality of life, as they may become afraid of doing everyday tasks. Treatment is normally effective in helping to manage this condition.
How Are Panic Attacks Diagnosed
Serious health problems, such as heart disease, thyroid disease and respiratory problems, cause symptoms similar to panic attacks. Your healthcare provider may run tests to rule out a physical problem. If theres no physical cause, your provider may make a diagnosis based on your symptoms and risk factors.
What Do Panic Attacks Feel Like
During a panic attack, physical symptoms can build up very quickly. These can include:
- a pounding or racing heartbeat
- feeling faint, dizzy or light-headed
- feeling very hot or very cold
- sweating, trembling or shaking
- pain in your chest or abdomen
- struggling to breathe or feeling like you’re choking
- feeling like your legs are shaky or are turning to jelly
- feeling disconnected from your mind, body or surroundings, which are types of dissociation.
During a panic attack you might feel very afraid that you’re:
- losing control
- going to die.
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What Are The Different Types Of Anxiety Disorder
This section provides an overview of the most common types of anxiety disorders.
- Generalised anxiety disorder
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
Generalised anxiety disorder
GAD is common. The main symptom of GAD is over worrying about different activities and events. This may feel out of your control. You feel anxious a lot of the time if you have GAD. You might feel on edge and alert to your surroundings.
This can affect your day-to-day life. You might find that it affects your ability to work, travel places or leave the house. You might also get tired easily or have trouble sleeping or concentrating. You might have physical symptoms, such as muscle tension and sweating.
It is common to have other conditions such as depression or other anxiety disorders if you have GAD.
GAD can be difficult to diagnose because it does not have some of the unique symptoms of other anxiety disorders. Your doctor is likely to say you have GAD if you have felt anxious for most days over six months and it has had a bad impact on areas of your life.
Panic disorder
You will have regular panic attacks with no particular trigger if you have panic disorder. They can happen suddenly and feel intense and frightening. You may also worry about having another panic attack.
Panic disorder symptoms can include the following.
You may also dissociate during a panic attack. Such as feeling detached from yourself.
Social anxiety disorder
Some common situations where you may experience anxiety are the following.
The Stress Response Is Our Ally Not Our Foe
The stress response is an essential part of the bodys survival mechanism. Its designed to protect us, not harm us. So, theres nothing to be afraid of. The stress response and the many body-wide changes it causes is just the bodys way of doing its job. While its doing its job, we can experience many strong sensations and feelings until the job is completed and the body reverts to pre-emergency alarm state.
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What Causes Panic Attacks
Experts dont know why some people experience panic attacks or develop panic disorder. The brain and nervous system play key roles in how you perceive and handle fear and anxiety. Your risk of having panic attacks increases if you have:
- Family history:Anxiety disorders, including panic disorders, often run in families. Experts arent sure why.
- Mental health issues: People who have anxiety disorders, depression or other mental illness are more prone to panic attacks.
- Substance abuse problems:Alcoholism and drug addiction can increase the risk of panic attacks.
Your Throat Feels Tight
You might even have trouble swallowing. Anxiety can cause some people to feel tightness in their throat or even like something is stuck in there, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine. This is called globus sensation, and although the exact reason why this happens is unclear, it can definitely make anxiety even worse. You feel like you cant get enough air, says Dr. Potter.
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The Strong Feelings Of A Panic Attack Arent Dangerous
Even though the symptoms and feelings associated with a panic attack can feel strong, they arent dangerous. These strong feelings are merely reflecting the many changes a high degree stress response brings about.
So, dont misconstrue anxiety and panic attacks as being dangerous. View them as merely being a survival response to the perception of danger. In this case, your body is doing what its supposed to when you are anxious or chronically stressed. This is normal and neednt be a cause for concern.
Anxiety Attack Symptoms Vs Heart Attack
Anxiety attacks symptoms and heart attack symptoms can seem similar because their signs and symptoms can be similar. But most medical professionals can quickly tell the difference as heart attacks have distinct symptoms that arent anxiety-like. If you are unsure of which is an anxiety attack symptom and which is a heart attack symptom, seek immediate medical advice. If the doctor diagnoses your symptoms as anxiety attack symptoms, you can feel confident the doctors diagnosis is correct. Therefore, there is no need to worry about a heart attack.
Heres more information about having an anxiety attack or heart attack.
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Is Having A Panic Attack The Same As Having Panic Disorder
A panic attack is the experience of having a panic attack accompanied by a few or many symptoms.
The DSM-5 describes the criteria for panic disorder as panic attacks that must be associated with longer than 1 month of subsequent persistent worry about: having another attack or consequences of the attack, or significant maladaptive behavioral changes related to the attack. To make the diagnosis of panic disorder, panic attacks cannot directly or physiologically result from substance use , medical conditions, or another psychiatric disorder. Other symptoms or signs may include headache, cold hands, diarrhea, insomnia, fatigue, intrusive thoughts, and ruminations.
How To Stop A Panic Attack In Public
Stopping a panic attack in public is no different than stopping a panic attack anywhere else. Once you learn how to stop panic attacks using the strategies we mentioned previously, you can stop panic and its symptoms anywhere, including in public. The moment you feel panic coming on, you can use any of the strategies to stop it, such as acknowledging an attack is starting, remaining calm, recognizing you dont have to be afraid, diaphragmatic breathing, reframing thinking to calm and soothing thoughts, relaxing your body, envisioning your happy and safe place, and so on. Since all of these strategies are within you and go everywhere you go, you dont need anything else to calm yourself and end a panic attack.
Keep in mind that most people cant tell you are having a panic attack even though the strong feelings may be raging on the inside. Knowing that you look calm on the outside can remove the unnecessary pressure of what people might be thinking of you while having and dealing with a panic attack.
If some of the waves of panic and its symptoms feel overly strong, you can move to a quiet place, or go for a walk outside until the wave passes and you stabilize yourself. Once you feel the attack is subsiding and feel more in control, you can return to where you were before the attack.
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Signs Of An Anxiety Attack
Have you ever felt so stressed or worried that you couldnt fall asleep at night? Maybe you laid in bed, unable to turn off your thoughts, feeling your heart pound in your chest. If this sounds familiar, you may know what its like to have an anxiety attack.
Anxiety attacks can be extremely uncomfortable and make it hard to function every day. Fortunately, anxiety is highly treatable with self-care and professional help. Understand the signs and symptoms of an anxiety attack so you can recognize the problem and get the help you need.
The Difference Between An Anxiety Attack And A Panic Attack
Once again, anxiety attack is not a clinical term. It’s a term used to describe periods of more intense anxiety that go beyond traditional anxiety experiences.
That differs from the term panic attack. Panic attacks are severe anxiety attacks like what is described above – attacks that are often so disabling that many people struggle to cope with them and develop panic disorder, health anxiety, and possibly agoraphobia.
Traditionally, the term “anxiety attack” is used to discuss weaker versions of panic attacks. If you have multiple panic attacks, you have panic disorder. Anxiety attacks can affect anyone – even those without panic disorder or an anxiety disorder – and so the term is used to encompass all of these types of attacks.
For the purposes of this article, we’ll discuss these types of anxiety attacks as the weaker version of a panic attack. But in life, people do use the two terms somewhat interchangeably, and both are related to the same feelings of doom, along with relevant symptoms.
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Anxiety Attack Symptoms In Women Are Similar To Us All
Despite the different forms of anxiety we all suffer, the signs of stress are much the same from person to person. Trembling, sweating, cold hands, and feet, dizziness and nausea are common signs that someone is feeling anxious. Everyone suffers the same symptoms when they are stressed.
We sweat, we have stress-induced diarrhea, our heart rate is up and we can scarcely breathe.
Women are generally shallow breathers, but during stressful times it becomes even more evident and women resort to alcohol and drugs to help calm them and to cope.
This is even more evident with women who suffer from social disorders having to mingle at a party.
Public speaking or eating in public can also trigger a panic attack.
Your Stomach Is All Sorts Of Messed Up
Anxiety really hits the G.I. system hard, says Dr. Potter. People with anxiety may notice general stomach pain, constipation, diarrhea, or other kinds of G.I. distress, she explains.
A lot of this may boil down to what experts call the gut-brain axis, which is a communication system between your brain and the enteric nervous system that governs your digestion. This connection is why stress can so easily mess with your poop. Theres also the fact that anxiety-induced lifestyle choices like eating foods that dont agree with you or not exercising can affect your digestion as well.
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How Can I Get Help If I Think I Have An Anxiety Disorder
You should make an appointment to talk with your GP if you are worried about your symptoms. Or they are causing problems in your day to day life.
Your doctor will look at different things when deciding on your treatment such as the following.
- Your diagnosis and symptoms.
- Any other conditions you have.
- Guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence .
Talking therapiesThe NHS Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme has made psychological therapy more available on the NHS. IAPT services mainly provide support for low to moderate anxiety and depression.
The service can be run by the local NHS Trust or a non-NHS agency, like a charity who work with the local Trust.
IAPT should be available in your area. You can often self-refer or ask your GP to refer you.
To find your local the IAPT service you can search online here:
You can also ask your GP or PALS service for details of local IAPT services.
You can get more information about:
- GP: What to expect from your GP by clicking here.
- Medication. Choice and managing problems by clicking here.
- Talking therapies by clicking here.
Anxiety Attack And Panic Attacks Signs And Symptoms:
Anxiety attacks are episodes of acute fears accompanied by strong symptoms, such as pounding and racing heart, sweating, trembling, shortness of breath, tingling, feeling it is out of control, and more.
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders , published by the American Psychiatric Association , defines panic attacks as: A panic attack is a sudden episode of intense fear that triggers severe physical reactions when there is no real danger or apparent cause.
Those who experience anxiety attacks quickly learn that they can be highly unpleasant experiences. Even so, anxiety attacks and their symptoms can be successfully overcome with the right information, help, and support.
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What Causes Anxiety Disorders
We dont fully understand what causes anxiety disorders. But it is thought that the following factors can cause anxiety.
Genetics. Some people seem to be born more anxious than others. You may get anxiety through your genes.
Life experience. This could be bad experiences such as being abused or losing a loved one. It could also include big changes in life such as moving home, losing your job or pregnancy.
Drugs. Caffeine in coffee and alcohol can make you feel anxious. Illegal drugs, also known as street drugs can also have an effect.
Circumstances. Sometimes you know what is causing your anxiety. When the problem goes, so does your anxiety.
How Do I Stop A Panic Attack In Public
Heres what she suggests:
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Is There A Test Or Self
There are several self-assessment tests you can take to help you determine whether or not you suffer from an anxiety disorder. These tests may have questions about the physical symptoms youâve experienced, such as whether or not your heart frequently feels like it is pounding or whether or not you frequently experience shortness of breath. The tests may also ask you about your fear levels, your ability to relax or how nervous you feel before a panic attack occurs.
Yes You Can Conquer Anxiety Attacks For Good
We can overcome anxiety attacks and their symptoms when we work at it. Learning and applying the skills that work solves the anxiety attack problem.
Here is a graphic you can use to remind you of How To Stop An Anxiety Attack And Panic Attacks.
You can learn more about anxiety attacks and panic attacks, and how to stop them in the Recovery Support area of our website. Our support area contains a wealth of self-help information about how to treat anxiety disorder, including panic attacks. It also includes how to overcome an established fear of anxiety attacks. Many members find this information to be their one-stop destination for help. You can .
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