What Is An Anxiety Attack
Anxiety attacks are a combination of physical and mental symptoms that are intense and overwhelming. The anxiety is more than just regular nervousness. The anxiety is often a feeling of immense, impending doom that makes many people feel they’re about to die, or that everything around them is breaking down.
It creates physical symptoms that are so severe they actually mimic legitimate, serious health problems.
Those that haven’t had an anxiety attack before often have no idea that what they’re experiencing is anxiety. That’s because the symptoms of anxiety attacks and panic attacks mimic extremely serious issues, such as:
- Heart attacks and heart failure.
Yet despite how intense these things can feel, anxiety attacks are not even remotely dangerous.
The Link Between Anxiety Symptoms And Depression
Many people with anxiety disorders also suffer from depression at some point. Anxiety and depression are believed to stem from the same biological vulnerability, which may explain why they so often go hand-in-hand. Since depression makes anxiety worse , its important to seek treatment for both conditions.
A Note About Sex And Gender
Sex and gender exist on spectrums. This article will use the terms, male, female, or both to refer to sex assigned at birth. .
A doctor or mental health professional can diagnose a panic attack, panic disorder, or anxiety disorder.
They base their diagnoses on definitions in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition .
These professionals cannot diagnose an anxiety attack because it is not a clinically defined condition in the DSM-5. They can, however, recognize the symptoms of anxiety and diagnose an anxiety disorder.
A doctor will discuss symptoms and life events to diagnose any of these conditions. They may also perform a psychological evaluation to determine which category the symptoms fall into.
It may be necessary to rule out physiological conditions that share similar symptoms.
To do this, a doctor may perform:
- a physical examination
Recommended Reading: Is Anxiety Covered Under Ada
Causes Of Anxiety For No Reason Possibly Benefitting Psychological Help
Who Does It Affect
While panic disorder can affect anyone, there are certain groups of people that it affects more often than others.
-
Women: Like most other anxiety disorders, women are twice as likely as men to experience panic disorder.
-
Young adults: Panic disorder usually appears in your mid-twenties, although it can happen at any age. Three quarters of people with panic disorder experienced the onset before the age of 33. Although it can exist in kids, it’s often not diagnosed until they’re older.
-
People with a chronic illness: Three quarters of people with panic disorder report having at least one other diagnosed chronic physical or mental illness like diabetes or depression.
-
Family history: People with a family history of anxiety or depression are at greater risk for developing panic disorder.
Don’t Miss: How To Handle Health Anxiety
Anxiety Attack Vs Panic Attack
Unlike anxiety attacks, the term panic attack is recognized in the DSM-5. A panic attack is not a diagnosable condition on its own, but is a central symptom in panic disorder, as well as other anxiety disorders. According to the DSM-5, a panic attack can be expected or unexpected.
There is no hard-and-fast rule about what differentiates an anxiety attack from a panic attack. However, you might think of an anxiety attack as something broader in nature.
Anxiety attacks can be mild or moderate, as well as severe, and can encompass any of the symptoms of anxiety. Contrastingly, all panic attacks are disruptive and severe, in order to meet the symptoms of a panic attack as defined in the DSM-5.
Fight Or Flight Response
Anxiety is linked to the body’s fight or flight response. This is an evolutionary stress response to life-threatening situations. There is a physiological response of the sympathetic nervous system, including a rush of stress hormones, that prepares the body for the threat.
In some people, this stress response is over-reactive, and non-threatening triggers like a work presentation, a haunted house, or even something so small it’s hard to identify, can lead to what we experience as “anxiety attacks.”
Don’t Miss: How To Soothe Your Anxiety
Panic Attacks And Panic Disorder
Panic disorder is characterized by repeated, unexpected panic attacks, as well as fear of experiencing another episode. Agoraphobia, the fear of being somewhere where escape or help would be difficult in the event of a panic attack, may also accompany a panic disorder. If you have agoraphobia, you are likely to avoid public places such as shopping malls, or confined spaces such as an airplane.
Could I Have Panic Disorder
Recognizing a panic attackPanic disorder involves repeated panic attacks, so it’s important to know what a panic attack feels like. Here is a list of signs that youre having a panic attack:
|
If the first symptom plus several of the others come on suddenly, you may be experiencing a panic attack. Panic attacks usually peak within a few seconds or a few minutes, although it can take some time for all the symptoms to settle. Panic attacks can happen at any time and while they are sometimes triggered by a stressful life event, they can often appear to be triggered by nothing at all.
Read Also: Do I Need Anxiety Medication
When To Get Help
See a GP if you’ve been experiencing symptoms of panic disorder.
They’ll ask you to describe your symptoms, how often you get them, and how long you have had them.
They may also carry out a physical examination to rule out other conditions that could be causing your symptoms.
It can sometimes be difficult to talk about your feelings, emotions and personal life, but try not to feel anxious or embarrassed.
You may be diagnosed with panic disorder if you have regular and unexpected panic attacks followed by at least a month of continuous worry or concern about having further attacks.
Can You Have Anxiety With No Cause
Even if you arent aware of it, there is a cause for your anxiety symptoms.
It can take time to recognize patterns or learn how to identify what activates your anxiety. It may seem like the symptoms have come out of nowhere but thats because your body works on autopilot when it detects a threat.
When the nervous system detects danger it activates your fight, flight, or freeze response. This causes anxiety symptoms that prepare your body for action, like:
- a fast heartbeat
- a feeling of doom
The anxiety response is helpful in many instances, but it can become a problem when your nervous system misinterprets something harmless as a threat. In these cases, youre reacting to something thats not a true threat .
Over time, your body may start generalizing possible threats so that something related to a thing youre afraid of also causes anxiety.
Read Also: How To Treat High Functioning Anxiety
What Is Morning Anxiety
Although not a medical term, morning anxiety refers to waking up with feelings of stress and worry. If you are dealing with excessive anxiety, worry, and stress in the morning, theres a good chance you may also have generalized anxiety.
Generalized anxiety disorder is characterized by excessive and uncontrolled worry that pervades daily life and occurs frequently for at least six months. People with GAD typically worry about everyday actives such as work, money, family, and health.
The symptoms of morning anxiety often mimic those of generalized anxiety disorder. If you are struggling with anxiety upon waking, you may be experiencing:
- feeling restless, on-edge, or wound up
Morning anxiety can be caused by many factors that may also contribute to an anxiety disorder. Since morning anxiety is a reaction to excess stress and worries, there are several potential causes that may contribute to your symptoms.
The stress hormone cortisol is released by the adrenal glands in response to fear or stress. Researchers have studied the cortisol awakening response and have found that cortisol is highest in the first hour of waking for people with an increased level of stress in their lives. This helps explain why you may experience an increase in anxiety in the morning.
If you go to bed worrying or wake up during the night with anxious thoughts, you are likely to feel anxious and concerned about your day in the morning.
What Happens Inside Your Body
Your bodyâs âfight or flightâ response is behind these intense physical symptoms. Normally when you encounter a threat — whether itâs a grizzly bear or a swerving car — your nervous system springs into action. The hormone adrenaline floods into your bloodstream, putting your body on high alert. Your heartbeat quickens, which sends more blood to your muscles. Your breathing becomes fast and shallow, so you can take in more oxygen. Your blood sugar spikes. Your senses get sharper.
All of these changes — which happen in an instant — give you the energy you need to confront a dangerous situation or get out of harmâs way quickly.
With random panic attacks, your body goes on alert for no reason. Researchers donât know exactly what triggers them. But the physical effects are real: During a panic attack, the adrenaline levels in the body can spike by 2 1/2 times or more.
Panic attacks may not come as unexpectedly as they seem. The physical changes may start about an hour before an attack. In one study, people with panic disorder wore devices that tracked their heart activity, sweating, and breathing. The results showed lower-than-normal levels of carbon dioxide, a sign of rapid, deep breathing that can leave you breathless, as early as about 45 minutes before the panic attack.
Read Also: How To Stop Yourself From Anxiety
Types Of Anxiety Disorder
There are several different classified anxiety disorders. Each disorder has different symptoms that certain situations may trigger.
Anxiety disorders include :
- Panic disorder : This involves frequent panic attacks accompanied by the constant fear of future attacks. People with panic disorder may lose a job, refuse to travel or leave their home, or completely avoid anything they believe will trigger an attack.
- GAD: This is a constant state of worry or persistent feeling of dread, which may last months or years.
- Social anxiety disorder: People will have an intense and persistent fear that others are watching and judging them.
- Phobic disorder: This features intense anxiety and irrational fear of an object or situation, for example, a fear of spiders or open spaces. People with phobic disorder may be aware that their fear is irrational.
As well as the physical symptoms of anxiety, people may experience the following:
- feeling tense or nervous
- seeking lots of reassurance from others
- low mood or depression
- rumination, which is when a person thinks about a situation or thought repeatedly
- worry about what will happen in the future
- worrying about anxiety, such as when a panic attack might occur
Not every case of anxiety will include all these symptoms. Anxiety can be mild, moderate, or severe, depending on the trigger and how the person reacts to it.
Anxiety that continues for a long time or has a specific trigger
- the use of some medications
- a recent or past traumatic experience
When Is Anxiety A Problem
Some people feel anxiety that is too intense. It seems like more than they can cope with. Worries or fears take up too much of their time and energy. Some people might begin to avoid things that make them anxious. These things can be signs of an anxiety disorder.
If you feel like anxiety is too much, tell a parent, school counselor, or your doctor. There are treatments for anxiety disorders. The sooner you start getting help, the better you will feel.
Recommended Reading: Can I Die From Anxiety
Medical Conditions Which Can Cause Waves Of Anxiety
Its important that your doctor or other health professional rules out any other problems you may have, such as:
These conditions can also cause you to suffer from anxiety, and anti-anxiety medication would absolutely not be necessary. Indeed, long-term it may make the problem much worse. Id be delighted, therefore, to show you how you can help yourself. So read on!
Donât Miss: How To Slow Down Heart Rate Anxiety
Contact Harmony Hills To Overcome Anxiety
Life can feel overwhelming when you are struggling with an anxiety disorder. Harmony Hills provides comprehensive residential mental health treatment for anxiety and co-occurring disorders. Anxiety does not have to control your life. Contact our team at to discover how to overcome anxiety at Harmony Hills.
Read Also: How To Reduce Anxiety Long Term
How Is Panic Disorder Diagnosed
Medical or mental health providers can diagnose panic disorder. Your provider may diagnose panic disorder when you have repeated panic attacks and you:
- Persistently worry about having more panic attacks or their consequences.
- Obsess about losing control during a panic attack.
- Change your behaviors to avoid situations that may trigger a panic attack.
What Are The Causes Of An Anxiety Attack
It can be helpful to understand what is causing your anxiety to spike, because once you know whats causing an anxiety attack, you can work on addressing that, in the hope that it will stop you from continuing to have anxiety attacks.
Usually anxiety attacks have more than one causeoften, several factors are at play at once. For example, an anxiety attack might come on when you havent slept well for a few nights in a row, youve drunk more caffeine than usual, and your workload has piled up at the same time.
In other words, often anxiety attacks come on because of a perfect storm of unfortunate circumstances.
Often, certain situations in life and life stressors are a cause of anxiety attacks. These may include:
- An upsetting health diagnosis
- Life transitions and identity crises
Additionally, certain people seem to have an increased propensity toward anxiety and anxiety attacks. Some factors that may make you more susceptible include:
- Genetics, as anxiety tends to run in families
- Chemical imbalances, ongoing stress can change our hormonal and neurological make-up
- A history of trauma, or PTSD
Finally, there are certain risk factors that may make you more likely to experience an anxiety attack at some point in your life:
Also Check: Do I Have Afib Or Anxiety
How To Get Through An Anxiety Attack
Here are some things that helped me while actually experiencing an anxiety attack.
- Take deep breaths
- Rinse your face in the sink
- Talk to yourself. Youre in control of the situation.
Thanks for reading my post on Anxiety attack symptoms. If you have anything to add feel free to do so in the comments section. Or check us out on Facebook to post any questions or other things anxiety related.
Until next time.
When Is Anxiety A Mental Health Problem
Anxiety can become a mental health problem if it impacts your ability to live your life as fully as you want to. For example, it may be a problem if:
- your feelings of anxiety are very strong or last for a long time
- your fears or worries are out of proportion to the situation
- you avoid situations that might cause you to feel anxious
- your worries feel very distressing or are hard to control
- you regularly experience symptoms of anxiety, which could include panic attacks
- you find it hard to go about your everyday life or do things you enjoy.
If your symptoms fit a particular set of medical criteria then you might be diagnosed with a particular anxiety disorder. But it’s also possible to experience problems with anxiety without having a specific diagnosis. Our pages on self-care and treatment for anxiety offer suggestions for help and support.
You May Like: Do I Have Agoraphobia Or Social Anxiety
Can You Prevent Panic Attacks From Happening Or Reduce The Symptoms When Youre On The Brink Of One
Our autonomic nervous system is all or nothing, meaning that if we can turn off a component of it, the entire system responds, explains Furnival. So when the sympathetic nervous system kicks into gearthis is your bodys fight-or-flight responsewe may be able to cut off the panic attacks trajectory by quickly engaging in deep breathing and grounding techniques that initiate the parasympathetic nervous system, calming you down. She recommends practicing deep breathing and reciting affirmations when youre not having a panic attack so youre primed and ready if and when the real thing happens. She also notes that trying to avoid a panic attack and being fearful of one can ironically increase its frequency . If we can engage in deep breathing and repeat phrases like, This is a panic attack and it will end soon or I am having a panic attack and I will be okay, we find that we can handle panic attacks, as awful as they are and feel.