Anxiety

Anxiety

Feeling worried or nervous is a normal part of everyday life. Everyone frets or feels anxious from time to time. Mild to moderate anxiety can help you focus your attention, energy, and motivation. If anxiety is severe, you may have feelings of helplessness, confusion, and extreme worry that are out of proportion with the actual seriousness or likelihood of the feared event. Overwhelming anxiety that interferes with daily life is not normal. This type of anxiety may be a symptom of another problem, such as Reference depression Opens New Window.

Anxiety can cause physical and emotional symptoms. A specific situation or fear can cause some or all of these symptoms for a short time. When the situation passes, the symptoms usually go away.

Physical symptoms of anxiety include:

• Trembling, twitching, or shaking.
• Feeling of fullness in the throat or chest.
• Breathlessness or rapid heartbeat.
• Reference Lightheadedness Opens New Window or Reference dizziness Opens New Window.
• Sweating or cold, clammy hands.
• Feeling jumpy.
• Muscle tension, aches, or soreness (myalgias).
• Extreme tiredness.
• Sleep problems, such as the inability to fall asleep or stay asleep, early waking, or restlessness (not feeling rested when you wake up).

Anxiety affects the part of the brain that helps control how you communicate. This makes it harder to express yourself creatively or function effectively in relationships. Emotional symptoms of anxiety include:

• Restlessness, irritability, or feeling on edge or keyed up.
• Worrying too much.
• Fearing that something bad is going to happen; feeling doomed.
• Inability to concentrate; feeling like your mind goes blank.

Anxiety disorders

Anxiety disorders occur when people have both physical and emotional symptoms. Anxiety disorders interfere with how a person gets along with others and affect daily activities. Women are twice as likely as men to have problems with anxiety disorders. Examples of anxiety disorders include panic attacks, phobias, Reference obsessive-compulsive disorder Opens New Window, and Reference post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Opens New Window

Often the cause of anxiety disorders is not known. Many people with an anxiety disorder say they have felt nervous and anxious all their lives. This problem can occur at any age. Children who have at least one parent with the diagnosis of depression are more than twice as likely to have an anxiety disorder than other children.

Anxiety disorders often occur with other problems, such as:

• Mental health problems, such as depression.
• Reference Substance use Opens New Window problems.
• A physical problem, such as heart or lung disease. A complete medical examination may be needed before an anxiety disorder can be diagnosed.

Panic attacks

A Reference panic attack Opens New Window is a sudden feeling of extreme anxiety or intense fear without a clear cause or when there is no danger. Panic attacks are common. They sometimes occur in otherwise healthy people. An attack starts suddenly and usually lasts from 5 to 20 minutes but may last even longer, up to a few hours. You have the most anxiety about 10 minutes after the attack starts.

Symptoms include feelings of dying or losing control of yourself, rapid breathing (Reference hyperventilation Opens New Window), numbness or tingling of the hands or lips, and a racing heart. You may feel dizzy, sweaty, or shaky. Other symptoms include trouble breathing, chest pain or tightness, and an irregular heartbeat. These symptoms come on suddenly and without warning.

Sometimes symptoms of a panic attack are so intense that the person fears he or she is having a Reference heart attack Opens New Window. Many of the symptoms of a panic attack can occur with other illnesses, such as Reference hyperthyroidism Opens New Window, Reference coronary artery disease Opens New Window, or Reference chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) Opens New Window. A complete medical examination may be needed before an anxiety disorder can be diagnosed.

People who have repeated unexpected panic attacks and worry about the attacks are said to have a Reference panic disorder Opens New Window.

Phobias

Reference Phobias Opens New Window are extreme and irrational fears that interfere with daily life. People with phobias have fears that are out of proportion to real danger. And although these people are aware that their fears are not rational, they are not able to control them.

Phobias are common and are sometimes present with other conditions, such as panic disorder or Reference Tourette's disorder Opens New Window. Most people deal with phobias by avoiding the situation or object that causes them to feel panic (avoidance behavior).

A phobic disorder occurs when the avoidance behavior becomes so extreme that it interferes with your ability to participate in your daily activities. There are three main types of phobic disorders:

• Fear of being alone or in public places where help might not be available or escape is impossible (Reference agoraphobia Opens New Window)
• Fear of situations where the individual might be exposed to criticism by others (Reference social phobia Opens New Window)

Reference Check your symptoms to decide if and when you should see a doctor.

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This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Reference Terms of Use. Reference How this information was developed to help you make better health decisions.