Anxiety Hub

While there are sometimes reasons for anxiety attacks, doctors are also sometimes baffled at what causes them and why.  Some persons have imbalances of chemicals in the brain or seem to have a certain type of internal wiring that causes these attacks sporadically, like sudden surges of electricity that are without warning or reason.  Scientists still have so much to learn about the human brain and its wiring and workings, so it's really no surprise that they are at a loss when it comes to something as odd as unprovoked anxiety attacks.

But doctors have learned that many medications such as Zoloft or Paxil have a calming effect on the processes that control or trigger anxiety and compulsions.  These medications keep the hormones and other elements responsible for anxiety attacks on an even keel, so to speak.  They can keep someone more calm at all times, and work well regardless of the type of anxiety, be it panic attacks, social anxiety disorder, or even obsessive compulsive disorder.

Anxiety attacks are also helped with cognitive or behavioural therapy, meaning the learning of new ways of thinking or behaving.  If someone can learn that their anxiety attacks are the result of how they think or of how they view something, then they can lessen these attacks.  Learning how to talk themselves through a panic attack or how to calm their obsessive or compulsive behaviour can go a long way toward keeping anxiety attacks at bay, or at the very least, keeping them in their place so that they have less of an effect on the sufferer.

So if you're someone that suffers from anxiety attacks in any form, it's strongly encouraged that you speak with your doctor.  Whether you want to try medications or not, there is help available for you.  And at the very least, you can be put in touch with others who are suffering from the same symptoms as you in order to get support and encouragement for your condition.

This severity is something to keep in mind with all anxiety attack symptoms, because they are often extremely severe in nature.  Many people experience a slight case of "butterflies in the stomach" when facing a tense situation, but full-blown anxiety attack symptoms can mean severe nausea or stomach cramps, along with muscles so tense they hurt to move, tingling or numbness in the fingers, toes, and on the face, bouts of sweating, and a pounding heartbeat. 

Symptoms vary depending on the type of anxiety disorder, but general symptoms include:

• Feelings of panic, fear and uneasiness
• Uncontrollable, obsessive thoughts
• Repeated thoughts or flashbacks of traumatic experiences Nightmares
• Ritualistic behaviours, such as repeated hand washing
• Problems sleeping
• Cold or sweaty hands and/or feet
• Shortness of breath
• Palpitations
• An inability to be still and calm
• Dry mouth
• Numbness or tingling in the hands or feet
• Nausea Muscle tension
• Dizziness

It's easy to see how anxiety attack symptoms can be mistaken for other health conditions or even a heart attack itself.  However, when you have the physical symptoms coupled with the anxiety or panic, then you can be pretty sure of the fact that this is an anxiety attack.

If you have anxiety attack symptoms and aren't sure if that's exactly what they are, or if they are so severe that they are beginning to interfere with your quality of life, then it's time to speak to a doctor.  It's especially important to do this before they become severe and cost you your job or more, in terms of family relationships.  Anxiety attack symptoms can come on at any time and for any reason, or for no reason whatsoever, and can be crippling if the sufferer does not deal with them in an adequate manner.  There are medications and other treatment options available that only your doctor can recommend, and of course it's always a good idea to rule out a physical condition that may mirror the symptoms of an anxiety attack.

• "Racing" heart
• Feeling weak, faint, or dizzy
• Tingling or numbness in the hands and fingers
• Sense of terror, of impending doom or death
• Feeling sweaty or having chills
• Chest pains
• Breathing difficulties
• Feeling a loss of control

Treating Anxiety and Depression

Anxiety and depression are also related because they are both baseless thoughts that are not tied to reality, and which often spiral out of control.  Both can be treated with the same or similar medications that quiet discomforting and obsessive thoughts.  They can also be treated with therapy, such as with a psychologist or psychiatrist.  Many forms of anxiety and depression are caused by physical abnormalities, such as chemical or hormone imbalances, but if someone chooses not to take medications they can learn how to control their thoughts and how to replace those thoughts with new ones.  Sometimes just knowing that what you're experiencing is an anxiety attack or a bout of clinical depression can be enough to help someone cope with their debilitating circumstances.  Knowing that others are going through the same thing can also help.  If you're someone with both anxiety and depression, don't hesitate to speak to your healthcare professional at once, as help is available if you simply ask for it.  You may not be completely cured of your conditions, but you can learn ways of coping and of not allowing these disorders to interfere with your everyday life.

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), "approximately 40 million American adults ages 18 and older, or about 18.1 percent of people in this age group in a given year, have an anxiety disorder."  They also bring out that it's not uncommon for people to suffer from more than one type of anxiety disorder – for example, someone experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder may also feel frequent panic attacks.  Obsessive compulsive disorder can also be tied to depression, and so on.

Eighteen percent of people is almost one in five, so the next time you think that you're the only one that feels the way you do or are the only one battling these symptoms, walk through the mall or think of a group of people you know, such as at work or your place of worship.  Chances are that for every five or six people there, one of them has an anxiety disorder of one type or another.  As said, entire fields of medicine are devoted to helping the sufferers of all of these types of anxiety disorders, and new medicines and other treatment options are being explored every single day.  There are just far too many people in the world today that experience these disorders for doctors and biologists to ignore it.

So if you think that there's something inherently wrong with you or that you're somehow weak because you experience severe anxiety, it's time to set that thinking aside and speak to your doctor about how he or she can help.  There are ways of coping with these symptoms and there are even cures available to you.