Aug
05
2010
Anxiety affects each person differently. Almost everyone suffers from anxiety during their lifetime. The response to a perceived or real threat can range from mild to extreme. Common symptoms include headaches, dizziness, nausea, diarrhea, lightheadedness, vomiting, excessive sweating, pale complexion and numbness or tingling sensations. In addition you may have some classic cardiac arrest symptoms such as pains or tightness in the chest, difficulty breathing, chest, neck, shoulders and even jaw pains.
Behavioral anxiety symptoms can manifest themselves in the form of hyperventilation, shaking, trouble expressing yourself, repetitive motions such as tapping your foot or pacing back and forth. These are obvious symptoms that in many cases can be very irritating to those around the sufferer.
People who suffer from cognitive anxiety symptoms have problems with concentration and solving simple problems. They also may focus on death, doom or morbid outcomes. These symptoms are generally recurrent and many time obsessive in nature. In some severe case the individual may so confused they lose their ability to function at all.
Emotional anxiety symptoms include agitation, loss of reality, panic and even absolute terror. Again the most severe symptoms will lead the individual to a state of total loss of function. In severe cases the individual may end up with a full panic attack.
A psychological defense to anxiety may also include repression or stuffing anxious thoughts rather than dealing with them directly. In some cases the individual will lose real world conscious awareness. Transference may also occur whereby the individual will associate the source of their anxiety with a person, place or event. Without treatment this situation may lead to developing a phobia. Some individuals may develop delusions in response to extreme anxiety. As a result they may formulate conspiracy theories, paranoia, and extreme behavior. These behaviors may allow the sufferer to vent their feelings and feelings of helplessness. They may also lead to unsociable behavior.
Anxiety symptoms can also manifest themselves in the form of physical ailments or conditions. Most common are digestive problems, ulcers, back problems, muscle strains, chronic fatigue, joint problems, arthritis symptoms, and migraine headaches, cardiac and dental pains. Many times it is hard for medical professionals to determine what is indeed a physical verses a psychological problem or condition.
Early identification of symptoms will allow the treatment of most anxiety disorders. Many times the suffer is unaware of the problems and has just adjusted to the symptoms. If you have any of the symptoms of anxiety you should contact your family medical professional for help. In most cases you will be referred to a specialist that can properly diagnose and treat your anxiety problem. Normally he will begin by treating your symptoms and as they become less severe you will begin to work on resolving the root causes of your anxiety. Any delay in seeking assistance will in most case prolongs treatment and in some case lead to a more serious condition such as paranoia or agoraphobia.
Jul
08
2009
There are many people in the world who suffer from some form of anxiety and for these people these anxiety attacks may be mild or they could be very severe. While there are many ways of treating anxiety attacks, it’s first important to identify what your anxiety attack symptoms are.
There are the physical symptoms of anxiety attacks that manifest themselves in the form of headaches, dizziness, lightheadedness, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, sweating, tingling, pale complexion, numbness, difficulty in breathing, and sensations of tightness in the chest, neck, shoulders and or hands. These reactions are the body’s fight-or-flight reaction which involves the hormones, muscles and the heart. This cycle of endless worry and anxiety is known as a mental disorder as opposed to a physical disorder. Anxiety symptoms can manifest themselves both physically and psychologically. Anxiety disorders happen when our brain warns us about a perceived danger that is about to occur.
The behavioral anxiety attack symptoms include pacing, trembling, general restlessness, hyperventilation, pressured speech, wringing of the hands, and even finger tapping. Then the cognitive anxiety attack symptoms include recurrent or obsessive thoughts, feelings of doom, and morbid thoughts of death, confusion or the inability to concentrate.
The emotional anxiety attack symptoms can include feelings of tension or nervousness, feeling agitated, overwrought, and feelings of unreality, panic, or even terror. Then there are also the anxiety attack symptoms where the person’s brain puts up a defense mechanism against the anxiety attacks.
These psychological defenses include repressing anxious thoughts or ideas out of the conscious awareness. Another anxiety attack symptom is where the sufferer will transfer the source of their anxiety to an object or an event. Phobias are an example of this anxiety attack transference. Then there are the times that a person who suffers from anxiety attacks will rationalize their anxious feelings by claiming that ordinary people would feel the same way were they placed in the exact situation.
The other method that the brain will use as a defense against anxiety attacks manifests itself in the form of physical complaints and illnesses. In this case the anxiety attack symptoms involve recurrent headaches, an upset stomach, and muscle and joint pains.
Delusions are one other way of the brain trying to defend the sufferer from the anxiety attacks. For these anxiety attack symptoms the person can formulate conspiracy theories or other similar scenarios. This gives the person an emotional outlet for their feelings of anxiety.
It doesn’t really matter what form these symptoms show themselves in. What’s really important is once you identify that these are signs of anxiety attacks that you seek and receive help and treatment for this condition. By catching these anxiety attack symptoms early you have a chance to stop it progressing to a more severe condition like agoraphobia where you may become housebound due to your excessive anxiety attacks. So don’t delay if you feel that you suffer from anxiety attack symptoms, go see a qualified medical practitioner as soon as possible and get the proper help.
