Anxiety Attack Symptoms
-
Panic Disorders - Separate and
intense periods of fear or feelings of doom developing over a very short time
frame -- 10 minutes -- and associated with at least 4 of the following:
- Palpitations
- Sweating
- Trembling
- Shortness of breath
- Sense of choking
- Chest pain
- Nausea
- Dizziness
- A feeling of being detached from the world (derealization)
- Fear of dying
- Numbness or tingling
- Chills or hot flushes
- generalized anxiety disorder - Excessive and unrealistic worry over a
period of at least 6 months associated with 3 of the following:
- Restlessness
- Easy fatigue
- Difficulty concentrating
- Irritability or explosive anger
- Muscle tension
- Sleep
disturbances
- Personality changes such as becoming less social
- Phobic disorders - Intense, persistent, and recurrent fear of certain
objects (such as snakes, spiders, blood) or situations (such as heights,
speaking in front of a group, public places). These exposures may trigger a panic attack.
-
Stress disorders - Anxiety (also known as
post-traumatic stress disorder) caused by the exposure to either death or
near-death circumstances such as fires, floods, earthquakes, shootings,
automobile accidents, or wars, for example. The traumatic event is
re-experienced in thoughts and dreams. Common behaviors include the following:
- Avoiding activities, places, or people associated with the triggering
event
- Difficulty concentrating
- Difficulty sleeping
- Being hypervigilant (you closely watch your surroundings)
- Feeling a general sense of doom and gloom with diminished emotions such as
loving feelings or aspirations for the future
- Symptoms such as chest pain, shortness of breath,
palpitations, dizziness, fainting,
and weakness generally should not be attributed to anxiety and require
evaluation by a doctor.