Personal Reporter: Answers About Anxiety

1.Is it possible for someone to have feelings of extreme malaise daily if they are suffering from anxiety/Panic Disorder?

Answer:

A lot of people think panic attacks are the only type of intense physical symptom associated with panic and anxiety disorders. But there is also a type of anticipatory anxiety that can cause symptoms. For example, a person wakes up and worries all the time even though they are not having a panic attack. But this heightened level of anxiety can put strain on the body and prompt tiredness or malaise.

Depression also commonly occurs in people with anxiety disorders, which may also cause additional physical symptoms. -- Sally Winston, PsyD, co-director of the Anxiety and Stress Disorders Institute of Maryland in Baltimore.

2.I would like to know if anxiety will cause physical symptoms. I have been to a doctor and my blood work indicates that I am healthy, but I am experiencing many physical symptoms. Is this all in my head?

Answer:

Anxiety can certainly cause physical symptoms, but it is always advisable to see a doctor for screening to see if there is any other explanation. anxiety disorders are most definitely not "all in your head," and the physical symptoms are quite real.

Common physical symptoms associated with anxiety disorders include:

• Muscle tension
• Gastrointestinal complications
• Fatigue
• Sleep problems
• Headaches
• Dizziness

People who experience panic attacks may also suffer from:

• Tachycardia (quickening of the heart rate)
• Palpitations
• Nausea
• Hot or cold flashes
• Numbness or tingling in the extremities
• Shortness of breath
• Feeling of an out of body experience or being off-balance

These physical symptoms are not usually dangerous, but they are real and treatable. -- Sally Winston, PsyD, co-director of the Anxiety and Stress Disorders Institute of Maryland in Baltimore.