Published by anxiety disorder on 31 May 2008
Anxiety Attack Symptom How Do You Spot It?
Anxiety Attack Symptom How Do You Spot It?
Sudden and extreme fear is a typical anxiety attack symptom. Anxiety attacks can appear in a variety of ways. A person can experience nausea, shortness of breath, and inexplicable feelings of terror. Some people report getting extremely excited as if they needed to run away from something. Many people may experience this at some point in their lives. However, repeat occurrences usually indicate some kind of anxiety disorder. Below is what an anxiety attack symptom looks like.
Anxiety Attack Symptom A Short Description
People who suffer from an anxiety attack cannot predict it. Its occurrence is almost instantaneous. Recurrent anxiety attacks are usually experienced by those with existing anxiety disorders. However, as many as one in sixty people can experience an anxiety attack at one point of their lives. A person can develop anxiety attacks from traumatic experiences, depression or from drugs.
A typical anxiety attack usually lasts up to ten minutes. However, some people experience much longer episodes. A trigger is usually responsible for the onset of the attack. Being in the same area where a traumatic event happened is a typical cause. The physiological response is triggered by the sudden release of adrenaline. A rapid heart-rate, sweating, dilated pupils, and an intense sensation of numbness or lightheadedness. It is also possible for people to feel as though they could not breathe.
Anxiety Attack Symptom Available Treatments
Anxiety attacks that often recur are symptoms of some type of mental illness. Depression is a frequent cause. A lot of phobias can be accompanied by anxiety attacks. One of the most effective treatments for anxiety attacks is cognitive behavioral therapy. This form of therapy focuses on the modifying the thinking patterns of patients. Many psychologists have observed that during anxiety attacks people over-exaggerate their fears and have irrational thoughts.
Techniques done to modify these behaviors include forcing patients to modify thinking patterns. They are instructed to force themselves to think about other things when an attack happens. Doing this repeatedly can discipline the mind of the patient - this breaks the unhealthy habit.
Another method that psychologists use to help treat patients is to train them to do breathing exercises. This involves making them take deep breaths at the onset of anxiety attacks. This improves oxygen intake, relaxes, and calms down the individual. Psychologists also use other stress relief and calming techniques, but these will depend on the patient. Using medication to treat an anxiety attack symptom is the last resort.