Anxiety Disorders: Symptoms and Signs
Anxiety Disorders: Symptoms and Signs
Anxiety disorders have symptoms that encompass a wide variety of discomfort. Before determining that anxiety is the sole cause of any of these symptoms, one must consult with their doctor to eliminate the possibility that there is an underlying, possibly physical, cause of these symptoms. Anxiety is an emotional response and the physical symptoms of a panic attack tend to multiply its effects. Those physical symptoms, however, may be the symptoms of something else entirely and, without a doctor to determine this, one can never be certain that their anxiety is not justified.
Anxiety disorders have symptoms which tend to have commonalities from patient to patient. The fight or flight reflexes tend to be very much represented among these symptoms. A racing heart, hyperventilation, sweating, shaking and a sense of impending doom are all characteristic of anxiety symptoms. These are, of course, the same reflexes that one experiences when faced with mortal danger. This is no coincidence. There is only a certain amount of fear that one can experience before their body begins to put into effect those reactions designed to preserve one’s life. Of course, what makes this condition a disorder is that the need is not there to justify such drastic reactions.
Anxiety disorders and their symptoms are oftentimes defined by the repetition of a series of unpleasant reactions. Commonly, one feels a bit stressed out, the stressor becomes an obsession, then the rapid breathing starts, the pounding heart, the sense that one is about to die and full-fledged panic erupts. This sensation is not rooted in one being overly-dramatic or seeking attention. It is simply a physical set of manifestations that are entirely predictable in the face of fear which is the common thread that unites all of these incidences.
Fear, anxiety disorders, symptoms such as panic attacks and depression and a host of other miseries go hand in hand. Fear, of course, is oftentimes a good thing. Fear of physical harm keeps us from going into dark alleys at night; fear of financial harm oftentimes prevents us from quitting one job before we have another. All individuals experience fear. It is to what end that experience is directed that defines whether it is healthy or harmful. The antidote to fear is understanding. For instance, those experiencing a panic attack often fear they are having a heart attack. Of course, a bit of understanding reveals that the principal symptom of a heart attack is not a pounding heart but a heart that is not beating at all; certainly not with the regularity and strength characteristic of one who is afraid!
Anxiety disorders and the symptoms that define them are treatable and that, for certain, is one reason to abandon fear. One need not fear that they are alone in these symptoms nor that there is some great and terrible root that extends from their bitter fruits. Oftentimes, the acquisition of a set of skills, through therapy, can help one to understand, and to master, their fears.
