| If you're reading this article, I would guess that you | | | | symptoms may be experienced: |
| recently had an unexpected and frightening episode | | | | - slurred speech |
| and you're wondering whether it was actually an | | | | - headache |
| anxiety attack. It helps so much to have clear | | | | - nervous laughter |
| information so you can better understand what | | | | - feeling dizzy |
| happened to you. With a sense of clarity about what | | | | - a sensation of tingling or numbness in the feet, lips, or |
| you experienced, you can more easily direct your | | | | hands |
| attention to finding the solution to your problem. | | | | - faint |
| What Is An Anxiety Attack? | | | | - chest pain |
| Most animals have an instinctive reaction to dangerous | | | | - lightheadedness The DSM IV is the official resource |
| situations called the fight-or-flight response. | | | | that psychologists use to diagnose a condition. The |
| Unfortunately, in humans, this natural response can be | | | | following list of symptoms of panic attack will further |
| triggered by situations that are generally not | | | | help you decide whether you have experienced an |
| life-threatening, such as driving in a car or speaking in | | | | anxiety attack from a clinical perspective. |
| public. This is what we call an anxiety attack. Generally, | | | | Symptoms of Anxiety Attack From the DSM IV |
| the symptoms of panic attack look like this: | | | | An anxiety attack episode always includes an |
| It often is triggered by fearful, negative thoughts about | | | | experience of intense discomfort or fear as well as |
| a situation which start a sudden cascade of intense | | | | suddenly experiencing at least four of the following |
| fear. In response to what the body considers a | | | | symptoms that reached a peak within a period of 10 |
| dangerous situation, the fight-or-flight reaction is | | | | minutes. |
| activated and adrenaline is quickly pumped into the | | | | |
| bloodstream. In ancient times, this reaction would | | | | 1. Feeling of being smothered or having shortness of |
| prepare their body to fight or run away from a | | | | breath |
| life-threatening situation. Although this system could | | | | 2. Feeling lightheaded, dizzy, faint, or unsteady |
| save a person's life if they were actually being | | | | 3. Chills or feeling flushed with heat |
| attacked, it can cause serious problems for someone | | | | 4. Fear that one is dying |
| when it gets triggered while they are at a meeting at | | | | 5. Sensation of choking |
| work or driving their car. | | | | 6. Palpitations, increased heart rate, pounding heart |
| The Physical Symptoms of Panic Attacks | | | | beat |
| The physical symptoms that are brought on by this | | | | 7. Discomfort or pain in the chest |
| increase in adrenaline are: | | | | 8. Tingling sensations or numbness |
| - Accelerated heart rate | | | | 9. Increased perspiration |
| - Perspiring | | | | 10. Sensation of feeling detached from one's body or |
| - Hyperventilation or difficulty breathing. This can feel | | | | self or a feeling of unreality |
| like a constriction of the ability to breathe and is | | | | 11. Trembling or shaking |
| caused by the tightening of the diaphragm as part of | | | | 12. Fear of losing control or going crazy |
| the stress response. As a result of the hyperventilation | | | | 13. Abdominal discomfort or nausea With this specific |
| that often accompanies an anxiety attack, the carbon | | | | list of symptoms of anxiety attacks, you should now |
| dioxide levels in the blood decrease and the blood Ph | | | | have a much better sense of whether you have |
| increases. When this happens, these physical | | | | experienced one yourself. |