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Sunday, 5 July 2009

Understanding The Symptoms Of Anxiety And Panic Attacks

By Peter Sligh

Anxiety and panic disorders are often chronic illnesses that can be very disabling and disruptive to normal activities. They are real medical problems that affect physical, emotional, and mental health of a person. Most of the time, they can be successfully treated.

It seems that the pressures of modern life, with its focus on speed and performance, are taking its toll. Anxiety panic disorders are becoming more and more common, both children and adults are affected. Today, more than 20 million Americans suffer from these disorders.

We all experience anxiety from time to time. It's a normal part of human experience, part of a flight or fight response, that helps us to cope with stressful situations. Normal anxiety is normal, but when it becomes excessive, exaggerated and uncontrollable part of everyday life, then we have a problem.

The symptoms can vary from individual to individual. One person may have just one mild symptom, whereas another may experience extreme attacks with combinations of extreme symptoms. They can be both physical and psychological.

There are many symptoms, some of the most common include: raging heartbeat, chest pain, fear of dying, shortness of breath, stomach ache, nausea, lightheadedness, shaking, cramping, fear of going crazy, tingling, numbness, hot flashes, derealisation (a sense of unreality), depersonalisation (feeling unreal, strange or changed), and feeling like you're going to pass out just to name a few.

What are the causes of anxiety disorders? Causes are many - biological, psychological and environmental. They may be caused by imbalances in brain chemistry, a genetic predisposition, different physical conditions, life events, personality, stress, or the combination of the above.

What's important to understand is that this debilitating conditions can be successfully treated. Regardless of what you have been led to believe, they can be cured or at least controlled and greatly improved.

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