Welcome to Anxiety Guide
Anxiety Article
. For a permanent link to this article, or to bookmark it for further reading, click here.
You may also listen to this article by using the following controls.
Understanding Anxiety Attacks
from:Almost everyone suffers from an anxiety attack at some point in life. Whether it's a fear of failing at an important task or a concern that an animal or some other force will cause harm, the mind and body go into synch and actual physical symptoms tend to manifest themselves. For some people, however, normal fear becomes paralyzing and persistent and actual full-blown anxiety attacks become almost a way of life.
Understanding what anxiety attacks are, how they present and what can be done about them can help people around an anxiety sufferer better grasp what a friend of loved one is going through. It can also help the person who suffers from the attacks realize the need to seek out effective treatments before anxiety waylays life.
Anxiety attacks are very similar to the mental/physical reactions that happen in the fight or flight phenomena. The mind perceives a threat and the body reacts. The difference between a "normal" attack and an abnormal situation generally involves the perceived threat. In the case of anxiety disorders, the "danger" can be quite mundane, but not always. What does happen here is that threats are perceived when they are not really present, or the reaction is out of proportion to the situation. For example, a person who has an extreme fear of public speaking isn't really in danger, but his or her mind might think so; therefore, the body reacts.
In most cases, anxiety attacks have very intense, fast onsets. They are typically characterized by the following symptoms:
• Intense feelings of fear and danger
• Chest pains, heart palpitations, sweating, trembling and other physical symptoms
• A feeling of depersonalization or a surreal atmosphere
• A strong sense of doom and fear of death
• Lack of breath
• Hot flashes or chills
The unfortunate thing about anxiety attacks is that their symptoms often mimic other serious health conditions. This can lead to false diagnosis and even fuel the fears that death is imminent. When anxiety attacks are properly diagnosed, people generally are treated with a combination of medications and therapy to help them regain control of their lives.
Anxiety attacks can have a one-time presentation or they might occur on a repetitive basis. In the case of the latter, therapy is almost always advised as repetition is generally a sign of a more serious anxiety disorder.
Anxiety attacks are very real manifestations of fear. They can actually be quite normal reactions to a serious situation, or they might present out of irrational fear. If they are repetitive, help generally is required to combat and overcome them and the cause.
Anxiety Specific links
Anxiety News
JPMorgan's Home-Loan Debt in Europe Increases Anxiety: Mortgages - San Francisco Chronicle
 Telegraph.co.uk | JPMorgan's Home-Loan Debt in Europe Increases Anxiety: Mortgages San Francisco Chronicle May 21 (Bloomberg) -- JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s holdings of home-loan bonds from outside the US soared 35-fold in the past three years. Now, with its chief investment office facing scrutiny after a $2 billion trading loss, investors are raising concern ... JPMorgan Europe Home-Loan Debt Raises Anxiety: Mortgages |
Anxiety and the Geek - Wired News
 Wired News | Anxiety and the Geek Wired News By Dak Since I was a child, I have suffered from high anxiety. When I was growing up, it was just referred to as being shy. As an adult, I learned that what I have is not something you always grow out of. In fact, as an adult, it can get worse if you ... |
Greek High Anxiety Over Cameron's Austerity Call - Sky News
 Telegraph.co.uk | Greek High Anxiety Over Cameron's Austerity Call Sky News "Austerity or you're out" is the uncompromising message from David Cameron and the other leaders of the advanced economies to the people of Greece. The opinion polls tell us the majority of Greeks want to remain in the eurozone but the economic data ... Lewis Chamberlain: EU crisis brings anxiety to Wall Street Risk Currency's Slide As Euro Dilemmas Force Global Bid For Safety France to Press Germany on Euro Bonds and Other Economic Measures |
Jaguar Captures 1960s Spirit and Mad Men's Anxiety (Video) - Wall Street Journal (blog)
Jaguar Captures 1960s Spirit and Mad Men's Anxiety (Video) Wall Street Journal (blog) By Jonathan Welsh I'm not a fan of “Mad Men,” in part because retro television just makes me tired. There is also nothing from the 1960s to which I wish to return — except, maybe, the cars. And the latest episode's use of one car in particular shows ... |
Powerful earthquake causes fear, anxiety among citizens in northern Italy - Xinhua
Powerful earthquake causes fear, anxiety among citizens in northern Italy Xinhua by Marzia De Giuli SANT'AGOSTINO, Italy, May 20 (Xinhua) -- After a 5.9-magnitude quake hit northern Italy, killing at least six and injuring about 50, thousands of people gathered in a square here with anxiety and worry. Massimiliano Mazzanti, a young ... |