What Happens During An Anxiety Attack?
What happens during an anxiety attack? The physiological reasons that contribute to an anxiety attack are not known. The effects of the anxiety attacks, however, are widely known. Anxiety is a natural and common emotion that every living individual will feel. Its purpose is the same as our senses; to alert us to danger and helping us to react to unique situations. This is scientifically known as the fight or flight response.
Excessive breathing, shortness of breath and accelerated heart rates are signs that one’s anxiety level is rising. A person goes from feeling composed and relaxed to feeling frightened and agitated in a moment. It helps one to deal with a dire situation and take actions.
We feel anxious even in normal situations that are not threatening to us in the least bit. These can be daily scenarios such as worrying about the safety of your kids when you are late in picking them up. In this scenario, anxiety is completely harmless and it keeps you from running late.
What Causes Anxiety?
As we can see anxiety is a good thing, normally this is what happens. During an anxiety attack actions and emotions are jacked up to an unmanageable level. The processes that traditionally control these functions work too well and can be debilitating to the sufferer.
Chemical imbalances in the brain can cause the onset of an anxiety attack. Emotional scars and pharmacological reasons can contribute to anxiety attacks as well. Some of the symptoms that victims suffering from anxiety mood disorders feel are: discomfort in the chest, light-headedness, an overwhelming fear of death and tremendous panic.
Stress is obviously the main trigger for anxiety episodes and the determination of these triggers is paramount in helping to solve the condition.
A staggering number of 20 million Americans experience some form of anxiety disorder. The most difficult step in treatment is that unlike common diseases, the causes of anxiety disorders are not always straightforward. Every person experiences anxiety attacks due to different reasons.
What happens during an anxiety attack and the symptoms of the condition usually stay the same throughout the span of the episode, but the pathology is different. The attack happens swiftly and without any pre-emptive measures. Stressful conditions usually cause the attack to happen in a heartbeat. Those who are unable to get a hold of their emotions usually feel as if they will die. This fear that one is about to lose his life only compounds the severity of the situation.
It’s Not Your Fault
Anxiety disorder and anxiety attacks are but the same; the attack precedes the disorder in the chain of order. Anxiety disorders should not be associated with mental weakness. This medical condition also affects women more so than men, and can span across all social and cultural classes.
Studies show that it tends to be hereditary. There are no lab tests to distinguish anxiety disorders, although a physical exam is necessary to rule out physical causes. Diagnosis is validated through the patient’s past history and an evaluation of symptoms that manifest in the afflicted person. Treatment consists largely of relaxation techniques, behavioural modification, psychotherapy and anxiety reducing drugs.
As of yet, there is no cure for anxiety attacks but symptoms normally respond well to one or any combination of these methods.
Click here to become elightened about how you can overcome your anxiety and panic attacks for good, starting today. Although you may not realise, anxiety relief is just around the corner and waiting for you to discover it.