Symptoms of Anxiety, Worry, and Panic Attacks
Frequently Asked Questions about anxiety and panic
What does a panic attack feel like?
Your heart starts pounding. You feel like you can't breathe. You feel terrified, dizzy, faint, hot, cold. You're scared that you're having a heart attack, going crazy, or losing control.
You may want to get out of wherever you are, or go home, or call someone for help. You may go to an emergency room where they perform tests and find nothing medically wrong.
Panic attacks can occur in specific situations or come on suddenly and unpredictably. Between panic attacks, you probably worry that you will have another panic attack, and you may avoid places where you fear having another panic attack.
How are other anxiety disorders different from panic?
Generalized Anxiety Disorder – the worry and anxiety are present most of the time. They become worse when you are under pressure and better when the pressure is off.
Social Anxiety Disorder is anxiety that occurs in social situations or during public speaking. People with social anxiety usually fear saying something foolish or looking foolish to others.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder occurs after experiencing or witnessing something traumatic, life threatening. PTSD sufferers become very anxious or avoid reminders of the traumatic situation. If you have PTSD, you may have nightmares or sudden, intrusive images of the traumatic event. Sometimes people with PTSD cut themselves or develop eating disorders.
Phobias are anxiety symptoms that occur only in specific situations, like when flying or driving over bridges. People with phobias avoid situations that provoke their anxiety symptoms.
Can I ever be free of these symptoms?
You probably can't imagine ever being free of your anxiety symptoms. And you may be discouraged because you've had treatment, and it hasn't helped you. But with the right kind of Cognitive Behavior Therapy, most of our patients become completely free of anxiety.
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