Symptoms and Signs of Anxiety Attack
According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, USA, if you have panic disorder, you may experience at least four of the following symptoms during an attack-
- Chest pain or discomfort
- Dizziness or faintness
- Fear of dying
- Fear of losing control or impending doom
- Feeling of choking
- Feelings of detachment
- Feelings of unreality
- Nausea or upset stomach
- Numbness or tingling in the hands, feet, or face
- Palpitations, fast heart rate, or pounding heart
- Sensation of shortness of breath or smothering
- Sweating, chills, or hot flashes
- Trembling or shaking
You may also suffer from anticipatory anxiety where you feel anxious and tense, even when you are not having an anxiety / panic attack. This anxiety stems from a fear of having future panic attacks, and is extremely disabling.
Many people may also begin to avoid certain situations or environments in the belief that the situation caused a previous panic attack. It is called phobic avoidance and taken to extreme becomes agoraphobia.
Agoraphobia is a type of anxiety about two or more situations that includes either being in crowds, going to public places, traveling by yourself, or traveling away from home, which is associated with a fear of having a panic attack and fear that it might be difficult or embarrassing to escape.
Anxiety attacks can also occur without the experience of subjective fear. It is then called non-fearful panic attack. Non-fearful panic attacks are less often associated with some symptoms including shortness of breath, trembling, and depersonalization. They also lead less often to anticipatory anxiety and agoraphobia and other disorders such as major depressive disorder, simple phobia and substance-related disorders.
