Anxiety disorders are the most common psychic pathology: it is estimated that at least 5% of people suffer from persistent anxiety over the course of their life and that up to 30% are at risk of suffering from an anxiety disorder during their lifetime.
- What are anxiety attacks and what are the symptoms
- Most common causes of anxiety attacks
- How to deal with anxiety attacks
- How to cure anxiety attacks
- How to prevent anxiety attacks
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Everyone can experience a feeling of tension and anxiety which, if dictated by precise reasons, remain transitory and do not represent a threat, indeed they are even useful for managing stressful situations. Anxiety attacks that arise without a real motivation deserve a different discourse , causing reactions of alert and fear that are disproportionate and excessive compared to the real situation.
What are anxiety attacks and what are the symptoms
L ‘ pathological anxiety affects more or less important psychological functioning of the person. Anxiety attacks can be triggered by a phobia or be a sign of generalized anxiety .
Anxious states can present with a wide range of symptoms that are grouped into two main categories: cognitive and physical or somatic, related to the activation of the autonomic nervous system that is not under the control of the person’s will.
The most typical cognitive symptoms include:
- growing sense of alarm and danger
- sense of mental emptiness
- fear of going crazy
- fear of dying
- avoidanceof the feared situation
- inability to relax
- fear of losing control
- apprehension
- restlessness
- irritability
- feeling of unreality (derealization) and that of feeling detached from oneself (depersonalization)
- memoryimpairment
- difficulty concentrating.
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The physical symptoms that can characterize an anxiety attack are very varied. Typical are:
- rapid heartbeat
- tremors, chills or on the contrary hot flashes
- tinglingin parts of the body
- chest discomfort
- shortness of breath (dyspnoea)
- insomnia and fatiguedue to sleep deprivation
- nausea
- muscle pain
- abdominaldiscomfort
- dizziness.
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Most common causes of anxiety attacks
There is no single cause behind anxiety attacks, which typically arise from a mix of predisposing factors and life experiences . For example, it has been seen that those suffering from anxiety, on average, have experienced traumatic events in childhood with greater frequency than those who do not have this problem. Inadequate overcoming of attachment to the mother can also play a role. A mother who transmits anxiety signals to her little one , sometimes already starting from pregnancy and therefore from intrauterine life, risks not making him feel protected and reassured and compromising his autonomy , favoring the development of anxieties and phobias.
Anxiety attacks are also more frequent in people who are inhibited in social relationships and shy in new situations. But genetics also seem to play a role : often those with anxiety disorders have a family history of anxiety attacks or depression or other psychiatric conditions.
Anxiety attacks can occur for very different reasons. According to DSM-5 , the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, anxiety disorders include, in addition to generalized anxiety disorder, other forms, such as:
- disorder panic attacksand / or agoraphobia
- the phobiasspecific
- separation anxiety
- the OCD
- social phobia
- The post-traumatic stress disorder.
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In the presence of a specific phobia , that is a marked, persistent and disproportionate irrational fear towards something (airplane, blood, cats, spiders, insects in general, closed spaces, etc.), the anxiety attack is expressed with symptoms physiological such as tachycardia , dizziness, feeling of suffocation up to fainting. Although the subject often realizes the irrationality of his own fear , he is unable to face it and tends to avoid situations that could prove to be at risk.
The ‘ separation anxiety comes from the fear of losing a significant figure, without which it is feared that he could not live.
The panic attacks , however, are episodes of terror sudden and unexpected, especially the first time. The fear of fear that derives from this can trigger a vicious circle and set off agoraphobia , or the anxiety that comes from being in places or situations in which the person has the feeling of not being able to be helped in case of need, or in any case from which he believes he cannot find an escape route. Those who have experienced it once tend to fear going back to where the anxiety attack occurred, and so the disorder can cause emotional instability and severely limit autonomy.. The attack presents with panic attacks, unmotivated fear, dyspnoea, palpitations (as if the heart skipped a beat or beat too fast, so as to give the idea of having a heart attack) mental confusion and a sense of impending catastrophe.
In social anxiety disorder , the subject experiences excessive fear of being observed and judged negatively . In social situations, for example when public speaking is required, the anxiety attack typically manifests itself as sweating, tremor, increased heart rate, and agitation. Social anxiety is also a performance anxiety , very present in sexual disorders. A particular form of social anxiety is selective mutism which mainly affects children , even very young ones, and is characterized by a persistent inability to speak in particular situations.
The obsessive-compulsive disorder is characterized by obsessions or thoughts, images or impulses that trigger recurring anxiety attacks, disgust and guilt. To reassure themselves and manage their emotional distress , the patient becomes compulsive, that is, he begins to implement repetitive behaviors (such as controlling, ordering, etc.) or cognitive actions (praying, repeating formulas, counting).
The person suffering from generalized anxiety eventually experiences a constant state of anxiety rather than limited anxiety attacks. The individual’s malaise typically manifests itself with both somatic and cognitive symptoms . The disorder can easily be accompanied by depression and lead to alcohol, caffeine, and other substance abuse.
How to deal with anxiety attacks
Patients with anxiety disorders often realize that they have excessive and inappropriate worries , but they cannot get over them. Before asking for help, they undergo countless medical examinations, as they can also suffer from hypochondria . In fact, they think that the disorders they feel may be linked to “physical” illnesses, which are “easier” to admit to themselves than a mental problem.
Pathological anxiety attacks cannot be self-managed . On the contrary, professional intervention is needed, for example by a psychologist or a psychiatrist , who can help first of all to frame and diagnose the specific problem and therefore to start the most suitable treatment.
The challenge is to help the patient tolerate the present , to experience emotions without believing that everything will affect tomorrow in a negative way.
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How to cure anxiety attacks
Not infrequently, those with anxiety attacks resort to “do it yourself”, taking anxiolytics as needed or other therapies, “alternative” or otherwise, which however risk causing more harm than good . Often those with anxiety would prefer to treat attacks without resorting to drugs, fearing side effects. However, it must be said that drugs do not have long-term effects on the brain as many fear and, if used under medical supervision, they allow good results to be obtained.
The anxiety attacks can be limited, however, by acting on several fronts and not only on the drug. The intervention of a psychotherapist can be of great help, for example, and relaxation , breathing and meditation techniques , hypnosis, biofeedback and autogenic training exercises can also help . The cognitive behavioral therapy , in particular, aims to help patients identify recurring thoughts and dysfunctional patterns of reasoning and interpretation of reality, in order to replace and / or supplement it with more functional beliefs and stimuli.
As far as pharmacological therapies are concerned, antidepressants and anxiolytics are used above all .
The most commonly used antidepressants are serotonin reuptake inhibitors (Ssri) and serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (Srni). Although they are classified as antidepressant drugs, several studies have shown that they are very good against generalized anxiety disorder and other forms of anxiety. Antidepressants are not effective right away, they usually take a few weeks, and are not even curative as anxiety attacks may reappear when discontinued.
The anti-anxiety drugs , especially benzodiazepines , are used especially in an emergency, when there is the ‘ panic attack , because they act quickly. However, it is advisable not to use them continuously because they can cause addiction as their suspension could cause so-called “rebound” symptoms.
How to prevent anxiety attacks
To prevent the physiological anxiety that we all feel from turning into a real pathology, it is important to have a healthy lifestyle. Many small tricks, if introduced into your routine, can prove to be great allies for everyone, young and old. Among the main good anti-anxiety habits are:
- practice a hobby
- maintaining a social activity with people with whom you meet periodically
- carve out a space in the houseto rest and devote time to yourself
- to be in contact with nature
- do regular physical activitythat stimulates the production of endorphins
- keep the weight in the normal range
- practice some kind of deep relaxation
- have a correctand balanced diet
- not smoking.
