Palpitations, an irrational and uncontrollable fear, a feeling of suffocation. Anxiety attacks can be as intense as they are impressive. How to identify them? Where do they come from? How to cure it? Here are some explanations and tips for Anxiety attacks symptoms.
How to identify anxiety attacks?
Anxiety attacks are the manifestation of a form of intense anxiety that results in physical symptoms that make you feel overwhelmed. Also called a panic attack, it is accompanied by the following signs: increased heart rate, palpitations or tachycardia, unusual pallor, muscle tremors and spasms, chills, sweating, feeling of suffocation, dizziness, nausea, stomach pain, and chest pain. At the psychological level, we identify anxiety attacks by the impression of going crazy, the feeling of imminent death, and the feeling of a total loss of control. On the behavioral side, we observe prostration or on the contrary agitation without a specific goal, but sometimes also a state of wandering.
What are the causes of anxiety attacks?
” An anxiety attack occurs in subjects with the anxious ground, but can also occur suddenly and without a particular cause “, indicates Professor Pierre-Michel Llorca, psychiatrist and head of the department at Clermont-Ferrand University Hospital interviewed by the site Journal of Women. He adds: ” In addition, all exciting products such as coffee, cigarettes, or even cocaine can promote the onset of anxiety disorders. “
As a rule, anxiety attacks are often explained by chronic stressful situations, but they are not the only ones to promote these panic attacks, which can also be triggered by very targeted fears, although not necessarily identified. at the time the crisis occurs. The fear of losing a loved one, anxiety related to confinement and an uncertain future, or even the fact of being locked in a broken elevator can for example trigger an anxiety attack. Post-traumatic stress or fear of crowds can also be the cause of panic attacks.
The main physical anxiety symptoms are:
- heart palpitations
- increased heart rate (tachycardia)
- difficulty breathing with a feeling of suffocation
- pain or discomfort in the chest
- muscle tremors or twitches
- faintness, dizziness, vertigo
- itches
- blurred vision
- ringing or ringing in the ears (tinnitus)
- nausea, vomiting, diarrhea
- pain in the lower abdomen
- sweating, chills, hot flashes
Psychic disorders:
- fear of choking
- fear of passing out
- fear of having heart failure
- fear of going crazy
- fear of dying
How to deal with anxiety attacks?
When a person is struck by an anxiety attack, they usually feel unable to fight. If you witness an anxiety attack, do not hesitate to intervene. Try to move the person away from the element that would have triggered the seizure, if it is identifiable. Remind her that her life is not in danger, and try to help her slow down her breathing in order to reduce the physical symptoms of the seizure and thus find calm more easily.
If the anxiety attacks are recurrent, it is better to consult, as Professor Llorca indicates: ” Faced with an anxiety attack, we must eliminate a real somatic pathology. A medical evaluation and background elements will ensure that one is not facing a heart attack, for example. “The medical treatment of anxiety attacks usually involves psychological follow-up and the use of behavioral and cognitive therapies. The latter makes it possible to identify fears related to anxiety attacks and to gradually minimize them until they disappear. Finally, in prevention, it is recommended to avoid stimulants, to eat and sleep healthily, and at suitable times.
