Symptoms and Signs of Symptoms and Signs: Anxiety

Doctor's Notes on Symptoms and Signs: Anxiety

Anxiety is a feeling of apprehension, worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome. Although anxiety itself is a symptom and sign for other disorders, the classic symptoms and signs of anxiety are as follows:

• feelings of stress,
• apprehension,
• fear,
• heart palpitations or fast heart rate and sweating, and
• shortness of breath.

Other symptoms may include the above but they occur in a more severe form.

• Numbness or tingling,
• trembling,
• sense of choking,
• chest pain,
• diarrhea,
• nausea,
• chills or hot flashes,
• dizziness,
• a feeling of detachment from the world, and
• an irrational fear of dying are additional signs and symptoms.

The potential causes of anxiety are numerous. In general, anxiety may be caused by a mental condition (for example, panic disorder, separation anxiety disorder), a physical condition (asthma, anemia), drugs (caffeine, amphetamines), and/or any combination.

What Are the Treatments for Anxiety?

There are two major treatments used for anxiety:

• Psychotherapy
  • Cognitive behavioral therapy (talk therapy, exposure therapy)
• Medications (types vary with the symptoms and other health problems)
  • Antidepressants
  • Buspirone
  • Sedatives like benzodiazepines (caution: short-time use only; possible addictive)
  • Beta blockers (short-term only)

Often, both psychotherapy is combined with one or more medications as determined by your doctor.