From the category archives:

Anxiety Disorders

Panic Attacks Myths

Misinformation does not only create vague pictures of a condition but will also likely cause people to believe things that do not actually exist. Among those conditions that typically receive serious amounts of myths are psychological and behavioral disorders, partly because psychological conditions are often hard to understand and seem mysterious. In this article, we would try to debug the myths of one of the more common behavioral conditions—panic attacks.

People with panic attacks are crazy. Crazy is never a good term for people with psychological conditions and people with panic attacks are hardly crazy. They may seem deranged and a bit psychotic for some people when they experience attacks of panic and terror but this does not suggest that they are.

As if to add to the insult, people with panic attacks are sometimes perceived to have schizophrenia, the most advanced form of psychosis which is marked by severe auditory and visual hallucination as well as aggravated delusions and dysfunctional thoughts. Clearly, there is no relationship between people who feel like they are “going crazy” when undergoing attacks and people who have advanced (and even minor) psychological conditions. 

People with panic attacks lose control. Wrong. Panic attacks do not rob a person his sense of control. While a person’s thoughts may seem distorted for a while during attacks due to physical symptoms that lend themselves towards this possibility such as shortness of breath and heart attack-like symptoms, this does not mean that the person is losing grip of the reality. Anxiety which normally accompanies panic attacks is a body’s way to tell you that something is going wrong. Since this is a defense mechanism, it is not dangerous to anyone, not even the person undergoing the panic attack.

It is good to remember that panic attack happens only in the mind, it may, in fact, be unnoticeable for people surrounding the person during the attack. What exacerbates the attack is the person’s conscious thought that it could cause embarrassment or harm to other people. It is the sense of losing control of one’s self that makes the condition worse, a thought that is manufactured in the brain, never the total lack of sense of control.

People with panic attacks have chronic heart disorders. While this may be partly true due to the link between mitral valve prolapse and panic attacks, this does not make the assertion entirely valid. People have good reasons to believe that they are having heart attacks or heart failures when they experience episodes of panic attacks since some of the symptoms of both conditions are similar. But such symptoms are perfectly rational when seen from the viewpoint of elevated fear.

For example, people subjected under conditions that stimulate fear experience tightening of the chest, faster heart beat, profuse perspiration, shortness of breath and increased respiration. All these signs are also symptoms of heart attacks which make it easy for most people to believe that instead of having a disorder of the mind, they are having dysfunctional hearts. But then again, similarity in symptoms does not make two completely different conditions alike.

Myths often offer a semblance of the reality that is not hard to believe in. But do not be fooled. Knowing what is the exact truth and not the half lies may serve you well when dealing with conditions that root from and are aggravated by thoughts.

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Signs, Symptoms, Panic Disorder and Agoraphobia

A panic attack is a sudden surge of overwhelming fear and anxiety, usually without any clear reason and without warning. It can happen to anyone regardless of age, health and status. Many attacks are a one-time occurrence, but some people experience recurring episodes. Recurring episodes are often caused by a “trigger” – like speaking in front of a crowd or doing a presentation at work. Panic attacks may be a part of another disorder such as depression, panic disorder, or social phobia. These, however, are generally harmless, but sufferers still feel that their life is in danger. Either way, panic attacks are treatable.

Signs and Symptoms

A panic attack can happen anytime, but it usually happens when you are away from home. You may be at a store shopping, at work preparing for a presentation, in a class, driving, walking down the street or even during asleep.

The signs and symptoms develop quickly and usually arrive at its peak in 10 minutes. The majority of panic attacks do not last for more than 30 minutes and it rarely lasts for more than an hour.

A person during an attack shows these signs and symptoms:

  • Increased heartbeat or palpitation
  • Chest pain
  • Hyperventilation or shortness of breath
  • Stomach churning, upset stomach
  • Trembling and shaking
  • Muscle tension
  • Sweating
  • Dizziness and light-headedness
  • Hot or cold flashes
  • Tingling sensation or numbness
  • Fear of dying, going crazy or losing control
  • Feeling detached from the surroundings

Panic Disorder

A panic attack may happen just once without any problem or complication. And there is almost no reason to be concerned if you have one or two episodes. But those who have experienced several episodes usually develop panic disorder.

Recurring panic attacks along with persistent anxiety for future attacks and major changes in behavior can be considered as panic disorder. There are two symptoms of panic disorder: (1) phobic avoidance and (2) anticipatory anxiety.

Phobic avoidance - When you begin to avoid certain things or situations based on the belief that it would trigger another attack. It can also be avoiding situations that have caused the previous attack. You may also avoid places or situations where escape is difficult and help is unavailable, like riding an elevator or an airplane. Extreme case of phobic avoidance may lead to agoraphobia.

Anticipatory anxiety – The “fear of fear” or the fear of having future panic attacks. The person manifesting this symptom is usually tensed and anxious. When ignored, the condition can be disabling.

Panic disorder with agoraphobia

Agoraphobia is traditionally believed as fear of open places or public places, thus, it literally means “fear of the marketplace.” However, now it is believed that agoraphobia is fear of experiencing panic attack in a place where help is difficult or where escape would be difficult.

People with agoraphobia tend to avoid the following situations or activities:

  • Being away from home
  • Driving
  • Confined places where there is a possibility of being trapped (elevator, theaters, public transportation, stores)
  • Going out with “unsafe” person or someone he or she is not comfortable being with.
  • Places where it would be embarrassing to have a panic attack like parties and other social gatherings.

In severe cases, people with agoraphobia see their home as the only safe place.

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Anxiety Children

Anxiety children are those suffering from bouts of anxiety and just like adults, children experience fear, anxiety and apprehension. These are but normal emotional experiences that a person feels regardless of age. However, if anxiety becomes irrational, recurring and severe, and anxiety attacks happen without any apparent reason, and the reaction is disproportionate to the problem at hand, it can be a cause of concern. This is why on the first signs of problem, have your child get proper diagnosis by a health professional to be able to rule out any possible causes and determine the right treatment to be applied.

Since anxiety attack is a type of anxiety disorder, it is important to know what happens to a child who is suffering from such disorder. To be able to identify it, here are the following symptoms:

  • Frequent feeling of fear and panic
  • Bed wetting
  • Tantrums and excessive crying
  • Fear of making mistakes
  • Fear of getting embarrassed
  • Avoidance of certain activities such as school event and summer camps
  • Nightmares and night terrors
  • Compulsive behaviors 
  • Resistance to any change
  • Low self-esteem, lack of confidence
  • Overly shy and difficulty making friends
  • Chronic physical symptoms such as stomach aches or headaches without any apparent reason

Anxiety children - A child is under an anxiety attack if he shows the following symptoms:

  • Gush of overwhelming panic
  • Hot flashes or chills
  • Trouble breathing or choking sensation
  • Feeling of loosing control or going crazy
  • Feeling and fear of dying
  • Feeling unreal or detach
  • Nausea or stomach cramps
  • Hyperventilation
  • Shaking or trembling
  • Feeling like passing out
  • Chest pain or heart palpitation

Different children of different ages or even of the same age may manifest different symptoms. Moreover, some of the symptoms given may be considered as a normal behavior of a child. Thus it is a bit tricky to determine if he or she is really having an attack or not. What should be done is to recognize these symptoms and consider them as a reason of concern, then help your child deal with these symptoms through the following:

Seek help from health professional – Effectively stopping anxiety attacks begins with recognition and followed by a compete diagnosis from your medical doctor. A full medical examination should be administered in order to rule out any other physical causes unrelated to anxiety.

Doctors usually give prescription medications to help relieve anxiety. If applicable, SSRI antidepressants may be needed for a long term solution. For a more severe case, doctors may refer the child to a psychologist.

Self-help techniques – Parents may seek the help of books available for treating child anxiety. This is also very effective in teaching parents strategies for responsible parenting, which improve parent-child relationship and help build child self-confidence and self-esteem.

Play therapy – is the child version of exposure therapy. As an effective child anxiety treatment, play therapy uses the power of play to simulate each fearful situation in a controlled environment, which then helps the child face the problem and come up with a solution.  

Herbal medicines – is proven and effective means of treating anxiety children attacks and other types of anxiety disorder. Some of the commonly recommended remedies include passionflower, valerian, scuttelaria laterifolia (scullcap), California poppy, Melissa officinalis, hypericum perforatum (St. John’s Wort), hops and lavender.

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Causes of Childhood Anxiety

Childhood anxiety, just like that of adults, is a normal, healthy emotion felt as a response to certain stimuli. But when anxiety becomes recurring, irrational and intense, it may be considered as a disorder. Episodes of anxiety attacks can disable the child from performing his daily duties in school and at home. And while it is generally safe, anxiety attacks can affect how the child lives. This article looks at some of the causes of childhood anxiety.

Since children are more fragile, they more vulnerable to such attacks and the effects of these attacks may be more severe than to adults. But what causes anxiety attacks? Here are some of the most common reasons of anxiety attacks:

School Phobia and Separation Anxiety
When a child reaches a certain age, he or she develops school phobia. The exact reason for this is still unknown, but what happens is, the child becomes excessively afraid of going to school. A child manifests this fear by creating reasons and complaining ailments such as toothaches, headache, and stomach cramps to keep him or her from going to school. School phobia is often linked to separation anxiety but the latter can manifest to situations other than in school (e.g. being with a group of people or joining other family for the weekend).

Again, the exact reason for this is unknown. Separation anxiety is excessive fear of being away from someone whom the child is comfortable being with. Tale-told signs of separation anxiety are similar to school phobia.

Stress
Stress is linked to anxiety attacks. It may be a result of heavy responsibilities at home and in school, unfinished tasks, physical and psychological abuse, a school bully, environment that is unfit for the child’s age, violence, etc. 

Change in lifestyle
A child creates friends in school and in the neighborhood. These friends would make him or her feel comfortable and accepted. So when the family moves to another place or to a different school, a child loses the friend and comfort he or she has established and forces him or her to start all over again. If the child cannot cope with this stressful situation, it can lead to episodes of anxiety attack.

Indirect Reasons
In many cases, anxiety attacks just come out of the blue, or happen without any logical, clear or apparent reason. It may occur while the child is relaxed during the day and even while asleep. This may only happen only once. Perhaps, an anxiety attack is brought about by unresolved internal issues, which are not directly connected with the trigger. For example, a child who experiences a death of a loved one may panic whenever a certain, almost similar situation happens. The traumatic experience that he or she went through in the past which are not processed properly can come out, in this case through an attack.

A child may also show episodes of anxiety attacks because the problem at hand reminded him or her about family conflicts. Fighting in the family as well as divorce of parents may be traumatic to a child that when witnessing a similar situation, he or she goes into a panic. 

Take note that there is no single reason (and it takes several factors) for childhood anxiety or for a child to have an anxiety attack, but whatever it is, what’s important is how do deal with it properly.

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Bipolar Depression Symptoms

There are many reasons why an individual may experience depression.  At one time it was thought that depression was based on outward experiences in which the individual suffered depression due to negative circumstances.  However, today it is widely believed that severe depression is caused by chemical imbalances.

In addition, there are many symptoms that are associated with the condition of depression.  Some individuals experience a variety of emotional indicators.  Some of those indicators could include being very sad, agitated or the individual may have trouble focusing their attention on the issues of life.

Additionally, some individuals may exhibit physical symptoms.  Some of those symptoms could include being fatigued, experiencing aches and pains or other assorted physical ailments.

Furthermore, there are many types of depression.  One such severe type of depression is bipolar depression.  Therefore, if wishing to know more about this type of depression it is important to know what is bipolar depression and what are the major bipolar depression symptoms.

What Is Bipolar Depression?

Bipolar depression is a serious form of depression that is composed of two aspects. Those two aspects or phases are called mania and depression. Each of these separate components is characterized by their own specific symptoms.

In addition, the individual who has an onset of bipolar depression may exhibit either one of the stages or it may be a combination of both aspects. In addition the symptoms associated with bipolar depression vary from individual to individual as well as the severity of the symptoms that are displayed.

Additionally, bipolar depression, although a disease, cannot be diagnosed utilizing the typical techniques that are used to diagnose a patient with a particular disease.  Some of those typical medical techniques that are used to diagnose a disease are x-rays, blood tests, etc.

Also, an individual who suffers from bipolar depression can experience deeper and lengthier episodes of being numb, unengaged, melancholy, etc.  This is because a typical onset of bipolar depression lasts for about two weeks.

Symptoms Of Bipolar Depression

Because bipolar depression cannot be diagnosed with typical medical tests, it is important to identify bipolar depression symptoms. Those bipolar depression symptoms could include significant swings in the loss of appetite or weight loss. Specifically when it comes to eating the individual may have a special desire for certain foods or may not have an appetite at all.

In addition, one of the major bipolar depression symptoms is the inability for the individual to fall asleep. This condition is known as insomnia. However, it is important to note that because of the huge swings in the individual’s lifestyle the opposite may be true. Therefore, there may be the symptom of excessive sleep.

Other bipolar depression symptoms can include a lack of vitality, the inability to focus, trouble speaking, severe feelings of unworthiness and thoughts of taking one’s own life.

Seeking Help

Finally, it is important for the individual or family to recognize depression and get treatment.  The best treatment is to reach out to others.  This can be accomplished by seeking support from fellow sufferers, treatment from medical professionals and the use of prescription medication.

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Dealing with Postpartum Depression and Anxiety

Estimates indicate that somewhere between ten and thirteen percent of women who deliver babies experience postpartum depression and sometimes, anxiety. Anxiety and postpartum depression often go hand-in-hand simply because of the immense life changes that occur with the arrival of a baby. Even in women with no previous history of depression, worries about being a good mother, unrealistic expectations of themselves, massive hormonal changes that occur during pregnancy and childbirth, and the financial changes that often accompany parenthood can combine to create a situation where postpartum depression and anxiety can lead to overwhelming feelings of helplessness, fear, sadness, listlessness, sleep difficulties, and paralyzing disinterest in activities that you once found enjoyable and interesting.

Talk to Your Doctor

If you are experiencing any of the above feelings, and especially if the feelings have persisted more than a couple of weeks following the birth of your baby, you should consult your physician. Your doctor can administer a simple test for postpartum depression to determine if you would benefit from drug therapy or counseling. Anxiety and postpartum depression are potentially serious conditions—much more than just “a case of the blues” that goes away in a couple of days. If left untreated or ignored, postpartum depression and anxiety can deepen and intensify, making your life—and that of your baby and loved ones—needlessly difficult.

Risk Factors

Some women can be more at risk than others for postpartum depression and anxiety. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (www.womenshealth.gov), you may be at greater risk if you have a history of substance abuse, if you are becoming a mother at a very young age, if you have had difficulties with previous pregnancies, if you have a previous history or family history of depression, if you have anxious or negative feelings about your pregnancy, if you are not receiving emotional or other support from friends and family during your pregnancy, or if you have recently experienced other stressful life events. If you believe you have one or more of these risk factors, you should discuss it with your doctor and decide on a course that could prevent or relieve postpartum depression and anxiety. Even if you don’t have any of the above factors, however, you should still remain aware of your feelings. While a mild case of “the baby blues” is not unusual after childbirth, deep or unrelenting sadness, insomnia, fear, or anxiety that persists for more than a week or two is not normal and may indicate the presence of postpartum depression and anxiety.

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