Anxiety is a very closely related to stress with regards to symptoms and some signs, however anxiety is classed as a mental disorder whereas stress is not. Stress has obvious causes, whereas anxiety generally comes and goes for no apparent reason at the time, triggers can be unknown to those suffering and those at a distance.
Anxiety is associated with a fear response and not due to an overload, both giving the perception of inability to cope. The feeling of anxiety gives off a much stronger fight or flight response that that of stress, as it is more geared to fear than being overworked.
Just like stress, anxiety is natural and normal and can be good in small doses, such as the fear you get before going onto a roller-coaster, or the fear and quickened response you get when confronted by a dangerous animal. Those in the emergency services may get anxiety before entering the burning building or confronting criminals, it keeps you alert and increases the survival instinct built into us all.
However when the levels of anxiety becomes abnormal or occurs often in non threatening parts of your life then this could lead to an anxiety disorder. Some forms of anxiety can be learned, sub-consciously training yourself to act the same in a similar situation even without a threat present. Anxiety can form several days before the event actually happens, such as the build-up to an event where your thoughts are causing worry.
People with anxiety disorders, can feel anxious for the majority of the day this feeling can become overwhelming, tiring or debilitating using forms of addiction or harm to reduce the pain inside.
However occasionally anxiety can come on suddenly which can become extremely distressing, the entire fight or flight response activates without any conscious reason, the changes in the body just increases the fear further. Without being able to reduce this excess energy or calming down sufficiently for the changes to subside then it is possible that a panic attack is not too far away. This attack can be the scariest thing imaginable, the fear of sudden or impending death.
Fight or flight
The fight or flight response is an automatic reaction to a perceived threat, it is a survival instinct that enables the person with the threat to either escape the situation or to fight their way through it. Once activated chemicals mainly adrenaline and cortisol are released into the bloodstream, this makes the body undergo massive changes.
Breathing becomes faster, the heart pumps faster, the blood is directed towards the muscles, pupils dilate, awareness intensifies, sight sharpens, impulses quicken, pain is reduced and anger can manifest.
All of these symptoms give extra energy to the places that need it for the ability to run or fight. After the threat has diminished the symptoms should subside and return back to normal. The problem occurs when this doesn't happen, the body remains in fight or flight mode this continued response can cause emotional, physical and behavioural problems.
Panic attacks
A panic attack is a period of intense fear that occurs suddenly without any warning, they can last between minutes and hours, peaking usually around 10minutes after starting. The initial belief during a panic attack is that of impending danger and fear that you are dying.
Panic attacks give off an extreme version of the fight and flight response, a strong urge may come over of escape or flee. While a panic attack occurs the body is flooded with adrenaline, the heart pumps faster, the respiratory system starts to work overtime, breathing deeply all these are designed to give you enough energy to escape the impending danger. However as you are stationary and not using this excess oxygen and energy, the panic attack becomes worse, which leads into more panic, it becomes a vicious circle.
Each of these procedures the body takes are extremely beneficial in times of danger, for extreme short periods of time. However in long doses or frequent episodes this can cause fear in itself, it is common to feel fear of the attacks themselves, this leads to avoiding situations or places where attacks have occurred, it can also lead to fears of a panic attacks that have not yet happened.
There are no real common situations were an attack can take place, everyone is different and panic attacks can occur anywhere at any time and it isn't always obvious why the attack occurs, you may never even find out why the attack occurs, just that it did.
During a panic attack it is common to feel faint (This is caused by hyperventilation due to the deep breathing that takes place), chest pains or the feeling of the heart skipping a beat (This is caused by the body pumping blood faster through the heart, to allow oxygen to reach vital organs) and a rush of energy due to the adrenaline rushing through the body.
Other common feelings are:
That you are dying
Trembling
Nausea
Pins and needles
Difficulty breathing
Deadlines
Sweating
Chocking feeling
That you are losing control
Causes & Symptoms of anxiety
There are no specific causes of anxiety it entirely depends on what your body perceives as a threat or fear. The majority of people who suffer from symptoms of anxiety are those that have other existing mental health problems, those who have suffered neglect or some form of trauma/abuse, those who are suffering from a chemical imbalance or other medical factors and you are more likely to feel anxiety if others in the family have also suffered from anxiety.
Although not an exhaustive list the more common symptoms of anxiety are:
Heart palpitations
Depersonalization / Lack of emotions
Numbness
Feeling of urgency
Dizziness
Chest Pain
Easily startled
Fear of losing control
Stomach knots / Emotional pain
Agitated or constantly on the move
Anyone with such feelings should get assistance to relieve them, this means contacting a doctor or someone with knowledge of such problems. If left alone the pain and turmoil could lead to further problems, to reduce the pain such as those mentioned under the section harm.