Could Anxiety Be Putting You at Risk of Panic Attacks?
Out of the blue, you feel terror. Your heart is pounding. You're dizzy and you can't catch your breath. You begin to sweat profusely and perhaps even feel pain in your chest. You're certain that you're on the brink of a heart attack--or even, as inexplicable as it may seem, fear you're going to die. You may have just had a panic attack.
Runaway Vigilance Hormone Linked to Panic Attacks
A study has linked panic disorder to a wayward hormone in a brain circuit that regulates vigilance. While too little of the hormone, called orexin, is known to underlie narcolepsy, the new study suggests that too much of it may lead to panic attacks that afflict 6 million American adults.
Don’t Panic! Understanding Anxiety Attacks
By Jeanne Latiolais, Psy.D.
Your heart starts to pound. You feel shaky, nervous, slightly dizzy. You have trouble catching your breath. A feeling of sickness accompanies a sense of fear. But fear of what? You are not sure. “Will I faint?” “Am I losing control?” you wonder. “What is wrong with me?” This rapidly escalating collection of symptoms is a classic example of a panic attack, or anxiety attack. Panic attacks are a key feature in many anxiety disorders.
Making the Connection Between Sexual Problems and Anxiety Disorders
Over the past few years, psychiatrists have become increasingly aware of the importance of asking patients suffering from anxiety disorders about pre-existing sexual problems, since it has become apparent that certain drugs commonly prescribed for psychological disorders can affect sexual functioning.
Emotion-Regulating Protein Lacking in Panic Disorder
Each year, panic attacks strike about 2.4 million American adults "out of the blue," with feelings of intense fear and physical symptoms sometimes confused with a heart attack. A new study reveals how three brain areas of panic disorder patients are lacking in a key component of a chemical messenger system that regulates emotion.
Don’t Panic!
By Stanley E. Hibbs, Ph.D.
Does this ever happen to you? Out of nowhere, you experience a number of troubling physical symptoms. You heart begins to pound or you have difficulty breathing. You might experience chest pains or stomach upset. Perhaps you fear that you are dying or about to go crazy.
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