anxiety attack

anxiety attack

n.

See panic attack.

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anxiety attack,

an acute, psychobiologic reaction manifested by intense anxiety and panic. Symptoms include palpitations, shortness of breath, dizziness, faintness, profuse diaphoresis, pallor of the face and extremities, GI discomfort, and an intense feeling of imminent doom or death. Attacks usually occur suddenly, last from a few seconds to an hour or longer, and vary in frequency from several times a day to once a month. Treatment consists of reassurance, desensitization statement, separation of the individual from anxiety-producing situations, administration of a sedative if necessary, and appropriate psychotherapy to identify the stresses perceived as threatening.

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attack [ah-tak´]

an episode or onset of illness.

anxiety attack panic attack.

heart attack

1. popular term for myocardial infarction.

2. any of various types of acute episodes of ischemic heart disease.

panic attack an episode of acute intense anxiety, with symptoms such as pounding or racing heart, sweating, trembling or shaking, feelings of choking or smothering, chest pain, nausea, dizziness, feelings of unreality, and chills or hot flashes. It is the essential feature of panic disorder and other anxiety disorders as well as other psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and mood disorders.

transient ischemic attack see transient ischemic attack.

vagal attack (vasovagal attack) see vasovagal attack.

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anxiety attack

Psychiatry An episode of extremely uncomfortable anxiety; severe AAs are called panic attacks. See Anxiety, Anxiety disorder, Panic attack.

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Patient discussion about anxiety attack.

Q. how can you get rid of anxiety attacks

A. I think it'd be best to consult a professional - there are some good treatments that could help you, like practicing with a psychologist (called CBT, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_behavioral_therapy) or using medications (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anxiety_disorders#Treatment).

Take care,

Q. Could be I’ve been having an anxiety attack? My husband is deployed right now; he's been gone for about 2.5 months. I was fine at first, but lately I have started having anxiety. At least I think that's what it is, I've never experienced this before. I get these nagging worries in my mind that just won't quit, and then I start to feel it all over my body like an aching... its difficult to describe. Anyway, I feel like I want to go to my doctor about this, but I am afraid he will see me as just someone trying to get a pill for something. But It also affecting my sleep and my well-being. What should I do? Are there any natural remedies for anxiety that I could try?

A. Sounds like anxiety to me. one of the things you can do is to stop trying to fight the anxiety. you try to fight it, and because you can't get it to stop, you feel more anxious it’s a vicious cycle . basically, when you are feeling anxious, acknowledge that you are experiencing anxiety - don't try to reason with it, or convince yourself otherwise - just say to yourself, 'I’m feeling a little anxious right now - it will pass'. It’s just chemicals in your brain eventually. If it doesn’t stop and only get’s worse – go see the Dr.