Anxiety and panic attacks
Courtesy of Mind UK
What causes anxiety?
Everyone's experience of anxiety is different, so it's hard to know exactly what causes anxiety problems. There are probably lots of factors involved.
This page covers some things which make anxiety problems more likely to happen:
Past or childhood experiences
Difficult experiences in childhood, adolescence or adulthood are a common trigger for anxiety problems. Going through stress and trauma when you're very young is likely to have a particularly big impact. Experiences which can trigger anxiety problems include things like:
Having parents who don't treat you warmly or are overprotective can also be a factor.
Physical or mental health problems
Other health problems can sometimes cause anxiety, or might make it worse. For example:
Physical health problems – living with a serious, ongoing or life-threatening physical health condition can sometimes trigger anxiety.
Other mental health problems – it's also common to develop anxiety while living with other mental health problems, such as depression.
Drugs and medication
Anxiety can sometimes be a side effect of taking:
some medications for physical health problems
To report medication side effects see the government's Yellow Card website.
What are the symptoms of anxiety?
Anxiety feels different for everyone. You might experience some of the physical and mental effects listed in this post as well as effects in other areas of your life.
You might also have experiences or difficulties with anxiety that aren't recognised here.
effects of anxiety on your body
effects of anxiety on your mind
other effects of anxiety
Effects of anxiety on your body
These can include:
a churning feeling in your stomach
feeling light-headed or dizzy
pins and needles
feeling restless or unable to sit still
headaches, backache or other aches and pains
faster breathing
a fast, thumping or irregular heartbeat
sweating or hot flushes
sleep problems
grinding your teeth, especially at night
nausea (feeling sick)
needing the toilet more or less often
changes in your sex drive
having panic attacks.
The physical effects of anxiety
Watch Alex talk about the physical impact anxiety has on his body in this video:
Effects of anxiety on your mind
These can include:
feeling tense, nervous or unable to relax
having a sense of dread, or fearing the worst
feeling like the world is speeding up or slowing down
feeling like other people can see you're anxious and are looking at you
feeling like you can't stop worrying, or that bad things will happen if you stop worrying
worrying about anxiety itself, for example worrying about when panic attacks might happen
wanting lots of reassurance from other people or worrying that people are angry or upset with you
worrying that you're losing touch with reality.
low mood and depression
rumination – thinking a lot about bad experiences, or thinking over a situation again and again
depersonalisation – a type of dissociation where you feel disconnected from your mind or body, or like you are a character that you are watching in a film
derealisation – another type of dissociation where you feel disconnected from the world around you, or like the world isn't real
worrying a lot about things that might happen in the future – you can read more about these sorts of worries on the Anxiety UK website.
Anxiety and physical health problems
Some studies suggest that experiencing anxiety could increase the risk of developing certain long-term physical health problems, including diabetes, stomach ulcers and heart problems. But there's not enough evidence to say for sure exactly what the risks are, or what groups of people are most likely to be affected.
Having a physical illness or disability can also make you feel stressed and anxious, so it might sometimes feel like your anxiety problems and physical health problems are part of a vicious circle.
Sometimes it might be difficult to work out whether your symptoms are totally related to anxiety, or might be related to a different illness. If you're experiencing any physical symptoms it's best to talk to your GP, so they can check out what may be causing them.
Other effects of anxiety
Anxiety symptoms can last for a long time, or come and go. You might find you have difficulty with day-to-day parts of your life,
including:
looking after yourself
holding down a job
forming or maintaining
relationships
trying new things
simply enjoying your leisure time.
In some cases anxiety can have a serious impact on your ability to work. Seek out a therapist or life coach on how to be mentally healthy at work, for information on how to cope. Many legal pages or blogs provide discrimination at work that provides information about your rights in the workplace.
If you drive you may have to tell the DMV if you have an anxiety disorder. For information on your right to drive, including when and how to contact the DMV.
What are anxiety disorders?
Anxiety can be experienced in lots of different ways. If your experiences meet certain criteria your doctor might diagnose you with a specific anxiety disorder.
Some commonly diagnosed
anxiety disorders are:
Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) – this means having regular or uncontrollable worries about many different things in your everyday life. Because there are lots of possible symptoms of anxiety this can be quite a broad diagnosis, meaning that the problems you experience with GAD might be quite different from another person's experiences.
Social anxiety disorder – this diagnosis means you experience extreme fear or anxiety triggered by social situations (such as parties, workplaces, or everyday situations where you have to talk to another person). It is also known as social phobia. See our page on types of phobia for more information.
Panic disorder – this means having regular or frequent panic attacks without a clear cause or trigger. Experiencing panic disorder can mean that you feel constantly afraid of having another panic attack, to the point that this fear itself can trigger your panic attacks. See our page on panic attacks for more information.
Phobias – a phobia is an extreme fear or anxiety triggered by a particular situation (such as going outside) or a particular object (such as spiders). See our pages on phobias for more information.
Post-traumatic stress disorder
(PTSD) – this is a diagnosis you may be given if you develop anxiety problems after going through something you found traumatic. PTSD can involve experiencing flashbacks or nightmares which can feel like you're re-living all the fear and anxiety you experienced at the time of the traumatic events. See our pages on PTSD and complex PTSD for more information.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder
(OCD) – you may be given this diagnosis if your anxiety problems involve having repetitive thoughts, behaviours or urges.
Health anxiety – this means you experience obsessions and compulsions relating to illness, including researching symptoms or checking to see if you have them. It is related to OCD. You can find out more about health anxiety on the Anxiety UK website.
Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) – this means you experience obsessions and compulsions relating to your physical appearance. See our pages on BDD for more information.
Perinatal anxiety or perinatal OCD – some people develop anxiety problems during pregnancy or in the first year after giving birth. See our pages on perinatal anxiety and perinatal
OCD for more information.
You might not have, or want, a diagnosis of a particular anxiety disorder – but it might still be useful to learn more about these different diagnoses to help you think about your own experiences of anxiety, and consider options for support.
What do panic attacks feel like?
During a panic attack, physical symptoms can build up very quickly. These can include:
a pounding or racing heartbeat
feeling faint, dizzy or light-headed
feeling very hot or very cold
sweating, trembling or shaking
nausea (feeling sick)
pain in your chest or abdomen
struggling to breathe or feeling like you're choking
feeling like your legs are shaky or are turning to jelly
feeling disconnected from your mind, body or surroundings, which are types of dissociation.
During a panic attack you might
feel very afraid that you're:
losing control
going to faint
having a heart attack
going to die.
You might find that you become scared of going out alone or to public places because you're worried about having another panic attack. If this fear becomes very intense, it may be called agoraphobia. See this page on types of phobia for more information.
Panic attacks
Watch Lewis, Polly, Faisal, Shelley and Brian share how panic attacks feel for them, and talk about what helps: https://youtu.be/9YaS_4tXBNU
When might I have panic attacks?
Panic attacks happen at different times for everyone. Some people have one panic attack then don't ever experience another, or you might find that you have them regularly, or several in a short space of time. You might notice that particular places, situations or activities seem to trigger panic attacks. For example, they might happen before a stressful appointment.
Most panic attacks last between 5 to 20 minutes. They can come on very quickly. Your symptoms will usually be at their worst within 10 minutes. You might also experience symptoms of a panic attack over a longer period of time. This could be because you're having a second panic attack, or you're experiencing other symptoms of anxiety.
What helps to manage panic attacks?
Panic attacks can be frightening, but there are things you can do to help yourself cope. It could help to print off these tips, or write them down, and keep them somewhere easy to find.
During a panic attack:
Focus on your breathing. It can help to concentrate on breathing slowly in and out while counting to five.
Stamp on the spot. Some people find this helps control their breathing.
Focus on your senses. For example, taste mint-flavoured sweets or gum, or touch or cuddle something soft.
Try grounding techniques. Grounding techniques can help you feel more in control. They're especially useful if you experience dissociation during panic attacks. See our page on self-care for dissociation for more information on grounding techniques.
After a panic attack:
Think about self-care. It's important to pay attention to what your body needs after you've had a panic attack. For example, you might need to rest somewhere quietly, or eat or drink something.
Tell someone you trust. If you feel able to, it could help to let someone know you've had a panic attack. It could be particularly helpful to mention how they might notice if you're having another one, and how you'd like them to help you.
See these pages on self-care for anxiety and treatments for anxiety for more information on what could help.
What helps to manage panic attacks?
Panic attacks can be frightening, but there are things you can do to help yourself cope. It could help to print off these tips, or write them down, and keep them somewhere easy to find.
During a panic attack:
Focus on your breathing. It can help to concentrate on breathing slowly in and out while counting to five.
Stamp on the spot. Some people find this helps control their breathing.
Focus on your senses. For example, taste mint-flavoured sweets or gum, or touch or cuddle something soft.
Try grounding techniques. Grounding techniques can help you feel more in control. They're especially useful if you experience dissociation during panic attacks. See our page on self-care for dissociation for more information on grounding techniques.
After a panic attack:
Think about self-care. It's important to pay attention to what your body needs after you've had a panic attack. For example, you might need to rest somewhere quietly, or eat or drink something.
Tell someone you trust. If you feel able to, it could help to let someone know you've had a panic attack. It could be particularly helpful to mention how they might notice if you're having another one, and how you'd like them to help you.
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