Anxiety and Panic Attacks

Symptoms and Risk Factors

What does the Oxford Medical

Dictionary say?

Anxiety
What is it?
Not a specific recognised medical
condition
Instead there are a range anxiety
disorders including: Generalized
Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder,
Social Anxiety Disorder and Specific
phobias (e.g. Agoraphobia)

Panic Attack
an episode of intense fear or
apprehension that is of sudden onset and
may occur for no apparent reason or as a
reaction to an identifiable triggering
stimulus
diagnostic criteria for a panic attack
include a discrete period of intense fear or
discomfort, in which four (or more) of the
following symptoms develop abruptly and
reach a peak within minutes

Panic Attack Symptoms

(DSM-5)

Palpitations, and/or accelerated heart rate

Sweating
Trembling or shaking
Sensations of shortness of breath or being smothered
Feeling of choking
Chest pain or discomfort
Nausea or abdominal distress
Feeling dizzy, unsteady, lightheaded, or faint
De-realization (feelings of unreality) or depersonalization (being
detached from oneself)
Fear of losing control or going insane
Sense of impending death
Paresthesias (numbness or tingling sensations)
Chills or hot flashes

Panic Disorder
ananxiety disordercharacterized
by recurringpanic attacks, causing
a series of intense episodes of
extreme anxiety during panic
attacks.

Diagnosing Panic Disorder

diagnostic criteria for panic disorder require:
unexpected, recurrent panic attacks
at least a month of a significant and related
behavior change, a persistent concern of
more attacks, or a worry about the attack's
consequences.
Diagnosis is excluded by attacks due to a
drug or medical condition, or by panic
attacks that are better accounted for by
other mental disorders.

Generalised Anxiety
Disorder
DSM-5 criteria for generalized anxiety disorder include:
Excessive anxiety and worry about several events or
activities most days of the week for at least six months
Difficulty controlling your feelings of worry
At least three of the following symptoms in adults and one
of the following in children: restlessness, fatigue, trouble
concentrating, irritability, muscle tension or sleep
problems
Anxiety or worry that causes you significant distress or
interferes with your daily life
Anxiety that isn't related to another mental health
condition, such as panic attacks or post-traumatic stress
disorder (PTSD), substance abuse, or a medical condition

Risk factors for Anxiety

Disorders
Being female.Women are more likely than men to be
diagnosed with an anxiety disorder.
Trauma.Children who endured abuse or trauma or witnessed
traumatic events are at higher risk of developing an anxiety
disorder at some point in life. Adults who experience a
traumatic event also can develop anxiety disorders.
Stress due to an illness.Having a health condition or
serious illness can cause significant worry about issues such
as your treatment and your future.
Stress buildup.A big event or a buildup of smaller stressful
life situations may trigger excessive anxiety for example, a
death in the family or ongoing worry about finances.

Risk factors for Anxiety Disorders

(cont)
Personality.People with certain personality types
are more prone to anxiety disorders than are
others.
Other mental health disorders.People with
other mental health disorders, such as depression,
often experience anxiety disorder as well.
Having blood relatives with an anxiety
disorder.Anxiety disorders can run in families.
Drugs or alcohol.Drug or alcohol use or abuse or
withdrawal can cause or worsen anxiety.
History of childhood physical or sexual abuse

Changes in DSM-5
For the various forms of phobias and anxiety
disorders, DSM-5 removes the requirement
that the subject"must recognize that their fear
and anxiety are excessive or unreasonable".
Also, the duration of at least 6 months now
applies to everyone (not only to children).
Panic attack became a specifier for all DSM-5
disorders.
Panic disorder and agoraphobia became two
separate disorders.