Anxiety
What is anxiety?
Anxiety is a symptom or an emotion which is produced as a result of fear of something. We in Metsin often call it a fight or flight reaction, which is where the body prepares itself to either have to fight a threat or run away from it. And that means that the body induces a number of changes whereby it's preparing for this particular act. These changes are usually an increase in your heart rate, an increase in your rate of breathing. You will often sweat more, and your muscles will be in great attention in order to prepare to respond.
How can anxiety be controlled?
Is anxiety potentially dangerous?
What is a panic attack?
A panic attack is a situation whereby the patient is suffering from acute severe anxiety and hence it is associated with an inappropriate fear. As a result of that, the patient will develop a number of symptoms which are often very disturbing and which will form part of a vicious circle, because the patient will in turn worry about the symptoms that have been produced by the extreme anxiety. For example, part of an anxiety attack could easily and will often be hyperventilation. Hyperventilation means that we breathe too fast, too quickly, and we will expel too much carbon dioxide. This changes the calcium levels in blood which will in turn cause symptoms of pins and needles around the mouth or on the tips of the fingers or stiffness of certain muscles, such as the fingers of the hands and these will often go into spasm. All this only goes to worsen the anxiety of the patient, who is indeed already suffering from a panic attack. So in a way, it's a bit of a vicious circle of anxiety symptoms which will develop into a downward spiral.
What should I do to help someone having a panic attack?
