Acute anxiety, which often manifests in panic attacks, can disrupt your life, especially when the episodes occur frequently. Because acute anxiety often recurs, you may start to fear suffering another panic attack, which in turn makes it more likely to happen. A thorough understanding of what causes acute anxiety and how to treat it can help you in overcoming it.
Definition
Acute anxiety is often associated with panic attacks. Acute anxiety comes on rapidly and generally lasts anywhere between a couple of minutes to a few hours. This contrasts with chronic anxiety, which is a constant and long-lasting form of anxiety or stress. Acute anxiety could be a one-time occurrence, but when these episodes become frequent, your physician may begin to suspect panic disorder or acute stress disorder.
Symptoms
Many people that complain of acute anxiety describe it coming on suddenly and strongly. Other symptoms of anxiety and panic are sensations of numbness or detachment, heart palpitations, racing thoughts, fear of dying or losing control, sweaty palms and weakness. Symptoms can vary from person to person. Acute anxiety is also associated with depression. According to the "Pharmacotherapy of Acute Anxiety," about 20 percent of people diagnosed with major depression also experience panic attacks.
Health Risks
Acute anxiety causes the mind and body to become distressed. When this happens on a recurring basis, there can be serious health and psychological effects. According to Helpguide.org, long-term exposure to stress can cause increased blood pressure, an impaired immune system, increased risk of heart attack or stroke, infertility and vulnerability to other mental illnesses.
Treatment Options
Doctors treat acute anxiety similarly to other anxiety disorders. Therapy can help determine and address any underlying causes of the episodes, as well as help the patient to learn to stay in control during them. Doctors prescribe medication on a long-term or short-term basis, depending on the severity of the panic attacks. Benzodiazepines are commonly prescribed, and should be taken at the first sign of acute anxiety. Benzodiazepines are sedatives with short-term effects, but they can become physically habit forming and should be taken with caution, only as prescribed. Your doctor might also prescribe antidepressants if the acute anxiety is long-lasting or is associated with any other mental health disorders.
Causes
According to the Anxiety and Phobia Workbook, panic attacks are often triggered by the body's oversensitized "fear system." As MayoClinic.com explains it, when faced with extreme danger, such as meeting an angry bear in the woods, the average person experiences many of the symptoms associated with panic attacks, such as a pounding heart and faster breathing. This prepares the body for "fight or flight." In panic attacks, however, there is no obvious danger. No one yet knows what causes these symptoms to be triggered more easily in patients who suffer from acute anxiety. The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook and MayoClinic both note that stress or major life changes can also be triggers.
References
- "The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook"; Edmund J. Bourne, PHD; 2005
- Richard I. Shader and David J. Greenblatt:The Pharmacotherapy of Acute Anxiety
- The Merck Manuals: Acute Stress Disorder
- HelpGuide.org: Understanding Stress
- MayoClinic. com: Panic Attacks and Panic Disorder: Causes
