Approximately 40 million adults in the United States are living with an anxiety disorder, reports the National Institute of Mental Health. Anxiety disorders---including generalized anxiety, social anxiety, post-traumatic stress and panic disorders---cause an array of characteristic physical and psychological symptoms. Several physical symptoms of anxiety involve the chest, including pain. Understanding the relationship between chest-related symptoms and anxiety can provide patients an opportunity to learn techniques to manage these physical manifestations of their disorder.
Chest Pressure, Pain and Discomfort
Patients experiencing an anxiety or panic attack often experience chest pressure, pain or discomfort, commonly mimicking a heart attack. These sensations justifiably cause alarm. Patients with an anxiety disorder often seek emergency medical care, thinking they might be experiencing a heart attack. In an April 2010 article published in the "American Journal of Emergency Medicine," psychologist Guillaume Foldes-Busque of the University of Quebec and colleagues report that approximately 44 percent of 771 patients presenting to the emergency department with unexplained chest pain had panic-like anxiety. The authors further noted that the emergency room physicians correctly diagnosed fewer than 10 percent of the patients with panic-like anxiety.
Rapid, Pounding Heartbeat
Patients with anxiety disorders frequently experience a pounding, rapid heartbeat. This symptom proves especially prevalent among patients with panic disorder. In a February 2010 review article published in the journal "Depression and Anxiety," psychologist Michelle Craske of the University of California, Los Angeles and colleagues report that a rapid, pounding heartbeat is the most common symptom reported by patients who have panic attacks. Patients with generalized anxiety disorder also frequently experience a rapid heartbeat, notes the American Academy of Family Physicians on the patient information website FamilyDoctor.org.
Shortness of Breath
The distressing sensation of shortness of breath proves a frequent symptom of anxiety disorders. The University of Maryland Medical Center points out that shortness of breath commonly accompanies panic attacks and phobias. Panic disorder and specific phobias are twice as common in women compared to men, reports the National Institute of Mental Health. Social phobia proves equally common in men and women.
Choking Sensation
A feeling of choking or being smothered remains one of the diagnostic criteria for panic attacks in the "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders." The 2010 "Depression and Anxiety" review article by Craske and colleagues notes that the occurrence of a choking sensation typically reflects a severe panic attack. The University of Maryland Medical Center reports that women more commonly experience a sensation of choking or being smothered with a panic attack than do men.
References
- National Institute of Mental Health: Anxiety Disorders
- "American Journal of Emergency Medicine"; Unexplained Chest Pain in the ED: Could It Be Panic?; Guillaume Foldes-Busque, M.P., et al.; April 2010
- "Depression and Anxiety"; Panic Disorder: A Review of DSM-IV Panic Disorder and Proposals for DSM-V; Michelle G. Craske, Ph.D., et al.; February 2010
- Family Doctor: Anxiety and Panic: Gaining Control Over How You're Feeling
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Anxiety Disorders
