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Which physical symptoms can occur during an anxiety disorder?
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mental disorder
A discussion of the advances made in psychiatric research and treatment.
Anxiety disorders can manifest through a wide range of physical symptoms, which often occur because the body is in a state of heightened tension or stress. While these symptoms can mimic other medical conditions, they are considered characteristic of an anxiety disorder when they occur in the absence of an organic defect or pathology.12
Common physical symptoms associated with anxiety disorders include:
- Cardiovascular and Respiratory: Heart palpitations or an accelerated heart rate, chest pain or discomfort, rapid breathing, and sensations of suffocation or shortness of breath.132
- Gastrointestinal: Nausea, abdominal distress, and diarrhea.132
- Neurological and Muscular: Dizziness or faintness, trembling or shaking, numbness or tingling, and dilated pupils.13
- General Physiological: Sweating (perspiration), hot flashes or chills, urinary frequency, and fatigue resulting from the excessive effort used to manage distressing fear.132
- Sleep and Tension: Insomnia and general agitation.1
In conditions like panic disorder, these symptoms can be intense and sudden, often leading individuals to fear they are experiencing a medical emergency, such as a heart attack.32