Anxiety
Anxiety is combination of physical and emotional symptoms that can cause an unpleasant level of distress. People commonly experience anxiety at various points in their lives; the occasional feeling of anxiety is usually of brief duration and is considered to be normal.
Because anxiety symptoms are often subtle, many people experiencing them may not realize that what they are feeling is anxiety. It is common for people experiencing anxiety to misinterpret their experience and seek medical attention for a physical ailment.
A common physical manifestation of anxiety is a panic attack, which is experienced as a combination of a pounding heart, sweating, shaking, shortness of breath and a sensation of choking. Panic attacks develop abruptly and typically reach a peak within 10 minutes.
Other symptoms of anxiety include:
Physical Symptoms
- Sweating
- Nausea
- Dizziness
- Light-headedness
- Hyperventilation (uncontrollable rapid breathing)
- Pounding heart
- Muscle twitching
- Diarrhea
Emotional Symptoms
- Anxiety
- Fear
- Worry
- Panic
- Phobias
- A sense that things are not real
- A sense of being disconnected from the self
- An urge to avoid a situation, place or person
- Depression
- Paranoia
Excessive anxiety or worry can indicate an anxiety disorder that requires treatment in order to be resolved. Anxiety disorders can be treated with medication, talk therapy, education, and other methods. PRIDE Institute has been helping LGBT people with anxiety since 1986.