Anxiety & Panic Disorders Health Center
Causes of Anxiety
Anxiety Causes
Anxiety may be caused by a mental condition, a physical condition, the effects of drugs, or from a combination of these. The doctor's initial task is to see if your anxiety is caused by a medical condition.
- Common causes of anxiety include these mental conditions:
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- Panic disorder: In addition to anxiety, common symptoms of panic disorders are palpitations (feeling your heart beat), dizziness, and shortness of breath. These same symptoms also can be caused by coffee (caffeine), amphetamines ("speed" is the street slang for amphetamines when they are not prescribed by a doctor), an overactive thyroid, abnormal heart rhythms, and other heart abnormalities (such as mitral valve prolapse)
- .Generalized anxiety disorder
- Phobic disorders
- Stress disorders
- These common external factors can cause anxiety:
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- Stress at work
- Stress from school
- Stress in a personal relationship such as marriage
- Financial stress
- Stress from an emotional trauma such as the death of a loved one
- Stress from a serious medical illness
- Side effect of medication
- Use of an illicit drug, such as cocaine
- Symptom of a medical illness (such as heart attack, heat stroke, hypoglycemia)
- Lack of oxygen - In circumstances as diverse as high altitude sickness, emphysema, or pulmonary embolism (a blood clot with the vessels of the lung)
- The doctor has the often-difficult task of determining which symptoms come from which causes. For example, in a study of people with chest pain that could be heart disease but turned out not to be heart related, 43% were found to have a panic disorder -- a common form of anxiety.
Anxiety & Panic Disorders Guide
Important Safety Information
Vimpat (lacosamide) is a medicine that is used with other medicines to treat partial onset seizures in patients 17 years of age and older with epilepsy. Vimpat is generally well-tolerated, but may not be for everyone. Ask your doctor if Vimpat is right for you. Antiepileptic drugs, including Vimpat, may cause suicidal thoughts or actions in a very small number of people, about 1 in 500. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have new or worsening symptoms of depression, any unusual changes in mood or behavior, or suicidal thoughts, behavior, or thoughts about self harm that you have never had before or may be worse than before. Please see additional patient information in the Medication Guide at the end of the full prescribing information. This information does not take the place of talking with your healthcare provider about your condition or your treatment. Please see additional Patient Safety Information
When reality TV gets people to eat bugs, the reaction is usually more disgust than fear. Researchers suspect a heightened sense of disgust also plays a role in compulsive behavior.
