Anxiety Attacks
There is no formal psychiatric definition of “anxiety attacks.” When the term is used, people are most often referring to a panic attack, which does have a definition. In a panic attack, a person feels sudden and intense fear, even to the point of terror, without the presence of actual danger. Some symptoms are pounding heart, chest pain, sweating, light-headedness, nausea, shortness of breath or choking sensations, trembling, and feeling detached from reality. Many people who first experience such an anxiety attack think they are having a heart attack. Here is an overview of anxiety disorders that may co-occur with bipolar disorder. As such, they could cause those with BP to suffer from a variety of anxiety symptoms including panic attacks.
Panic Disorder
In panic disorder, a person suffers from sudden and frequent panic attacks. Researchers have found that around 16% of people with bipolar disorder also have panic disorder. Agoraphobia is a type of intense fear that can develop in people who have panic disorder. It can also occur without accompanying panic symptoms. People with agoraphobia are afraid to be in any place that might cause or be hard to escape anxiety attacks. Agoraphobia can be so severe that the sufferer refuses to leave his or her home.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
GAD is a condition characterized by excessive worry and physical symptoms of anxiety that have been present for at least six months. The excessive worry is generally related to everyday situations. The person has significant difficulty controlling anxiety, and it causes substantial distress or problems in everyday life. For GAD to be diagnosed, at least three of these additional symptoms of anxiety must be present as well: restlessness, muscle tension, fatigue, sleep disturbances, concentration problems, and irritability. Persons who have GAD may also experience anxiety attacks. GAD has been widely reported to accompany bipolar disorder. However, additional research is needed in this area.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
PTSD is a disorder that develops after a traumatizing event such as rape, assault, disasters (natural or otherwise), accidents or military combat. There are many symptoms of PTSD. Some of the most common are flashbacks to the event, recurring nightmares, having difficulty remembering all or part of the event, sleep disturbances, outbursts of anger, and having strong negative reactions to reminders of the event. Symptoms must be present for more than a month for PTSD to be diagnosed. In one such study of 330 veterans with bipolar disorder, most of them men, almost half the men had undergone some kind of abuse as children. Thus, it is not surprising that PTSD and bipolar disorder are often diagnosed together.
Anxiety Attacks From Medications
Some psychiatric medications can cause anxiety symptoms as a side effect. Whenever you start a new medication, check the literature that accompanies it so you will recognize a side effect if it occurs. If you do experience anxiety symptoms after starting a new treatment, contact your doctor as soon as possible.
