Symptoms and Risk Factors

Matthew's Symptoms
Experienced a stressful event (realising he had failed an exam)
Racing heart
Blurred vision
Tightness in chest
Feeling of unreality
3 minute duration
No other medical condition or issues
Oxford concise medical Dictionary
Anxiety Disorders
Anxiety itself is not a medical diagnosis. There are a range of anxiety disorders
including: Generalised Anxiety Disorder,

Panic disorder: People with this condition have feelings of terror that strike
suddenly and repeatedly with no warning. Other symptoms of a panic attack
include sweating, chest pain, palpitations (unusually strong or irregular
heartbeats), and a feeling of choking, which may make the person feel like he
or she is having aheart attack or "going crazy."
Social anxiety disorder: Also called social phobia, social anxiety disorder
involves overwhelming worry and self-consciousness about everyday social
situations. The worry often centers on a fear of being judged by others, or
behaving in a way that might cause embarrassment or lead to ridicule.
Specific phobias: A specific phobia is an intense fear of a specific object or
situation, such as snakes, heights, or flying. The level of fear is usually
inappropriate to the situation and may cause the person to avoid common,
everyday situations.
Generalized anxiety disorder: This disorder involves excessive, unrealistic
worry and tension, even if there is little or nothing to provoke the anxiety.

Panic Attack Definition

an episode of intense fear or apprehension that is of sudden onset and may occur for
no apparent reason or as a reaction to an identifiable triggering stimulus (as a
stressful event); specifically : one that is accompanied by usually four or more bodily
or cognitive symptoms (as heart palpitations, dizziness, shortness of breath, or
feelings of unreality) and that typically peaks within 10 minutes of onset
Panic Attack symptoms
DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for a panic attack include a discrete period of intense fear
or discomfort, in which four (or more) of the following symptoms developed abruptly
and reached a peak within minutes:

Palpitations, and/or
accelerated heart rate
Sweating
Trembling or shaking
Sensations of shortness of

Feeling dizzy, unsteady, lightheaded,

or faint
De-realization (feelings of unreality) or
depersonalization (being detached
from oneself)
Fear of losing control or going insane

breath or being smothered

Feeling of choking
Chest pain or discomfort
Nausea or abdominal
distress

Sense of impending death

Paresthesias (numbness or tingling
sensations)
Chills or hot flashes

Risk factors
Panic Disorder
an anxiety disorder characterized by recurring panic attacks, causing a series of intense
episodes of extreme anxiety during panic attacks. It may also include significant
behavioral changes lasting at least a month and of ongoing worry about the implications
or concern about having other attacks.
Diagnosis

diagnostic criteria for panic disorder require unexpected, recurrent panic attacks, followed
in at least one instance by at least a month of a significant and related behavior change,
a persistent concern of more attacks, or a worry about the attack's consequences. There
are two types, one with and one without agoraphobia. Diagnosis is excluded by attacks
due to a drug or medical condition, or by panic attacks that are better accounted for by
other mental disorders.
Risk factors: Panic Disorders

Major life stress, such as the death or serious illness of a loved one

A traumatic event, such as sexual assault or a serious accident

Major changes in your life, such as a divorce or the addition of a baby

History of childhood physical or sexual abuse

Generalised Anxiety Disorder

DSM-5 criteria for generalized anxiety disorder include:
Excessive anxiety and worry about several events or activities most days of
the week for at least six months
Difficulty controlling your feelings of worry
At least three of the following symptoms in adults and one of the following in
children: restlessness, fatigue, trouble concentrating, irritability, muscle
tension or sleep problems
Anxiety or worry that causes you significant distress or interferes with your
daily life
Anxiety that isn't related to another mental health condition, such as panic
attacks or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), substance abuse, or a
medical condition

Riskfactors:AnxietyDisorders

Being female. Women are more likely than men to be diagnosed with
an anxiety disorder.

Trauma. Children who endured abuse or trauma or witnessed

traumatic events are at higher risk of developing an anxiety disorder at
some point in life. Adults who experience a traumatic event also can
develop anxiety disorders.

Stress due to an illness. Having a health condition or serious illness

can cause significant worry about issues such as your treatment and your
future.

Stress buildup. A big event or a buildup of smaller stressful life

situations may trigger excessive anxiety for example, a death in the
family or ongoing worry about finances.

Personality. People with certain personality types are more prone to

anxiety disorders than are others.

Other mental health disorders. People with other mental health

disorders, such as depression, often experience anxiety disorder as well.

Having blood relatives with an anxiety disorder. Anxiety disorders

can run in families.

Drugs or alcohol. Drug or alcohol use or abuse or withdrawal can

cause or worsen anxiety.

History of childhood physical or sexual abuse

Changes in DSM V

Anxiety disorders[edit]

For the various forms of phobias and anxiety disorders, DSM-5 removes the
requirement that the subject (formerly, over 18 years old) "must recognize that

their fear and anxiety are excessive or unreasonable". Also, the duration of at
least 6 months now applies to everyone (not only to children).
Panic attack became a specifier for all DSM-5 disorders.
Panic disorder and agoraphobia became two separate disorders.
Specific types of phobias became specifiers but are otherwise unchanged.
The generalized specifier for social anxiety disorder (formerly, social phobia)
changed in favor of a performance only (i.e., public speaking or performance)
specifier.
Separation anxiety disorder and selective mutism are now classified as
anxiety disorders (rather than disorders of early onset).
[2]

[2]

[2]

[2]

[2]

[2]

Relevant changes to DSM V

For the various forms of phobias and anxiety disorders, DSM-5 removes the
requirement that the subject (formerly, over 18 years old) "must recognize that
their fear and anxiety are excessive or unreasonable". Also, the duration of at
least 6 months now applies to everyone (not only to children).
Panic attack became a specifier for all DSM-5 disorders.
Panic disorder and agoraphobia became two separate disorders.
Specific types of phobias became specifiers but are otherwise unchanged.
The generalized specifier for social anxiety disorder (formerly, social phobia)
changed in favor of a performance only (i.e., public speaking or performance)
specifier.
Separation anxiety disorder and selective mutism are now classified as
anxiety disorders (rather than disorders of early onset).
[2]

[2]

[2]

[2]

[2]

[2]