Saturday, February 21, 2009

Can Panic Attacks Really Hurt You?

Panic attacks can be terrifying, and many sufferers experience strong (and quite convincing) feelings of being in danger or even close to death during an attack. But can panic attacks actually cause you "real" physical harm, or even put your life at risk?




The preponderance of evidence suggests that the attacks pose no real physical harm to the sufferer, though they are without question emotionally harmful, and can be devastating to a person's confidence and self image. Some sufferers experience the attacks so intensely, that they feel they could even die from them. But in reality, it is extremely unlikely a person would suffer any physical harm because of panic, and there are virtually no known cases of anyone dying from panic attacks or anxiety.




So the good news is, the research and statistics do not support the idea that anxiety or panic pose an immediate threat to anyone; however, there is a great deal of research that suggests that frequent panic attacks can have negative long-term effects on the human body if left unchecked.




A plethora of university level studies have shown a connection between stress and anxiety-- including panic attacks -- and the overall health of the body. For example, it has been fairly well-established that sustained at levels of anxiety can be detrimental to the immune system, leaving the body vulnerable and in a weakened state.




The implications of this connection are clear: prolonged anxiety and recurring panic attacks can leave the body more susceptible to infection, colds, influenza, and even more serious diseases.




So there is little doubt that our state of mind does affect our physical health, and in this sense, panic attacks can indeed be harmful. But like all stress and anxiety related issues, the effects of panic attacks can be brought under control by utilizing a number of proven strategies.




For individuals suffering with recurring panic attacks, keeping physically fit and eating a healthy diet is one of the most important aspects of overcoming the problem. Because, just as our mental health can affect our physical health, it is equally true that our physical health can affect our mental health and state of mind. In other words, it works both ways.




Getting enough physical exercise, staying hydrated, and eating a healthy balanced diet is one of the simplest ways to curb anxiety and panic. Many researchers have also noted that anxiety and panic attacks can often be related to food allergies, so sufferers may want to see an allergist and be tested to find out if something they are eating is affecting their mood.




This is actually more prevalent than many people think, and one common food allergy that is known to cause anxiety and other emotional issues is consuming dairy products. Frequent sufferers of anxiety or panic attacks may want to cut dairy out of their diet for a few weeks and notice the difference.




While food allergies are certainly not responsible for all panic attacks or stress related issues, they are one common cause that is often overlooked. And they are a good example of how our physical health affects our state of mind. By improving their physical health through exercise, proper diet and staying hydrated, almost anyone can reduce their overall level of stress, and their odds of experiencing frequent panic attacks.


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Article Source: www.articlesnatch.com

Dual Diagnosis: Detecting The Symptoms

When both substance abuse and the mental health illness occurs together it greatly affects to the person's psychological, mental, social, spiritual and physical status. The symptoms can interfere with the normal function of the person with regards to others. It is better that dual diagnosis is detected earlier to prevent the effects.




To make things worse, not only can co-exist morbidities affect a person's life but create symptoms of interaction which can exacerbate the disorder and the severity will make relapse more possible. Diagnosis of a mental illness must be done by a psychiatrist or a physician. But because of the masking and overlapping effects of drugs which is the cause of psychosis, it will be more difficult on the part of the physician to make a very accurate diagnosis in order to give treatments which are effective and very much appropriate.




One key element of dual diagnosis is through suspicion or awareness that someone is already being drawn to mental illness and drug addiction or alcoholism. Signs like these must strictly be taken into consideration. You must be able to talk to the person about their mental health problems in order to be given proper assessment and plan the treatment.




Mental illnesses may vary in overlapping signs and symptoms. It is important that a person must note accurately the different early manifestations of the problem. There are useful tools in order to recognize that a person is suffering not only from alcohol and substance abuse but also slight attacks of mental illness.




There are by far multiple signs and symptoms of misuse of substances which could cause the severity of mental illness or vice versa. In a clearer aspect, it is easier to recognize substance abuse from mental illness. A lot of factors may be taken into consideration in order not to make any premature testimonies of the case.




Some of the signs and symptoms that are seen is the neglect in one's own dignity with the deterioration of physical change or appearance. The temper outbreaks and is easily irritated with their surroundings which may result in fights and misunderstandings. The person has evident changes in the individual's entire personality and attitude.




Consequences and problems that are deeply associated with dual diagnosis can trigger the substance abuse and mental disorder can also be in terms of, problems in school or work, there are relapses and multiple admissions inside a psychiatric ward. Also, problems with regards to the relationships with loved ones.




Effective detection of symptoms in dual diagnosis can also be seen through knowledge of the different symptoms of mental illness which are, depression and anxiety, irritability, extreme mood swings, increased anxiety, fear and worrying, these are just some of the symptoms.


The author is a freelance writer and also writes about business topics such as call center philippines and philippines call center.

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anxiety attacks help: anxiety attacks help

Article Source: www.articlesnatch.com