5 ms·

One other thing to consider, that I rarely hear anyone talk about, is that anxiety can sometimes be a symptom of an underlying physiological condition or diseas

One other thing to consider, that I rarely hear anyone talk about, is that anxiety can sometimes be a symptom of an underlying physiological condition or disease. For example, hypoglycemia-related anxiety is a common complaint.

Sunspark 6y ago
This is true. Vestibular disorders in the inner ear can cause anxiety.
Jtsummers 6y ago
If you discuss it with your doctor (and you should) they will run tests to try and rule out physiological causes. I know they did for me with both depression and anxiety, as I had other signs/symptoms of a thyroid disorder (turned out my thyroid was fine, I was just very stressed out and long term severe stress-induced anxiety, for me, leads to severe depression).
hanniabu 6y ago
Also I thought I was developing anxiety attacks at one point but turns out it was just heart burn. Didn't find out until it got worse. The symptom was that it messes up your breathing to the point where you have to consciously start breathing and can't take deep breaths with your diaphragm. As soon as the heartburn goes away you're able to breath normally again.
- j8014 6y ago
  LOL I'm 99% anxiety free after I learned to manage my allergies and diet! I make light of the situation now but at one point in my life I was confused and freaked out because of the symptoms you mentioned and everyone including the doctors thought it was stress. After thousands of dollars in medical all I really needed was Benedryl, a better diet and a new primary care physician.
PragmaticPulp 6y ago
This is true, but it’s more rare than it sounds. It’s a challenge for doctors because mental health still carries a stigma of weakness, whereas physical ailments don’t. Many patients are resistant to mental health diagnoses, instead insisting that they are suffering from undiagnosed physical ailments. Doctors do consider physical causes for issues like anxiety, but they’ll avoid proposing it directly to the patient in order to avoid giving them the wrong idea. There have been several studies performed on this topic, although they tend to focus on depression. The number of cases with identifiable physical causes are in the low single digit percentages. In other words, keep an eye out for additional symptoms that may suggest a physical ailment, but start with the most likely explanation: That the disorder is best approached as a mental health issue
- osacial 6y ago
  >, instead insisting that they are suffering from undiagnosed physical ailments. It took me time to realize, that my headaches and back pain at the same time were not physical symptoms, but from the times when I was (even extremely) worried and it was hard to come to that conclusion, that they were not part of physical problems, because pain was real. So, it is more about how person is experiencing these symptoms.
Zelphyr 6y ago
I've been on the keto diet for several years and one aspect of that is that you have to pay a little more attention to your sodium intake than you do otherwise, for various reasons I won't get into here. Suffice it to say, about two years into it I thought I was getting enough. I added salt to my meals, etc... However, one day I noticed I had been getting REALLY anxious for no apparent reason. I have a history with panic and anxiety and have seen a therapist for it so I was able to sort-of detach and observe it, but it was still odd that it happened the way it did. Often, the causes of panic and anxiety aren't readily apparent and will only become so days or weeks later, but this felt different in a way I can't quite explain. I decided to get some over-the-counter salt tablets to see if that might help. It was the craziest thing. The second that tablet touched my tongue, it tasted soooo good. Not at all what I was expecting! Within about 2-3 days of taking that supplement my anxiety went away almost completely. Now, interestingly, when I take the salt tablet, it is pretty bitter and almost overwhelming. Clearly my body was in need at the time.

Sunspark 6y ago

This is true. Vestibular disorders in the inner ear can cause anxiety.

Jtsummers 6y ago

If you discuss it with your doctor (and you should) they will run tests to try and rule out physiological causes. I know they did for me with both depression and anxiety, as I had other signs/symptoms of a thyroid disorder (turned out my thyroid was fine, I was just very stressed out and long term severe stress-induced anxiety, for me, leads to severe depression).

hanniabu 6y ago

Also I thought I was developing anxiety attacks at one point but turns out it was just heart burn. Didn't find out until it got worse. The symptom was that it messes up your breathing to the point where you have to consciously start breathing and can't take deep breaths with your diaphragm. As soon as the heartburn goes away you're able to breath normally again.

j8014 6y ago
LOL I'm 99% anxiety free after I learned to manage my allergies and diet! I make light of the situation now but at one point in my life I was confused and freaked out because of the symptoms you mentioned and everyone including the doctors thought it was stress. After thousands of dollars in medical all I really needed was Benedryl, a better diet and a new primary care physician.

PragmaticPulp 6y ago

This is true, but it’s more rare than it sounds. It’s a challenge for doctors because mental health still carries a stigma of weakness, whereas physical ailments don’t. Many patients are resistant to mental health diagnoses, instead insisting that they are suffering from undiagnosed physical ailments. Doctors do consider physical causes for issues like anxiety, but they’ll avoid proposing it directly to the patient in order to avoid giving them the wrong idea. There have been several studies performed on this topic, although they tend to focus on depression. The number of cases with identifiable physical causes are in the low single digit percentages. In other words, keep an eye out for additional symptoms that may suggest a physical ailment, but start with the most likely explanation: That the disorder is best approached as a mental health issue

osacial 6y ago
>, instead insisting that they are suffering from undiagnosed physical ailments. It took me time to realize, that my headaches and back pain at the same time were not physical symptoms, but from the times when I was (even extremely) worried and it was hard to come to that conclusion, that they were not part of physical problems, because pain was real. So, it is more about how person is experiencing these symptoms.

Zelphyr 6y ago

I've been on the keto diet for several years and one aspect of that is that you have to pay a little more attention to your sodium intake than you do otherwise, for various reasons I won't get into here. Suffice it to say, about two years into it I thought I was getting enough. I added salt to my meals, etc... However, one day I noticed I had been getting REALLY anxious for no apparent reason. I have a history with panic and anxiety and have seen a therapist for it so I was able to sort-of detach and observe it, but it was still odd that it happened the way it did. Often, the causes of panic and anxiety aren't readily apparent and will only become so days or weeks later, but this felt different in a way I can't quite explain. I decided to get some over-the-counter salt tablets to see if that might help. It was the craziest thing. The second that tablet touched my tongue, it tasted soooo good. Not at all what I was expecting! Within about 2-3 days of taking that supplement my anxiety went away almost completely. Now, interestingly, when I take the salt tablet, it is pretty bitter and almost overwhelming. Clearly my body was in need at the time.