Complete Idiot's Guide to Conquering Fear and Anxiety

Page 30If you suffer from panic and feel you are without psychological problems, you may want to find out if your panic is medically caused. Though infrequent, purely medicalcauses for panic do happen. To find this out takes assertiveness, since few medical doctors will aggressively pursue a non­psychological cause for panic attacks, andpsychologists and psychiatrists may assume only a psychological cause for anxiety. This chapter will go over possible non­psychological anxiety and panic triggers.PhysicalDr. Mark Gold, Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Florida, describes James, who suffered from debilitating panic attacks. His first one hit like a bolt oflightning. James was found on a neighbor's patio screaming, "I'm dying! I'm having a heart attack!" and rushed to the nearest hospital. But the emergency roomphysician found nothing physically wrong with him and referred him to a psychoanalyst.After four years in analysis, James felt understood as a person and had gained some insight into his behavior. But the panic attacks continued. Next, he saw apsychiatrist who diagnosed him as depressed and put him on antidepressants. The panic attacks continued. Finally, James was referred for electroconvulsive therapy(ECT). Before being hospitalized, he met with Dr. Gold who suggested a complete medical, neurological and endocrinological testing. His glucose­tolerance testrevealed the source of James' panic attacks: non­insulin dependent diabetes. His panic attacks were apparently triggered by wild fluctuations in his blood sugar levels.Although a case like James is rare, Dr. Gold discovered that biological problems, from brain tumors to heart problems to vitamin deficiencies, can produce symptomsidentical to a panic attack. Obsessive­compulsive disorder can result from head injuries, brain tumors, strep throat, or encephalitis.Body Dis­EaseConsider some medical problems that can cause anxiety or mimic panic:Hyperventilation: Involuntary rapid, shallow breathing, or hyperventilation, leads sometimes to excessive lowering of carbon dioxide in your bloodstream. Theresult is light­headedness, dizziness, feelings of unreality, shortness of breath and numbness, which is not unlike having a panic attack. It's unclear whether thehyperventilation causes the panic, the panic causes the hyperventilation, or whether both occur from a common cause.