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Symptoms and IllnessesWhat You Need to Know

	Anxiety You may already have experienced this kind of sensation: a vague fear, without any real cause, which can be accompanied by physical symptoms and occur in sudden, sometimes disabling episodes. These are anxiety attacks. What you need to know Anxiety is one of the most common reasons for consulting a general practitioner (20%). It is characterized by physical symptoms of varying intensity and frequency: a feeling of a lump in the throat or a weight on the stomach, stomach pain, appetite disturbances, palpitations, a feeling of tightness in the chest, rapid breathing, sweating, trembling, fatigue, dry mouth, headaches… Anxiety can cause insomnia, particularly difficulty falling asleep, and can lead to depression. If the symptoms persist or worsen, they require appropriate medical care. Causes The symptoms are generally due to a combination of multiple factors: - personal circumstances: unemployment, money problems, family conflict, work difficulties, stress at work, isolation - personality: poor self-image, difficulty adapting, low self-confidence - a chemical imbalance in the brain - a traumatic episode, past or recent, or abuse suffered during childhood What not to do Do not self-medicate, but see your doctor if: - The symptoms worsen and become truly disruptive to your social, family, or professional life. - You have increased your consumption of alcohol, tobacco, or another substance… - You feel sad, have no interest in anything, put yourself down, or have dark thoughts. - These symptoms persist for more than 15 days. Good practices - Talk to someone close to you and tell them about your anxieties. - Take a few days to relax, away from home, to gain some perspective. - Try to change your lifestyle: limit coffee and tea, exercise (swimming, walking), and try relaxation techniques (yoga, deep breathing, meditation…). - If your condition does not improve, see your doctor. Medications The French are very heavy consumers of tranquilizers or anxiolytics (benzodiazepines). These are medications available only by prescription. Several categories of tranquilizers are available without a prescription: - Bromides and their derivatives, very popular in the 19th century, are outdated and toxic products. They can cause neurological disorders, confusion, and skin problems. Unfortunately, they are still sold in pharmacies. - Herbal medicine (valerian, passionflower, hawthorn) may be enough to ease mild symptoms of anxiety. - Magnesium, trace elements, and homeopathic products may be helpful for some people. Anxiety Anxiety is a completely normal “psychobiological” state. Its function? To protect us from dangerous situations. A little anxiety, or even stress, is entirely natural and even beneficial when facing a difficult situation. Anxiety disorders are many and varied: panic attacks, obsessive-compulsive disorder (repetitive and persistent ideas or thoughts, repetitive behaviors), generalized anxiety disorder, social or specific phobia (for example, claustrophobia = fear of enclosed spaces, agoraphobia = fear of crowds…), post-traumatic stress disorder (fear following a traumatic event), and panic attack. The latter, which is fairly common, is particularly dramatic because it can resemble a heart attack: palpitations, trembling, chest pain, sweating, and a feeling of suffocation.