Hello I’m Dr. Carlo Carandang, and I’m a psychiatrist. Today, I will answer a question about: What is the best antidepressant for hypochondria? The answer is: unfortunately, there are no medications that help for hypochondria. Hypochondria, also known as health anxiety or illness anxiety disorder, is the fear of having a serious medical condition despite […]
Medically Unexplained Physical Symptoms and the Role of Anxiety
A warm welcome to Dr. Natalie Barone, PsyD, as a guest author. What are medically unexplained symptoms? It has been known for quite some time that stress/anxiety is not good for our physical wellbeing. However, with advancements in medical and psychological research we have found that anxiety can wreak more havoc than ever previously imagined. […]
Worrying About Health Increases Risk For Heart Disease
A recent study has found that people with health anxiety, also known as hypochondria and illness anxiety disorder, have an increased risk of developing heart disease. This presents a problem for the doctors who have to evaluate a person with unexplained medical symptoms, and have to explain that this is anxiety-based, rather than a medical […]
What Are The Negative Effects Of Anxiety On The Body?
Anxiety can wreak havoc on the body. When you have anxiety and stress, it triggers the amygdala, which then triggers the fight or flight response. The fight or flight response is mediated by both the sympathetic nervous system and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA axis). Chronic anxiety and stress leads to long term activation of the […]
What Are The Long Term Effects Of Hypervigilance?
Hypervigilance is a hyperarousal symptom, seen in post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Hypervigilance is the constant scanning of your environment for any signs of danger, and you have increased alertness and are jumpy and easily startled. Hypervigilance and hyperarousal are triggered by the activation of the fight or flight response: When the fight or flight response […]
Can Stress Cause Acne?
The relationship between stress and acne is more established with acne causing stress, but does stress cause acne? Well, have you ever noticed that you break-out when you are stressed-out? You can get acne from stress as an adult, even well after puberty (when acne usually occurs). There are some studies looking at whether stress […]
Is There An Adrenaline Response To Exercise?
The answer is no- there is not an adrenaline response to exercise. The adrenaline response is also known as the fight or flight response, and it is activated by the amydala, which is part of the limbic system of the brain. The amygdala senses fear, anxiety, and stressors. When the amygdala is triggered by anxiety and […]
Can You Pass Out From Stage Fright?
Yes, you can pass out, or faint, from stage fright. When you are stressed or anxious, such as performing in front of people when you have stage fright, then this can make you breath in ways that make you feel lightheaded and dizzy. You may even hyperventilate, where you are breathing rapidly, and take shallow […]
Why Do I Faint At The Sight Of Blood?
An interesting phenomenon is when people faint at the sight of blood. So why does this happen? The answer to this relates back to the autonomic nervous system. Remember this from biology class? The autonomic nervous system controls our major systems and organs in our body, and this occurs involuntarily, meaning it occurs without our […]
Physical Symptoms of Anxiety- Dr. Manuela Padurariu
A warm welcome to Dr. Manuela Padurariu, MD, PhD, as a guest author. Hello, I’m Dr. Manuela. I have chosen a topic that I think is important for patients suffering from anxiety, since I have been confronted lately with so many cases of anxiety with physical (somatic) symptoms. Connection Between Anxiety And Physical Symptoms Clinical […]
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