Common psychological symptoms of anxiety include irritability, a "keyed up" feeling, intense fear, worry, and difficulty concentrating. These are accompanied by physical manifestations such as sweating, dry mouth, hot flashes or chills, dizziness, palpitations, muscle tension, trembling, or restlessness..
Some medical conditions and drugs can either cause anxiety or produce its symptoms. These medical conditions include alcohol withdrawal, asthma, heart attack, overactive thyroid, and even deficiency in folate or vitamin B12. Drugs that might cause or mimic anxiety symptoms include bronchodilators, such as ephedrine (a dangerous component of some weight-loss drugs) or epinephrine (Primatene Mist and others); psychostimulants, such as methylphenidate (Ritalin); and thyroid hormone.
For more on symptoms, see:
- Panic disorder
- Generalized anxiety disorder
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
- Phobic disorders
Content excerpted from the Johns Hopkins White Paper on Depression and Anxiety.
