Intense fear, feeling a need to escape, and palpitations are symptoms of a panic attack. "All of a sudden, I felt a tremendous wave of fear for no reason at all. My heart was pounding, my chest hurt, and it was getting harder to breathe. I thought I was going to die." "I'm so afraid....
Stress facts Excess stress can manifest itself in a variety of emotional, behavioral, and even physical symptoms, and the symptoms of stress vary enormously among different individuals. Stress is a normal part of life that can either help us learn and grow or can cause us significant problems. Stress releases powerful neurochemicals and hormones that...
Phobia facts The three types of phobias are social phobia (fear of public speaking, meeting new people, or other social situations), agoraphobia (fear of being outside), and specific phobias (fear of particular items or situations). The definition of a phobia is the persistent fear of a situation, activity, or thing that causes one to want...
Facts you should know about suicide Suicide is the act of purposely ending one's own life. How societies view suicide varies by culture, religion, ethnic norms, and the circumstances under which it occurs. More than 800,000 people worldwide commit suicide each year — nearly 45,000 as recently as in 2016 in the United States. Self-mutilation...
Facts you should know about psychotic disorders Psychotic disorders include schizophrenia and a number of lesser-known disorders. The number of people who develop a psychotic disorder tends to vary depending on the country, age, and gender of the sufferer, as well as on the specific kind of illness. There are genetic, biological, environmental, and psychological...
Facts you should know about post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) Women are twice as likely to develop PTSD as men. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an emotional illness that doctors first formally diagnosed in soldiers and war veterans and is usually caused by terribly frightening, life-threatening, or otherwise highly unsafe experiences but can also be caused...
There are four main types of factitious disorders There are four main types of factitious disorders, including: Factitious disorder with mostly psychological symptoms: In this condition, the individual exhibits symptoms similar to schizophrenia. They may present with the following symptoms: Confusion Hallucinations Bizarre behavior Hearing unusual voices Experience of sensing things that are not there...
Mania vs. hypomania facts Readers Comments 1 Share Your Story Mania is a set of mood symptoms that includes euphoria or irritability lasting at least a week and is required to qualify for the diagnosis of bipolar disorder. Hypomania is considered to be a less severe version of mania. The suicide rate for people who...
What is Khat and what are the street names for Khat? Street terms for Khat: (pronounced Cot) Abyssinian tea, African salad, oat, kat, chat, and catha. Also referred to as qat in Yemen, tschat in Ethiopia, and miraa in Kenya. What does Khat look like? Khat is a flowering evergreen shrub native to East Africa...
Nightmares and PTSD Nightmares are dreams that are threatening and scary. Nearly everyone has had a nightmare from time to time. For trauma survivors, though, nightmares are a common problem. Along with flashbacks and unwanted memories, nightmares are one of the ways in which a trauma survivor may relive the trauma for months or years...