I have lived between the USA and the UK all of my life. When last I left the US, the term "anxiety attack" and "panic attack" were used only on occasion. As I work in health care, I think can say that I recall this. I returned to the US in 2007. Since then, many people I know (almost all women), and I, have been diagnosed with anxiety attacks.
I had been experiencing strange tingling feelings in my legs and one arm. One night I woke up out of a dead sleep with serious pain and cramping down one arm and I could hardly walk. I called the ambulance. After a few tests I was told that I had an anxiety attack in my sleep. This was weird. I’d never had this happen in my life. I didn’t have a family doctor as I’d never been sick. I finally got a doctor because my symptoms came and went, all of the time, and my left arm wouldn’t stop shaking. My new doctor confirmed the panic/anxiety attacks and gave me Prozac and Ativan. A year later it got so bad that I knew it wasn’t in my head. My inflammation markers were always high. Finally a lovely PA at the hospital figured out that I have M.S. which was confirmed.
6 women I know have been given the same diagnosis. Anxiety attacks. One of the lady’s I believe definitely has them. I believe this because she is a very stressed out person with a history of depression. She is high strung and her symptoms are relieved by anti anxiety medication. However another friend was told that she was having anxiety attacks because she has palpitations and moderately painful squeezing sensations about the neck and chest. Would they say that if she was a man? She had a 2 minute ECG and then was told that it was just anxiety. This friend is extremely calm and laid back without any financial or family worries. She does, however, have high cholesterol and a big cardiac history on both sides of her family including an aunt and an uncle who died after cardiac events before the age of 45. Another lady I know was told that she was having anxiety attacks when she started experiencing dizziness, nausea and weakness. It turned out that she was pregnant. She’d had her tubes tied but it had failed. She was overjoyed though. Now she’s walking her adorable little anxiety attack around in a red buggy. Today another lady I know was told that her random runs (bouts of rapid heart beats) were anxiety attacks.
The area of continued study that I am currently pursuing requires me to have ride alongs on ambulances and do shifts in hospital ER’s. I cannot tell you how many times I have heard people practicing medicine (both men and women) refer to women patients as "just freaking out" or the like. A particular experience that comes to mind was a teenage girl who was gurgling and foaming at the mouth with brief periods of not breathing. her eyes were rolled up and she did not look well. However, I was told several times that she was faking it. She was "a teenage girl just being dramatic". I found this hard to believe when she failed to respond to pain. I wondered if she could be having a kind of seizure. Later it turned out that she was seizing (I’m not great at diagnostics or anything, it’s what they’d thought she was faking).
So, What I asked then is what I’m asking now? Is this an American trend? Is ot just a trend where I am living? Or am I wrong and is this something real? I’ve spoken extensively about it to friends and people I worked with in health care in the UK and it hasn’t taken hold there, yet. I mean, it could be like scoliosis in the 70’s and asthma in the 80’s, the A.D.D now (EVERYONE had it until it went out of style leaving only the real sufferers to their needed treatments. I remember that you weren’t cool if you didn’t have an inhaler in elementary school. We made ourselves giddy overusing them). Frighteningly, it’s even more like "female hysteria" from the 1800’s. If they start suggesting hysterectomy’s as a cure, I’ll have my answer.
The friend I mentioned earlier, the one that had a baby, said to me the other day,"Everyone is panicking now. Hardly anyone had anxiety before 2003".
The question is: why are so many women (here, in any case) being told that their physical problems are due to a sudden anxiety disorder? Is it that people are under recession stress and women just internalize it more than men? Is it fashionable sexism mirroring the "female hysteria" of days gone by? Is there something bad in the water? Is there a virus causing symptoms of anxiety attacks? Is the role of women in society at a changing point that many women cannot withstand?
Still, I was brought up by a widowed female professor who raised my siblings and I independently (without any palpitations) only to mimic the same life myself. When I went to the hospital I was told "I know, it’s hard raising kids alone and struggling. Problems with kids, problems with the landlord etc". Obviously it’s not easy! However, I was blessed with ho
honor roll (no I don’t sport the bumper sticker) very reasonably well behaved, cool, lovely children that do their chores. I own my own house, work my bottom off and am pretty content. It was multiple Sclerosis, not my children. My nerves not my mind. So, In my case, anyhow, it was not true.
These days I see billboards with people saying – "Do I have Lupus?"- when I’m driving around. I know a lady that actually has it. It’s a constant battle for her. I wonder, though, is this going to be the new trendy disease? Will my daughter someday be told that she has Lupus when she’s sick, rather than anxiety attacks?
Category
Health > Diseases & Conditions > Heart Diseases
honor roll (no I don’t sport the bumper sticker) very reasonably well behaved, cool, lovely children that do their chores. I own my own house, work my bottom off and am pretty content. It was multiple Sclerosis, not my children. My nerves not my mind. So, In my case, anyhow, it was not true.
These days I see billboards with people saying – "Do I have Lupus?"- when I’m driving around. I know a lady that actually has it. It’s a constant battle for her. I wonder, though, is this going to be the new trendy disease? Will my daughter someday be told that she has Lupus when she’s sick, rather than anxiety attacks?
Category
Health > Diseases & Conditions > Heart Diseases
Tags: anxiety attack, anxiety medication, ativan, cardiac events, dead sleep, ecg, family doctor, family worries, high cholesterol, history of depression, inflammation, laid back, left arm, lovely pa, new doctor, panic anxiety attacks, panic attack, prozac, quot, sensations
