Health issues that may seem like anxiety can be cardiac, endocrine, GI-related, inflammatory, metabolic, neurological, and respiratory. Within those groups, conditions that might first present like anxiety include irritable bowel syndrome, cardiac arrhythmias, hypoglycemia, and rheumatoid arthritis.
In order to get the right diagnosis, you will need to be open and honest about your symptoms. Misdiagnosis can occur if your doctor does not have clear and accurate information on what you have been experiencing. Good communication with your doctor will help you get the diagnosis and treatment that you need.
Other sources of stress may be causing your symptoms.
Since anxiety symptoms are symptoms of stress, other sources of stress could be causing your symptoms even though you don't feel anxious. For example, rigorous physical exertion, such as hard physical work or strenuous exercise, stresses the body.
Bipolar disorder
Bipolar is one of the most frequently misdiagnosed mental health issues. Somewhere between 1.4 and 6.4 percent of people worldwide are affected by bipolar disorder. However, it's hard to say which number is more accurate due to the frequency of wrongful diagnosis.
If your thyroid gland is overactive, you can sweat excessively and feel restless and nervous. Irregular heartbeats and tachycardia, which is increased heart rate, can also present as an anxiety disorder. Dehydration often looks like anxiety because it increases heart rate and can make you feel lightheaded or dizzy.
'Anxiety' and 'anxiousness' is often used interchangeably with feeling 'nervous' – and although there are certain similarities in symptoms between the two, they differ in strength and persistence. Anxiety is something that is felt on an ongoing basis and is not necessarily a response to a particular experience.
Recognize the Signs
Extreme feelings of fear or anxiety that are out of proportion to the actual threat. Irrational fear or worry about different objects or situations. Avoiding the source of your fear or only enduring it with great anxiety. Withdrawing from social situations or isolating yourself from friends and ...
Panic disorder
Panic attacks are intense, overwhelming and often uncontrollable feelings of anxiety. Physical symptoms can include trouble breathing, chest pain, dizziness and sweating. If someone has repeated panic attacks they may have a panic disorder.
You might feel aware of the physical signs of your anxiety. This can include sweating, a fast heartbeat, a shaky voice and blushing. You may worry that others will notice this or judge you. You might find that you try to avoid certain situations.
Abnormal anxiety will be intense for a longer duration. It may cause you to have panic attacks, and you may experience other physical symptoms such as dizziness, racing heart, trembling, and nausea. Anxiety disorder also causes anxiety that is not tied to a specific event or situation.
Thus, the only way to find a definitive answer to the question, “Do I have a mental illness, or am I overreacting?” is to reach out to a specialized treatment center for a psychiatric evaluation. In the meantime, taking your own personal assessment of your symptoms may help you organize your thoughts.
It's important to note that only a mental health professional can diagnose a mental health condition. Therefore, the only way to receive a definite answer to the question, “Do I have a mental illness, or am I overreacting?”, is to get in touch with a professional at an accredited treatment center.
Epilepsy. Epileptic seizures can often present with changes in mood, behavior, and thought processes that can lead to their misdiagnosis as psychiatric disorders.
Personality disorders are among the least understood mental health conditions.
You may experience extreme anxiety that body sensations, such as muscle twitching or fatigue, are associated with a specific, serious illness. This excessive anxiety — rather than the physical symptom itself — results in severe distress that can disrupt your life.
Tension headaches are common for people that struggle with severe anxiety or anxiety disorders. Tension headaches can be described as severe pressure, a heavy head, migraine, head pressure, or feeling like there is a tight band wrapped around their head.
Misdiagnosis rates reached 65.9% for major depressive disorder, 92.7% for bipolar disorder, 85.8% for panic disorder, 71.0% for generalized anxiety disorder, and 97.8% for social anxiety disorder.
One of the most important criteria in diagnosing anxiety disorders is the degree to which they impact your everyday life. The feelings of fear and worry involved in anxiety disorders can cause you to experience clinically significant distress, harming your social and occupational functioning.
To diagnose an anxiety disorder, a doctor performs a physical exam, asks about your symptoms, and recommends a blood test, which helps the doctor determine if another condition, such as hypothyroidism, may be causing your symptoms. The doctor may also ask about any medications you are taking.
DSM criteria for anxiety disorder can include:
Experiencing excessive worry and anxiety most days, for at least 6 months. Symptoms not caused by an underlying mental health condition. Symptoms not caused by an underlying medical condition. Symptoms that are significantly disrupting the quality of life.
Psychiatrists are medical doctors who specialize in mental health. They can treat anxiety with a variety of treatment modalities, including numerous types of medication and psychotherapy. Choosing the best treatment for the patient will depend on their specific needs.