Stress can come from any situation or thought that makes you feel frustrated, angry, or anxious. What is stressful to one person is not necessarily stressful to another.

Anxiety is a feeling of apprehension, nervousness, or fear. The source of this uneasiness is not always known or recognized, which can add to the distress you feel.

Anxiety; Feeling uptight; Stress; Tension; Jitters; Apprehension

Stress is a normal part of life. In small quantities, stress is helpful -- it can motivate you and help you be more productive.

However, too much stress, or a strong response to stress, is harmful. It can set you up for general poor health, as well as physical and psychological illnesses like infection, heart disease, and depression. Ongoing stress can lead to anxiety and unhealthy behaviors like overeating and abuse of alcohol or drugs.

Emotional states like grief or depression, and health conditions like an overactive thyroid, low blood sugar, or heart attack can also cause stress-like symptoms.

Anxiety is often accompanied by physical symptoms, including:

• Abdominal pain (this may be the only symptom of anxiety, especially in a child)
• Diarrhea or frequent need to urinate
• Dizziness
• Dry mouth or difficulty swallowing
• Headaches
• Muscle tension
• Rapid breathing
• Rapid or irregular heart rate
• Sweating
• Twitching or trembling

Sometimes other symptoms occur with anxiety:

• Decreased concentration
• Fatigue
• Irritability, including loss of your temper
• Sexual problems
• Sleeping difficulties, including nightmares

Anxiety may occur as part of an anxiety disorder. Anxiety disorders are a group of psychiatric conditions that involve excessive anxiety. They include:

• Generalized anxiety disorder
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder
• Panic disorder
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Social anxiety disorder
• Specific phobias

Certain drugs, both recreational and medicinal, can lead to symptoms of anxiety due to either side effects or withdrawal from the drug. Such drugs include:

• ADHD medications, especially amphetamines
• Alcohol
• Benzodiazepines (during withdrawal)
• Bronchodilators (for asthma and certain other breathing disorders)
• Caffeine
• Cocaine
• Cold remedies
• Decongestants
• Diet pills
• Marijuana
• Nicotine
• Thyroid medications

A poor diet -- for example, low levels of vitamin B12 -- can also contribute to stress or anxiety. In very rare cases, a tumor of the adrenal gland (pheochromocytoma) may cause anxiety or stress-like symptoms. The symptoms are caused by an overproduction of hormones responsible for the feelings of anxiety.

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Generalized anxiety disorder

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Stress and anxiety Treatment

Review Date: 02/22/2010
Reviewed By: David B. Merrill, MD, Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)