What Happens When You Go To The ER With Anxiety

Generally, it’s normal to feel nervous or anxious about something from time to time. However, if you have serious anxiety that interferes with your day-to-day routine or extreme feelings that are difficult to control, there’s a reason to be concerned.

In extreme cases, anxiety can result in significant discomforting feelings and sensations, prompting you to visit an emergency room near you for immediate medical attention. Read on to understand more about anxiety, its types, and when to seek emergency help.

What is anxiety?

Anxiety is a natural response from the body in reaction to stress. There are many triggers for anxiety and are often in association with the anticipation of stressful circumstances like an interview. However, anxiety can greatly vary in intensity. In extreme cases, anxiety can cause discomforting sensations and lead to other complications. Those who suffer from chronic anxiety disorders can have their day-to-day affected and often require medication. Anxiety is often overlooked and misunderstood, but it’s a serious mental condition that affects millions. Here are the main types of anxiety disorders:

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

In many cases, people with generalized anxiety disorders suffer from chronic anxiety that is often not provoked and is experienced daily.

People with generalized anxiety disorders have chronic anxiety and other anxiety disorders. It doesn’t have to be trigged and is experienced daily. One can develop GAD as a child or adult. Fortunately, you can manage it with medication, physiotherapy, lifestyle changes, and more options. Symptoms can include:

Overthinking certain things to all possible worst case scenario
Persistently worrying about everyday things
Perceiving certain situations as threatening even when they aren’t
Unable to let go of fear, thought, or worry
Difficulty handling uncertainty
Indecisiveness and extreme fear of making the wrong choice
Persistently feeling restless or unable to relax
Trouble concentrating or sleeping
Irritability
Panic Disorder

Panic Disorder

A panic disorder is an extreme case of anxiety where the sufferer experiences sudden moments of fear followed by physical symptoms, including chest pains, labored breathing, fatigue, and much more.

It’s a serious type of anxiety where a person experiences sudden moments of severe fear accompanied by physical symptoms, even when they aren’t in danger. Symptoms can include:

Fatigue
Difficulty breathing
Chest pain
Sweating
Trembling or shaking
Throat tightness or feelings of choking
Headache
Numbness or tingling feelings
Nausea and bowel pains
Feeling dizzy, faint, or detached
Chills or hot flashes
Fear of dying
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

PTSD is often triggered due to a past event that was terrifying for the sufferer or an instance where they experienced great harm. Incidents or events include but are not limited to assaults, human-made or natural disasters, or military combat.

Social Anxiety Disorder

As the name implies, social anxiety disorder is brought on by social interactions. This type of anxiety can also be linked to social phobias or the fear of public speaking.

Can You Go To The ER For Anxiety?

Yes, but if you go to a hospital, expect to wait. Unlike ER of Texas Emergency Rooms, hospitals cannot guarantee ‘no wait time.’ In many cases, sufferers from panic attacks or anxiety overcome their episodes long before seeing a doctor. If you start experiencing chest pains, we highly recommend going to an ER immediately since it may be a sign of other conditions.

Will The ER Help With Anxiety?

People often wonder what happens if you go to an ER for anxiety. Going to an ER for anxiety will most likely help with the frightening symptoms the sufferer is experiencing. Their blood pressure can be monitored and the doctor can oversee their current state to administer advice or medicine to calm the patient down. With help from expert physicians and staff, going to the emergency room for anxiety can be greatly beneficial for the sufferer.

Is Anxiety An Emergency?

Going to the ER for anxiety is not uncommon, but is unneeded in most situations. Typically anxiety or panic episodes only last 30 minutes and can be remedied by lying down and with rigorous breathing exercises. It is recommended to take deep and slow breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth. An anxiety emergency or extreme panic attack may require an ER visit if the sufferer is unable to get it under control. Extreme cases of hyperventilation can lead to tachycardia, an occurrence where the heart is beating so fast that it is unable to properly pump blood throughout the body.

When Should You Go To The ER For Anxiety?

As mentioned, most cases of anxiety do not require medical attention, but if you are experiencing regular panic attacks, you may want to go to an ER, especially if you have chest pains. Sometimes anxiety and panic attacks are early signs of cardiovascular disease. You should also visit an ER if you’re experiencing tachycardia which can be fatal in extreme cases. No matter your symptoms, it’s better to be safe than sorry which is why it’s always a good idea to be examined by a medical professional.

If you’d like to learn more about what happens when you go to the ER with anxiety, reach out to a medical professional at ER of Texas Emergency Rooms, we have ER locations throughout the Dallas Fort Worth area. We’re dedicated to providing expert medical care for any emergency, including extreme cases of anxiety. Our doors are always open even on holidays with no wait time. Emergencies don’t wait which is why you shouldn’t either. Walk into any location.