A randomized crossover trial found that 150 mg caffeine did not increase subjective anxiety, interoceptive attention, or anxiety from body sensations in 29 people with panic disorder compared with 53 healthy controls.1 The result runs opposite the hypothesis, but it does not make caffeine inert: caffeine still increased physiological arousal, costly avoidance, and attention problems …
A 327-person eye-tracking study found that anxiety disorders carried a hyper-scanning and hyper-pursuit signature, separating anxiety patients from healthy controls with AUC 0.82.1 The same eye-movement data separated anxiety from depression poorly, so the result is better read as a behavioral arousal marker than as a ready diagnostic test. Research Highlights Anxiety vs controls separated …
Hydroxyzine (brand names Vistaril, Atarax) is a first-generation antihistamine of the diphenylmethane and piperazine class. It was initially synthesized in 1956 and thereafter marketed in the U.S. by the pharmaceutical juggernaut, Pfizer. Although a relatively ancient medication by today’s standards, hydroxyzine is still commonly prescribed: as a preoperative anesthetic, analgesic, and anxiolytic adjunct; as an …
Inositol (cyclohexane-1,2,3,4,5,6-hexol) is a non-essential nutrient synthesized within the body from glucose and is abundant within spinal fluid. Although inositol exists in the form of 9 distinct stereoisomers, the most abundant format within cellular membranes is myo-inositol, accounting for approximately 95% of free inositol within the body. Myo-inositol was initially isolated by researchers in 1849, …
Experiencing a panic attack can be a frightening experience that results in physical symptoms (such as sweating and palpitations) and mental symptoms (such as fear of losing control or dying). A majority of panic attack sufferers are able to find relief with various types of therapy such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and psychoanalytic therapy. …
A panic attack is defined as a sudden (or unexpected) surge of anxiety or fear. During this surge of fear, a person typically experiences a combination of cognitive and physical symptoms related to severe anxiety. These symptoms can include things like: fear of losing control, palpitations, hyperventilation, chest pain, and sweating. The experience may become …