Anxiety Sensitivity: Is It For Real?

Sweating is normal but when it comes with numbness and shaking then that could be a sign of anxiety sensitivity. A person who gets anxious for fear of getting anxious or fears the idea of fear itself could be suffering from this psychological condition called anxiety sensitivity.

The term anxiety sensitivity, which is known as the mother of all disorders related to anxiety, got everyone's attention when it was coined and defined in 1985. A person who has this condition is at a greater risk of developing anxiety problems from the simple panic attacks to phobias.

Psychologist Ellen Hendriksen defined anxiety sensitivity as a condition characterized by shaking and a racing heart. Worse, Scientific American said a person suffering from this condition could interpret the symptoms as a prelude to a heart attack or fear that they are losing their minds.

Other people may dismiss this as normal anxiety problems but Huffington Post said anxiety sensitivity could be dangerous. While those with lower sensitivity to anxiety do not consider this as harmful, those with high levels of anxiety sensitivity consider this as debilitating, preventing them from performing normal activities.

"These are symptoms that occur in stressful situations; for others, these same symptoms are interpreted as a sign of impending doom," said Dr. Nancy Frasure-Smith, who studied anxiety sensitivity among cardiac patients in Canada way back 2010. "People with high anxiety sensitivity tend to magnify the potential consequences of their anxiety symptoms, leading to an increase in anxiety and its symptoms in a spiralling increase of fear and worry."

There are various signs of anxiety sensitivity such as freaking out whenever one experiences a racing heart and most often, the tendency to fear anxious sensations. New York Magazine said the presence of anxiety sensitivity does not necessarily mean the person is suffering from an anxiety disorder but it is an indication that one is at risk of developing that disorder.