Substance induced anxiety disorder

Substance induced anxiety disorder: Anxiety due to substance abuse

Severely depressed or anxious people are at high risk for alcoholism, smoking , and other forms of addiction. Anxiety disorders are highly prevalent among people with alcoholism. It should be noted, moreover, that long-term alcohol use can itself cause biologic changes that may actually produce anxiety and depression.

Substance-induced anxiety disorder may be experienced by individuals with no preexisting psychopathology as well as those who have a history of erratic or maladaptive behavior. On the other hand, these episodes usually occur in individuals with preexisting anxiety about drug use, especially novice users or in experienced users who have taken more than their usual dose.

Anxiety may be secondary to physical disorders, such as neurologic disorders (eg, brain trauma, infections, inner ear disorders), cardiovascular disorders (eg, heart failure, arrhythmias), endocrine disorders (eg, overactive adrenal or thyroid glands), and respiratory disorders (eg, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). Anxiety may be caused by use of drugs, such as alcohol, stimulants, caffeine, cocaine, and many prescription drugs. Also, drug withdrawal is commonly associated with anxiety.

• The patient has prominent anxiety, compulsions, obsessions or panic attacks.
• History, physical exam or laboratory data substantiate that either - these symptoms have developed within a month of substance intoxication or withdrawal or
  - medication use has caused the symptoms.
• No other anxiety disorder better accounts for these symptoms.
• The symptoms cause clinically important distress or impair work, social or personal functioning.
• The symptoms don't occur solely during a delirium.

The essential features of substance-induced anxiety disorder are prominent and persistent feelings of anxiety that are judged to be due to the direct physiological effects of intoxication or withdrawal from a substance. Prominent anxiety, Panic Attacks, or obsessions or compulsions predominate in the clinical picture.

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Site last updated: March 4, 2008

Substance induced anxiety disorder: Anxiety due to a physical disorder or a substance abuse